Blackstone Alley, San Francisco 1926

James Blanding Sloan created this etching, Blackstone Alley, San Francisco, in 1926. The intricate mark-making is all about process, a kind of dance between the artist, the plate, and the acid. You can see how he’s built up the image line by line, creating this whole world from tiny marks. The beauty of etching lies in its textures; the velvety blacks, the delicate grays, all born from the tooth of the metal. Look closely and you’ll notice the heavy machinery contrasting with the quaint architecture. It’s like Sloan is asking us to reconcile these two worlds, or perhaps, capturing a moment of transition in the city. Notice the cables holding up the crane, like lines connecting different realities. Sloan's contemporary Martin Lewis also created work which looked closely at urban life, focusing on the contrasts between light and shadow. Art is like one big conversation, isn't it? Everyone chipping in with their own perspectives, and leaving us with something new to think about.