Trio met drum before 1952

Johan van Hell made Trio met drum in lithograph. You know, when I look at this image I see that it’s not about any one thing, it’s more about the process. The trio are made up of tiny marks, little dots and lines that create something more complex than the individual parts. I find myself drawn to the texture. You can really see the hand of the artist in the work, the way the marks build up to create a sense of depth and shadow. Look at the way the light falls across the figures, creating a sense of volume and weight. The face on the drum is so good, the way the eye is drawn to her surprised expression, and the shadow beneath her chin. There’s something playful and humorous about the image, like a snapshot of a vaudeville act. It reminds me a little of those early Hockney etchings, you know, the ones where he's making fun of the art world, but doing it in a really charming way. I think it’s this embrace of ambiguity and openness that makes it so compelling.