Mersea: Sunset 1924

James McBey made this print, Mersea: Sunset, using etching, a process kind of like drawing with acid. The whole scene, a fleet of ships at low tide, is rendered in this warm, sepia-toned haze that feels both precise and dreamy. Look at the sky, how McBey creates depth with these tiny, nervous lines, hatching almost, pulling the eye back, back, back. Then down to the hull of the largest ship, where the lines are thicker, darker, really digging in and defining the shape, weighing it down. There's a real sense of atmosphere, the air thick with moisture. It reminds me of Whistler, who knew a thing or two about capturing a mood with minimal means. Like all good art, this print leaves space for interpretation. It's a conversation, a question, not a statement.