Twee geliefden 1950

Valentin le Campion made this small print called “Two Lovers”, but we don’t know exactly when or how. The way the lines are carved gives the image a feeling of classical sculpture, but it's also got a very modern, almost graphic feel. There's a real tension between the solid, sculptural forms of the figures and the delicate, almost fragile lines that define them. Look at the way the artist uses line to describe the folds of the drapery, or the contours of the bodies. It’s kind of relentless, almost like he wants to trap them. You can almost feel the artist working the block to create this image. It's a very physical, almost violent process, and you can see that in the finished print. It reminds me a little of some of the German Expressionist printmakers. Maybe someone like Schmidt-Rottluff, who used a similar kind of rough, angular line to create these very intense, emotional images. Art's just one big conversation, right?