Théogonie, Page 39 1932

This etching, Théogonie, Page 39, was made by Georges Braque sometime in his career. Look at how he's built a world of tiny marks to conjure figures on a stage. I wonder what it was like for him, making these prints? It’s all angular abstraction, but there’s definitely a narrative going on here. Do you see it? The woman with the animal? Or is it a boat? Or a horse? It reminds me a bit of Picasso, a kindred spirit in deconstructing form, but Braque holds back, maintains a certain elegant distance, don't you think? Look at that dense hatched area, and then the single, delicate lines that come off it. It's like he's balancing control with looseness. Painters are always talking to each other, borrowing, responding, so it's kind of beautiful to imagine Braque in his studio, thinking about the old masters, thinking about his contemporaries, adding to the conversation. Painting can be like that; a conversation across time.