Arthur Kill 1947

John A. Noble made this print called "Arthur Kill" using etching, a process where lines are incised into a metal plate to hold ink. The world in this print feels built from touch, like a memory we can only half grasp. Look at the mass of lines that make up the ship, they are like a storm of marks. The etched lines don't just describe the ship, but almost seem to construct it before our eyes. I find this kind of process so compelling; the artist isn't just copying something, but building something new. The buildings on the horizon are less clearly defined, as though only the ship is truly present in the artist's mind. The overall effect reminds me of Piranesi, who also used etching to create epic, immersive worlds. But where Piranesi's etchings are filled with classical ruins, Noble gives us the beauty of industry and decay. There's a kind of melancholy in the air here, as though Noble is aware that these ships, like all things, are destined to fade away.