Beetles 1951

Germaine Richier created this print of beetles by using etching, an old process that results in a richly textured surface. I wonder how she decided to depict these bugs? The black ink almost seems to float on the surface, with the figures defined by looping lines and stark contrasts. I can imagine her meticulously layering the tones, wiping away excess ink, and then pressing the plate onto paper. This process of trial and error, of building up and stripping back, feels so intimate. It's interesting how she pairs the beetles with a spindly, branch-like form. Perhaps Richier was drawn to the beetles for their forms but also the broader themes of nature and the natural world that run through her work, as they do through the work of so many artists. Because, you know, we artists are always talking to each other, even across time, riffing off each other's ideas and techniques.