Nieuwjaarswens van Kornél Révész 1934

Kornél Révész made this New Year's greeting, or Nieuwjaarswens, as it's called in Dutch, sometime around 1933, using a printmaking technique that allows for these fine, delicate lines. The etching captures a nude figure blowing bubbles with "1933" playfully inscribed inside one. There’s a real sense of fragility here. See how the artist captures the curve of the figure’s back, almost as if they’re caught in a moment of exhale, of release. And then, just to the side, there's an hourglass, adding a touch of memento mori to the celebration. The texture is subtle, almost ghostly, a testament to the artist's skill in manipulating the etching plate, it’s almost as if the figure is emerging from the paper, or perhaps, dissolving back into it. Artists like Révész make me think of other printmakers like Käthe Kollwitz, both of whom are able to convey such a deep sense of emotion with just a few, careful marks. Art, at its best, is about capturing these fleeting moments and turning them into something that lasts.