Untitled 1970

This etching was made by Reuben Kadish, sometime in the 20th century. It looks like an explosion of figures, rendered with a scratchy, almost frantic energy that reminds me of Philip Guston’s late work. The black ink is dense in some areas, creating deep shadows, while in others it’s so light it’s almost a whisper. Look at the way the lines define the bodies, they are not clean or precise, but broken and raw. See the figure at the bottom left, the way the lines come together feels like a desperate attempt to capture a fleeting vision. The etching technique here allows for a directness, a sense of immediacy that mirrors the artist’s thought process. I can’t help but think of Goya’s dark, chaotic prints when I look at this, the way both artists use the medium to explore the darker sides of the human condition, embracing ambiguity and leaving us with more questions than answers.