La Pluie (The Rain) 1957

Bernard Childs made this print, La Pluie, which translates as 'The Rain', using etching on paper. Look at the way he’s built up the image with these frantic, energetic marks, like he’s trying to capture the feeling of a downpour rather than a literal depiction. Up close, you can see how the textures vary - the sky seems to be made up of tiny dashes and scribbles, while the foreground is all these bold, confident strokes. It almost feels like he attacked the plate with his tools, digging and scratching to create this chaotic scene. It’s not just about what you see, but how you feel the rain, the way it distorts everything and makes the world a bit wild and blurry. Childs reminds me a little of Cy Twombly in his approach, all these layers of marks adding up to something bigger than the sum of its parts. Ultimately, art is about opening up possibilities, not closing them down, and this print is full of them.