Ritueel, de kroning van Vondeling tot paus 1952 - 2005

Aat Verhoog made this print called Ritueel, de kroning van Vondeling tot paus, which translates as Ritual, the Coronation of Vondeling as Pope, and the title already throws you into the deep end, right? It's a monochrome scene, etched with such a flurry of lines and details. I imagine Verhoog hunched over a plate, pulling each line into existence, scratching away with focused energy. There's this incredible tension between detail and ambiguity. Look at the figures: some have blank faces, others are contorted in expressions that could be reverence or something more sinister. What was Verhoog thinking? Was he poking fun at religious ceremony, or maybe exploring the power dynamics within these rituals? It feels both grotesque and fascinating. The etching reminds me of artists like Ensor, who weren't afraid to mix the sacred with the absurd. It’s like they’re all in on some joke, one that we can only guess at.