Jongen opgesloten in een kelder after 1947

This drawing, Jongen opgesloten in een kelder, by Eddy de Smet, is an ink and watercolour piece, and the colour palette is muted, mostly blues and blacks, with some stark white. De Smet’s mark making is playful, the lines feel very spontaneous. I am drawn to the texture and materiality of this piece, it looks like the paper is thick. The blue areas of the sky and the door are full of interesting vertical lines, and it seems like the artist is unafraid to let the medium be itself. The saturation of the watercolour is uneven, and the ink bleeds in places. The man’s beard is wild and untamed, thick black lines, this is a perfect example of the artist letting the medium lead the way, creating the form. This drawing reminds me of the work of comic artists like Aline Kominsky-Crumb, who use line and colour in a similarly expressive way. Ultimately, this piece is a great reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue between artists across time and space.