Le pendu (The Hanged Man) 1983

"Le pendu (The Hanged Man)" was printed by Stanley William Hayter, using engraving. Look at the plate, it is a real trip! You know, printing is so physical—the pressure of the plate, the pull, the ink, the wiping. I wonder what Hayter was thinking about with all those lines snaking around—like he’s trying to capture movement itself. Notice how he doesn’t obscure the history of the making: the wiped marks give it all away! It reminds me a bit of Joan Miró, that sort of playful line work and abstraction. But Hayter’s got this darker edge, especially with that title. The way the colors blend and shift feels like he’s searching, or something is unresolved. Painters are always in conversation with each other, riffing off each other’s ideas across time. It's amazing to witness!