Portrait of Miss Buchholz 1922

This is a drypoint etching, a Portrait of Miss Buchholz, made by Ludwig Meidner. Look at how he coaxes the image out of the plate using this technique. It's all about pressure and mark-making; the burr left by the needle creates a velvety texture, a kind of halo around each line. I imagine Meidner hunched over the plate, his hand guiding the needle like a seismograph recording the tremors of his perception. Maybe he was even a bit nervous because his subject was there with him. The texture feels tentative yet sure, as if the artist is feeling his way through the darkness, searching for the light. He is finding a space of uncertainty and possibility. It reminds me of the work of Käthe Kollwitz, who also used etching to capture the inner lives of her subjects. These artists keep the conversation of art going, reaching across time to ignite our own creative spark.