Menselijke figuren, zwarte rechthoek 1969

Rein Dool made this print called "Menselijke figuren, zwarte rechthoek" or "Human figures, black rectangle" using what looks like some kind of etching technique. The marks feel really immediate, like he was thinking through the image right there on the plate. There's this interesting mix of really precise lines and areas where the ink seems to have splattered a bit, giving it a kind of raw energy. The solid black rectangle anchors the whole composition, but then you've got these floating figures that are almost cartoonish, with these big, bulbous heads and kind of awkward limbs, drawn with a very scratchy line. Look at the way he suggests movement, or maybe weightlessness, with these almost scribbled lines trailing off from the figures. It makes you wonder if he was influenced by artists like Dubuffet, who also embraced a kind of childlike spontaneity in their work. Ultimately, I think Dool is saying something about the way we perceive and interact with the world, embracing imperfection and ambiguity.