Study for "Autumn Sun" 1905

Frantisek Kupka made this etching called Study for “Autumn Sun” with a real sense of play, like he was thinking out loud through the image. The web of marks feels so immediate, especially in the foliage above the figures. It’s like a tangle of thoughts made visible. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the plate, scratching lines and hatching in these really energetic bursts. There’s a roughness to the whole thing, an openness that makes it feel so alive. Kupka’s not trying to hide the process; he's letting it all hang out. The way he renders the female form is intriguing. They’re not idealized, but there’s a sensual quality to the way he uses line to define their curves and contours. It's like a conversation between classical form and modern gesture. Reminds me a bit of Picasso’s explorations of the human body, that same drive to break down and rebuild the figure in new and unexpected ways. Art, after all, is just a never-ending game of telephone, isn't it?