Au bord de la Bièvre 1890 - 1913

Philip Zilcken made this print, Au bord de la Bièvre, and you know, there's something so appealing about the monochromatic palette, like looking into the past. I imagine Zilcken outside, perhaps it's a grey day, standing on the Bièvre riverside, poised with his etching tools, observing the light as it skims across the buildings, trees, and the ground. There are those lines creating the architecture and the organic shapes of the trees and the riverbank. It reminds me of other artists like Whistler, who were also playing with a similar tonal range to evoke atmosphere and mood. The textures of the building are just delicious. What I love most about art is how each artist is in conversation with one another. You can see the echoes and influences, yet each one brings something unique to the table, or in this case, to the etching plate. It makes you think about how art is not just about what we see but how we feel, you know?