Pinokkio op zee 1979

Dirkje Kuik made this etching, Pinocchio op zee, by dragging tools across a metal plate to create an image of a boat at sea. Look closely, and you can see the networks of dense, dark lines against the stark white of the paper. I can imagine Kuik inking and wiping the plate in a process of layering and removal until the essential image emerged. The composition focuses on an old boat, its skeletal structure curved and distorted. This could be the story of Pinocchio swallowed by a whale, or a shipwreck. There is a ghostly presence in the tonal contrasts, and the scratched marks add an expressive quality. The stark blacks and whites evoke a feeling of being lost at sea. The boat's tilted angle could mirror human struggles and the precariousness of life. It makes me think about Goya's etchings and the tradition of dark, narrative prints. Artists are always having a conversation, don’t you think? With each other, and with us.