Garden of Earthly Pleasures. Boschiana 1976

Oleksandr Aksinin made this etching, "Garden of Earthly Pleasures. Boschiana," in 1977, and it's like peeking into a dream drawn with the finest pen. The color is almost entirely monochrome, a kind of blue-gray, which gives it this otherworldly feel, like an old memory. Zooming in, you can see the cross-hatching, the meticulous detail—it’s the kind of mark-making that demands time, patience, real dedication. Look closely at the figures tumbling through the waterwheel at the bottom—they’re rendered with such care, even though they’re part of this chaotic scene. It’s like Aksinin is saying, "Even in the madness, there's beauty, if you take the time to see it". Aksinin clearly knew his Bosch, but he wasn't just copying; he was in conversation. Like artmaking is just an ongoing exchange of ideas across time. And the best part? You don't need to know all the references to feel something when you look at it. Art is not about having all the answers, but embracing the questions.