De sfinx 1920

"De Sfinx" was printed by Bernard Essers, but the exact date is unknown. The hatching reminds me a little bit of wood engraving, an older process, and it’s all done in a monotone color palette of browns and blacks. It makes me think about how artmaking is this conversation across time and space. Look at the details in this print; the lines create a real sense of texture, especially on the skin of the sphinx. Is she made of stone or flesh? The way Essers layers those lines gives her such a palpable presence; I can almost feel the weight of her gaze. And notice the contrast between the solid, grounded figure of the sphinx and the delicate, almost ethereal, figures of the people below. Essers feels like a mix of Edvard Munch and Max Beckmann, maybe? It's a cool blend of angst and mystery, which speaks to the kind of ongoing experiment that art represents. We never really know what we're looking at, do we?