La Cité, Paris 1907

This etching, La Cité, Paris, was created by Donald Shaw MacLaughlan sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. I really get a sense of the artist searching for the lines here, trying to understand how to convey the atmosphere and complexity of a cityscape with a monochromatic palette. Look at how the mass of buildings seems to rise up out of the river, dissolving into a web of vertical and horizontal strokes. What was MacLaughlan thinking about as he made this? I can imagine him wanting to capture the feeling of a bustling Parisian day and the intimate relationship between the buildings, the water and its inhabitants. The architecture, the boats, the figures—they’re all rendered with a flurry of lines, which feels like a very intimate, haptic gesture. I think of other printmakers like Whistler, who were equally obsessed with light and atmosphere, and the way they used etching as a means of philosophical inquiry. Printmaking is such a great medium for seeing, thinking, and making all at once.