Ineengedoken haan 1912

Jan Mankes made this vulnerable, small lithograph, "Ineengedoken Haan" or "Crouching Rooster," using lithographic crayon on transfer paper. The smudgy grays and blacks of the rooster kinda melt into a lighter ground. I can imagine Mankes hunched over this little plate, gently coaxing the image out of the stone, mark by mark, with a kind of tender focus. There's such a sweet, awkward vulnerability to the crouching pose, like the bird is trying to disappear into itself. It almost brings tears to my eyes. The lack of sharp lines makes it feel like the rooster is dissolving, or maybe re-forming, right before our eyes. There is a lightness of touch and also a lightness of being in his work. This little crouching rooster feels so present and alive.