Hidden Face 

Endre Bartos made this work, Hidden Face, using ink on paper. The fluid, almost uncontrolled quality of the medium, makes the image feel as though it is emerging organically from a swamp or other natural feature. Ink has a long and esteemed history, and the kind of graphic approach we see here is distinct from painterly traditions. Bartos is working in the tradition of artists who draw, sketch, and illustrate, where the movement of the hand and the responsiveness of the material are paramount. Ink is affordable, portable, and immediate; it is the perfect medium to seize a fleeting inspiration. The apparent spontaneity belies a high degree of control. Notice how Bartos coaxes the ink to pool and bleed in some areas, while using hatching to define other, more controlled forms. The result is both ephemeral and sharply evocative, a tension that captures the nature of identity itself. Ultimately, a work like this reminds us that art making is not just about the finished image, but about the processes and materials that bring it into being.