Veiling after 1946

This anonymous print, "Veiling", captures a scene teeming with frenetic energy using ink on paper. It’s like a visual cacophony, a riot of lines forming figures and objects in a chaotic dance. The artist's hand seems to have moved with a nervous energy, a rapid scratching across the page, leaving no space untouched. The monochromatic palette is simple, but the density of marks creates depth and texture. Look closely, and you'll see the way the artist varies the pressure, thickening the lines to define forms and thinning them to suggest light and shadow. The whole image feels almost obsessive, like the artist was compelled to fill every corner with detail. There's a figure in the centre, clutching a painting, his arm raised as if making a point. Is he the auctioneer, a bidder, or just caught up in the madness? I'm reminded of Daumier's satirical lithographs, works that similarly used the density of line to expose the absurdities of modern life. Here, it's like the artist is inviting us to see the sale as less about art and more about the spectacle of the market.