Tuscany 1909

This etching called "Tuscany" was made by Donald Shaw MacLaughlan sometime in the early 20th century, and you can find it at the Art Institute of Chicago. I can imagine MacLaughlan outside in Tuscany, squinting in the bright sunlight, the air thick with the smell of earth and ripening fruit. I wonder if he was battling with the copper plate, trying to capture the scene with those tiny etched lines. It's so hard to make something look effortless, isn’t it? The composition draws me in. The foreground is dark and dense, but then the artist opens up into a hazy distance. The trees on either side act as guardians, drawing the viewer into the work. It feels old-fashioned and modern at the same time. Like he's nodding to tradition while figuring out his own way of seeing.