Illustration to Voltaire, "Candide" 1948

Imre Reiner created this illustration to Voltaire’s Candide in 1948, using ink on paper. Look closely, and you’ll see that Reiner’s mark-making feels immediate and intuitive, like he’s letting the pen wander and explore the page. The texture is all in the lines, hatched and cross-hatched to build up a sense of depth and shadow. See how the ram’s head at the top seems to emerge from a tangle of dark strokes? And then there’s that delicate face in profile, almost lost amongst the horns. Down below, the ship is rendered with a web of lines, like a fragile cage. The whole thing feels like a dream, doesn’t it? Reminds me a little of the surrealist etchings of someone like Max Ernst, where meaning is never fixed, and the image unfolds in your mind. It's not literal, but it conveys the spirit of the narrative.