A Tartane Leaving Venice 1925

James McBey made this etching of a tartane leaving Venice sometime in the early 20th century. Look how the marks are made, like quick little scratches, almost nervous. It's as if he's trying to capture a fleeting moment. You can sense the wind and the movement of the water in every tiny line. The whole thing feels so immediate. You can almost smell the sea air. The boat itself is a dark, solid mass, but the rest of the scene is rendered with the lightest touch. See those clouds? They're barely there, just a suggestion of form, like a memory. And the way the water is depicted, with these horizontal strokes that give it this rippling effect, it's masterful. It reminds me a bit of Whistler, that same sense of atmosphere and light. But McBey has his own voice, his own way of seeing the world. And that's what art is all about, right? Finding your own way to say something, even if it's just a whisper.