President Harding 1920

Walter Tittle made this etching of President Harding at some point in his career, using a network of fine, dark lines to build up the image. You can see, with the etched line, the image comes into being as the artist works the plate. The texture here is all in the surface, the way the light catches on those tiny grooves, a very physical thing. Look at the background, how it dissolves into a storm of marks, a real contrast to the smoother areas of Harding's face. It's almost like the artist is saying something about the man – his public image versus the chaos around him. There's a kind of dialogue going on here. You can feel Tittle working, trying to nail down Harding’s likeness, which reminds me a bit of how Lucian Freud would approach a portrait, all that searching and scratching for the truth. Ultimately, this piece is an exchange between artist, subject, and us, the viewers. It’s not about easy answers, but about the ongoing conversation that art creates.