The Bed-Stool 1914

Anders Zorn made this print, The Bed-Stool, using etching, a process of mark-making that is as physical as painting. Look at the hatching, so many short, sharp lines going in all directions. It's almost like he's trying to capture not just the look of the figure, but the feeling of light on skin. I imagine Zorn bent over the plate, his hand moving back and forth, back and forth, biting into the metal with acid. He’s constructing a kind of space for the female form to come into being. There is this wonderful intimacy, a closeness to the female form which feels honest and true. That dark, moody palette, is so interesting—not quite black and white, but somewhere in between, suggesting shadow and depth. It reminds me of Rembrandt, another master of light and dark. Artists are always looking at each other, riffing off each other's ideas, pushing the conversation forward. And it's that conversation, that ongoing dialogue, that makes art so exciting.