Space with Buildings 1955

Peter Takal made this print, Space with Buildings, sometime in the 20th century, and it seems like he was working with a plan, but then also just letting things happen. The marks have a sense of freedom, and a controlled chaos that is fun to get lost in. The linework is really what does it for me, so delicate, like he’s barely touching the surface. Those vertical lines, are they rain? Are they pillars? They give the buildings a kind of ghostly feel, like they could disappear at any moment. I'm reminded of Piranesi’s etchings, those crazy, impossible prisons, but way more chill. It feels less like a real place and more like a memory of a place, or a dream. Takal gives us a space that’s open to interpretation, and that's what makes it so interesting. It reminds me that art is just a conversation, a way of seeing and thinking that keeps evolving.