Pomnícek/Little Monument 1988

James Janíček made this print, Little Monument, using etching, a process that feels both precise and unpredictable. The image is muted, almost ghostly, and the way the tones blend together makes it seem like a memory surfacing. There’s this incredible tension between the softness of the figure, a head in profile, and the sharp geometry of the cube below. The textures are so different – the skin rendered with delicate lines, the cube a flat, opaque plane. And yet, they're connected by these wisps of gold, like threads tying the tangible to the ethereal. Look at the way the etched lines create a kind of haze around the head, blurring the edges, as if it's dissolving into the atmosphere. This piece reminds me of the quiet intensity of Giacometti's drawings, where the figure is always on the verge of disappearing. It’s a monument, yes, but one that acknowledges the fragility of existence and the way we’re all just passing through.