Three trees 1913

Jan Mankes created this etching, Three Trees, and it's all about the process of line-making, wouldn't you say? Look at how he coaxes out the forms with the barest whisper of a line, like a memory of a tree rather than a portrait. The surface is alive with tiny, nervous strokes, a real testament to the physicality of the medium. You can almost feel the scratch of the needle on the plate, can’t you? Check out how the lines thicken and tangle at the crown of the central tree, like a bird's nest or a thought process becoming delightfully muddled. It reminds me a little of Odilon Redon, that same sense of quiet mystery and dreamy introspection. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to shout, sometimes the quietest voices carry the furthest.