3 figuren 1966

Aat Verhoog made this print, 3 figuren, and we can see the process of mark making in the etched lines that articulate the forms. It's not about hiding the work but embracing it. Look at the textures in this piece. The scratchy lines describing the figures contrast with the smooth, flat plane of the paper. There’s a real push and pull between the illusion of depth and the reality of the surface. Notice the way the lines build up to create shadows, particularly on the figure to the left. It’s almost like the artist is carving the forms out of thin air with these lines, suggesting movement and instability. This work reminds me of Picasso's explorations of form, where multiple perspectives collapse into a single image. Like Picasso, Verhoog invites us to see the world in a new way, to question our assumptions about how things are.