Vrouw, een jongen en een meisje maken bossen van takken before 1901

Here's a delicate print by Nestor Stekke depicting a woman, a boy, and a girl constructing forests from branches. I imagine Stekke in his studio, playing with diluted inks, maybe a bit of watercolour or gouache, until these ghostly figures emerge from the thin washes of subdued greens and blues. It’s all in these scratchy, almost chaotic lines, that somehow come together to form figures. There’s a real sense of searching in the work; I can almost feel the artist squinting, trying to make something appear out of the suggestive marks, like when you’re a kid and look at clouds trying to see animals. The dark palette gives the scene an air of mystery, hinting at something hidden, maybe forgotten. The ghostly figures merge with the background, becoming one with the forest they're creating. Think of other painters like Odilon Redon or even Paula Rego, who found something in that space between reality and dreams. It's all a big conversation, you know? Artists borrowing, stealing, and riffing off each other through time.