Graphic Sheet I 1958

Jirí Balcar made this etching, Graphic Sheet I, sometime around 1968, it's all about the push and pull of black ink on paper. Look closely, and you'll see how Balcar doesn't hold back. He lays down these raw, scratchy lines that build up a kind of ghostly form. It's like he's digging into the plate, letting the acid bite deep to create these intense blacks. The way he layers those strokes, crisscrossing and piling them on, creates this almost three-dimensional effect. I love how the surface is so alive. You can practically feel the bite of the acid, the drag of the tool. And notice how the white of the paper isn't just empty space, it's part of the conversation. It’s like Balcar is wrestling with the materials, pushing them to their limits. It's a dialogue between intention and accident, control and chaos. There is something about the rawness of the mark-making that reminds me of Cy Twombly’s nervous energy. Art isn't about answers, it's about the questions we ask along the way.