Vrouw en hond 1952 - 2005

Aat Verhoog made "Vrouw en hond" with etching in lines that create a sense of depth, pattern, and texture. It's almost as if the whole composition is a field of dark energy or matter—except for the dog. I wonder what Verhoog was thinking about, making this image? Maybe life, nature, companionship? I'm drawn to the dog, a stroke of pure white leaping away from the scene. The woman and dog seem held together, like an invisible connection, pulling the dog back as it springs forward. It's so alive and spontaneous, with the figure caught in the action of throwing. It is an intimate, strangely dreamlike scene. Painters like Verhoog and Paula Rego are in an ongoing conversation, throwing ideas around. Painting offers us ways of seeing and feeling, and I can imagine myself in their spaces of creative exchange.