De vijf zintuigen 1880 - 1936

Fons Van der Velde made this print of the five senses - get this - without any color, probably using etching. I find the lack of color and his concentration on line really makes you consider mark-making as a process in itself. There's an appealing flatness to the image, even though Van der Velde is clearly trying to render three-dimensional forms. The faces are these graphic fields of dark and light, built up of tiny marks. Take the figure in the center with glasses, for example. The lines describing his face are so delicate, like he barely touched the plate. The physical actions of touching, tasting, seeing, hearing, and smelling are all rendered with this incredible lightness of touch! Van der Velde reminds me of an artist like James Ensor, who was also fascinated by the grotesque and absurd elements of human experience. Ultimately, I think art is about embracing these ambiguities and using them to open up new ways of seeing and feeling.