Pelures d'orange et dérivés 1962

Pierre Alechinsky made this ink drawing, Pelures d'orange et dérivés, in 1962. It looks like he’s really pushing the limits of how much you can get out of a single brushstroke. I can imagine him working on this, quickly drawing and improvising on the page. The ink is fluid and dark, laid down in bold outlines, which form strange creatures, or perhaps plants? There is a sense of spontaneous mark-making, a direct translation of thought onto paper. It's easy to see echoes of artists like Henri Michaux, who also made great use of ink and intuitive gestures. Each block feels like its own little world, a miniature stage for some unnamed drama. The contrasts of light and dark create an intense visual energy, pulling you into the artist's mind. It's a reminder that painting is fundamentally about exchange – across time and space – between artists who embrace the joy of experimentation.