Trafalgar Square 1895 - 1910

Etha Fles made this etching of Trafalgar Square, and what strikes me is her mark-making—a network of tiny scratches that build the scene. It's like she's thinking through the image, each line a question, not a statement. The overall tone is muted. The buildings are barely there, just ghosts in the background. I love how she renders the statue in the foreground, a solid mass of vertical lines, anchoring the fleeting impressions of the city around it. Look at the base of the monument; see that dark little figure huddled there? It’s just a few lines, but it gives you a whole mood, a sense of the city's lonely corners. It reminds me a bit of Whistler's etchings, that same interest in capturing a place's atmosphere more than its details. It's the kind of piece that invites you to wander, to get lost a little, and to find your own meaning in the scratches.