Stengels binnen rondboog c. 1944 - 1990

This is ‘Stengels binnen rondboog’ by Kees Stoop, made with etching. It’s like he's captured a secret garden, maybe one only visible from a mouse eye view. The tiny lines, like whispers on paper, they build up this whole world. Look closely, and you see how the stems and leaves aren’t just shapes, but bundles of tiny marks. It's all about the process, about watching something emerge from a million little decisions. I keep thinking about the physical effort of mark-making, you know? You can almost feel the scratching of the etching needle, the patience of the hand moving back and forth. See the way those stems reach up? They’re not perfect, they wiggle and wobble, and that's what makes them feel alive. It reminds me that art isn't about getting things right, it's about letting things be. Kees Stoop’s prints remind me of the work of Alfred Kubin, where the image becomes a portal to another world. It’s like they both understood that art is a conversation, a way of sharing your own strange vision with the world.