Goya c. 1968

Leonard Baskin made this intaglio print, Goya, sometime in the 20th century, using an etching technique. It's all about the lines here, these confident, scratchy marks that build up to create an image of intense scrutiny, even a little bit of menace. You can really see the process in the final image. The texture in this print is all in the density and direction of those lines. Look closely at the shadowed side of Goya's face. See how Baskin layers those lines to create depth and form? And then, notice how the lines become sparser and lighter on the other side, giving us a sense of light and space. It's like Baskin is sculpting with ink, using the physicality of the medium to its fullest. For me, the way Baskin handles Goya's hair is especially interesting. Those wild, energetic lines give a sense of movement, a feeling that the image is alive and breathing. It reminds me of some of those more expressionistic portraits by Kokoschka, where the lines seem to vibrate with raw emotion. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation across time, where artists borrow, steal, and transform ideas in their own unique ways.