Vogelskelet 1979

Kees Stoop made this print, Vogelskelet, which translates to Bird Skeleton, with etching. Look at the plate, how it's been worked with such fine lines to produce the texture, the depth, and the contrasts in shade! I feel for the artist here; I know what it’s like to want to examine something closely, to turn it over and over in your mind. With the etched lines, Stoop brings into being something that otherwise wouldn't be visible to the naked eye. The skeleton itself is the main event, yet it is accompanied by the shadowy form of the bird's head and plumage, and the tranquil background scene of trees. There's a kind of conversation between representation and abstraction; the image offers us a way of thinking about painting – how you go about building up an image, scraping it back, and then starting again. Stoop shares an understanding of what painting can be, and I reckon he teaches us a new way to see!