Visage violet 1947

Jean Fautrier made this print, Visage violet, using a layering of ink to build up the image. It’s like he’s thinking through the face, finding it, not just describing something already there. The contrast between the textured darkness on the right side of the face and the smooth, almost ghostly lightness on the left really grabs me. You can almost feel the ink, the grain, the surface of the paper; Fautrier isn't hiding anything. Look at the eye on the left, how it stares right out at you, yet the rest of the face seems to be dissolving, disappearing. It reminds me of some of Goya's darker works, that same feeling of unease and haunting. Ultimately, it’s a piece that lets you bring your own feelings to it. There’s a lot of room for interpretation, which is what makes art interesting, right? It’s never just one thing.