Nouvelle île 1979

Pierre Alechinsky made this etching, called "Nouvelle île," using black ink on off-white paper. I love the nervous energy of the marks, as if they have no end point. It's clear Alechinsky just let his hand go for a walk. Looking at the image, I can only imagine him moving the plate, wiping and re-inking, so the image has come into being through trial, error, and intuition. I feel like I know where he's coming from as I do the same thing in my painting. There are various biomorphic forms, like animals, which emerge across the surface—they’re both recognizable and abstract. I find it interesting that the piece is split horizontally, which creates different spatial planes in the work, each with a different density of marks. This builds up areas of intense texture. It reminds me how much artists are in conversation with one another, echoing ideas across generations. "Nouvelle île" feels like an exciting invitation into Alechinsky's world, one that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty.