County Derry 1959

John H. De Pol made this print of County Derry, and you can see how the forms have been coaxed into being, through labor, yes, but also with a sensitivity to the world around us. I can imagine De Pol wanting to communicate the essence of this place. There is something solid about the composition, how the landscape has been meticulously rendered. But the mark-making is actually quite lively, and I think the artist is trying to show us something not just about the surface appearance, but the deeper structures and rhythms of the natural world. The textures are so varied. What is it to try and get to grips with describing the world like this? He isn’t trying to capture a photographic likeness, but something more essential: the light, the shadows, the feelings that a place evokes. It reminds me of the work of other artists who've worked in print, like Kathe Kollwitz. It’s like they're all in conversation, using lines and marks to explore and express their world.