Baron du Cartier du Marchieme 1923

Walter Tittle etched this portrait of Baron du Cartier du Marchieme in 1923, and it's the kind of image that makes you wonder about process. I mean, what was it like for Tittle to commit this face to a metal plate? How many passes did he make, building up the Baron's features with those delicate lines? It's so cool to see the artist's touch, like a map of decisions and revisions. The way he captured the light on the Baron's face and the texture of his suit, you know Tittle was really looking, thinking, and feeling as he worked. Engraving is such a different world from painting, but it's still about mark-making, about finding a language to express what you see and feel. And every artist is in conversation with those who came before, borrowing, stealing, and transforming.