Zwarte wolken c. 1944 - 1990

Kees Stoop created this print, *Zwarte Wolken*, which translates as *Black Clouds*, using etching techniques, meaning he scratched into a metal plate to create the image. Looking at this piece, I feel like Stoop was chasing a feeling, maybe the sensation of a storm rolling in. The dark, feathery marks evoke the movement of clouds across the sky. You can almost feel the wind picking up. I imagine Stoop hunched over the plate, pushing and pulling the etching tool. I bet he was trying to capture something fleeting, something about the light and the air. It reminds me of some of Rembrandt’s landscapes. I feel like all artists are in conversation with one another, across time. Each mark holds intention, and maybe a bit of uncertainty, too. That's the beauty of art, the way it embraces ambiguity and allows for so many different interpretations.