Eekhoorn after 1921

Henri Verstijnen made this picture of a squirrel, ‘Eekhoorn’ in Dutch, using graphic techniques. I love how Verstijnen lets us see the hand in the making. Look at the way the lines build up the form of the squirrel, there's real energy in these marks. The texture of the fur feels almost touchable. See the way the tail curls, it is almost like smoke. I wonder about the tools he used, maybe a fine pen, or perhaps a needle to etch those details. It reminds me a bit of Dürer, that same attention to detail, that love of nature. The whole thing has this delicate balance between realism and something more, a kind of dreaminess. You could almost imagine this little guy as a spirit animal or something, blending into the background. Art doesn’t have to be one thing; it can be a question mark, an invitation.