Afrikaansche bokken 1903 - 1932

Adriaan van 't Hoff made this print of Afrikaansche bokken, or African goats, but you know, they look like deer to me. It's all about tonal variation here, the artist playing with blacks and whites to define the figures. The way the light falls—or doesn’t—on the animals really sets the mood. It's like a dance between what's revealed and what's hidden, and I think that's an important quality of printmaking, generally. Check out the goat or deer—whatever—on the right. You can see how the artist has really built up the darker tones, and that gives the animal weight and volume, and also a sense of like, I don't know, quiet thoughtfulness. This makes me think a little of other modern print makers like Paula Modersohn-Becker who were using printmaking to achieve the same qualities that you could get in paint. I like to think about these overlaps when I'm working; it makes the whole process feel so much more alive.