Warriston Close 1905

James McBey made this etching, Warriston Close, with ink on paper. See how the ink creates this velvety dark space, and how he uses thin lines to build up areas of tone? I love how McBey makes art look so easy, but etching is anything but. You have to be so deliberate. Look how the light is concentrated in the center, drawing your eye down the close, further and further. The whole scene is built up from these marks, scratches really, and this is what etching is all about, controlled scratching. That lamp hanging on the right, it’s like a little beacon of light that also emphasizes the darkness. McBey has a lot in common with Whistler, in that he can find the beauty in ordinary scenes. Like Whistler, he’s more interested in atmosphere than detail, and that’s why his work has such enduring appeal. It’s vague, and suggestive, like a dream.