The Tweed at Coldstream 1905

David Young Cameron made this etching of the Tweed at Coldstream, and it's all about seeing how much you can do with a line. He's not hiding the process at all, you can see the individual strokes, like he's just sketching right onto the plate. The whole thing has this lovely, muted tone, achieved through hatching, which gives the whole scene a kind of soft, dreamy quality. Look at the way he suggests the reflections in the water with these tiny, broken lines. It’s not about photographic accuracy, but about capturing the essence of the light and atmosphere. Then check out those little squiggles of foliage on the left. They're kind of abstract, but they totally give you the feeling of leaves rustling in the breeze. Cameron, like Whistler, was super interested in the tonal possibilities of etching, pushing the medium to its limits. I love how he embraces the inherent ambiguity of art. It's not about telling you exactly what to see, but about inviting you to get lost in the landscape and find your own meaning.