Toilers of the City Series #6 - the Firemen 1917

This is 'Toilers of the City Series #6 - the Firemen,' by Ralph Pearson, and it’s an etching. Look at the marks made in the plate, the density of the cross hatching, the way that the white of the paper creates smoke and atmosphere – it’s all so evocative! You can really feel the heat, the smoke, the drama. Pearson seems to have understood art-making as a process of discovery, you can see it in the directness of the marks. The texture is created by thousands of tiny etched lines, pulled together into something that feels immediate and real. Notice the lower left of the image; the marks are less clearly defined, scrubbed into the paper, but they help to add weight and depth to the composition. This piece reminds me of some of the etchings that Whistler made of industrial London, although Pearson's piece feels more raw, more expressive. Like all good art, this piece leaves room for interpretation.