Optical Illusion (Illusion d'optique) 1967

Pierre Alechinsky made this print, "Optical Illusion", with etching and aquatint, mediums that lend themselves to exactly the kind of layered complexity we see here. There’s a central image, orange on green, which feels gestural and free. It reminds me of someone doodling absentmindedly, letting their hand wander across the page. The acid in the aquatint biting into the metal, creating that lovely, almost velvety texture. Then, the border, it’s a whole other world of small, intricate images: faces, mazes, little scenes unfolding. It's like two artists at work, or maybe one artist with two very different sides to their personality. I see echoes of artists like Miró, in the playful abstraction, and maybe a bit of Dubuffet, in the raw, almost primal energy. But really, Alechinsky is his own thing, blending spontaneity with meticulous detail, inviting us to get lost in the process of seeing.