Trávy-strepy (Grass-Shards) 1995

Alena Laufrová made this print, Trávy-strepy, which translates to Grass-Shards, using etching. With etching you get these really satisfying, dark, velvety blacks, which Laufrová exploits. And there’s that kind of eerie moon up top, all achieved through a deliberate, physical process. There is such a great feeling of texture. You see that repeated mark, almost like blades of grass? They're arranged in rows, but each one has its own little variations, its own weight. It’s like handwriting, you know? No two strokes are ever exactly alike. I like the way the sharp, dark shards of grass contrast with the soft, smudgy moon. It's like a visual poem about the tension between the organic and the abstract. You can feel the push and pull. It reminds me of some of the early expressionist printmakers, like Kirchner, who were also interested in using the stark contrasts of black and white to create a sense of unease and emotional intensity. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself, across time and cultures.