They’d such very odd heads and such very odd tails. 1911

Arthur Rackham made this strange drawing with ink. The process here is all about the line: hatching and cross-hatching, to describe the depths of the scene. Look at the way the artist makes the creatures float and swim above. See how the lighter ink of the creatures contrasts with the dark solidity of the background. It is as if the creatures are ghosts, or dreams. Their physical forms are described with quick, delicate strokes, making them feel alive and dynamic. Take for instance the long snaking tendrils behind the top right seahorse-like creature. These feel both beautiful and sinister, like looking at an exquisite danger. Rackham reminds me of artists like Odilon Redon, who used dream imagery to conjure a sense of the uncanny. Art doesn't always have to be straightforward; it can be a space of mystery and the unknown.