Letopisy 1946

Václav Zykmund made this small etching, called Letopisy, meaning Chronicles, at an unknown date. The image is dominated by an arch of darkness and a cascade of light, maybe even rain. The dark ink and the marks bitten into the plate feel primal, like the artist was digging into something deep. I wonder if Zykmund was thinking about cycles of time when he made it. I imagine the artist, hunched over the plate, scratching and layering, trying to capture some essence of nature, history, or even a dream. Below the archway are what look like huddled figures or stones, anchoring the composition. There's a real sense of drama and tension, like something important is about to happen, or maybe already did. This reminds me of other printmakers like Goya who used aquatint to create these atmospheric landscapes. These artists are all in conversation, a lineage, each pushing the boundaries of the medium to express something beyond the surface.