Coffee Beans 1974

Oleksandr Aksinin made this surreal print called ‘Coffee Beans’ without dating it, so we don’t know exactly when. The composition is a wild perspective game and I love the limited palette of blacks, whites, and grays. It makes me think of printmaking as a kind of alchemy. Look at the repeating curved lines, the rows of spoons, the lace-like textures on the sides – everything is carefully considered, yet retains a playful quality. My eye keeps going to the cup near the top with floating circles above it. It’s a small detail, but it feels like the key to the whole piece, suggesting a dreamlike transformation. Aksinin’s way of blending precise detail with a sense of the absurd reminds me a little bit of Magritte, but with a darker, more personal twist. Ultimately, this piece is a reminder that art doesn’t need to be loud or colorful to be deeply engaging; it just needs to spark our imagination.