Eau Forte 1976

Pierre Alechinsky created this print, Eau Forte, with ink on paper. The composition unfolds in a grid, each cell a window into Alechinsky’s mind. I can imagine him hunched over the plate, the acid biting into the metal, a dance of control and chance. There’s a waterfall, rendered with such energetic, rhythmic lines that it almost vibrates. Then there are these watchful faces peering out from the edges, like silent observers or maybe aspects of the artist himself, caught in the act of creation. That splash of red in the corner is like a jolt, a reminder of the artist's hand, the physical act of making. Looking at the whole piece, I am reminded of the way Guston used to work, layering image upon image, so that a kind of narrative emerges that feels open-ended and unresolved. It’s all part of the same conversation, this ongoing exchange between artists across time, where we borrow, steal, and transform each other's ideas. What is left is a testament to the endless possibilities of art and human expression.