Vluchtende figuren before 2006

Aat Verhoog made this etching, called "Vluchtende figuren," or "Fleeing Figures", sometime during his lifetime. It's all about the push-pull of image making, with the etched lines creating these sort of ghostly afterimages of human forms. The figures are rendered in contrasting tones—a blue one against a dark ground and two others in a lighter shade. The process feels so present; you can see the hand of the artist in every line. Take a look at the right-most figure, where the hatching describes the musculature of the legs. It's as if Verhoog is trying to capture not just the form, but also the energy of these fleeing figures, using the texture of the lines to suggest movement and urgency. This work reminds me of Francis Bacon, who was also interested in the distortions and contortions of the human body, but in a very different way. Both artists invite us to think about the fragility and vulnerability of human existence. Art is a conversation across time. Isn't that amazing?