Antique Shop c. 1916

Earl Horter’s etching of an antique shop is a feast of detail. It’s a black and white symphony, all about capturing the textures and forms of a space overflowing with objects. Looking at this, I imagine Horter standing there, his eyes darting around, trying to wrangle all that visual information onto the plate. I think how the criss-crossing lines create depth, giving the objects weight and presence. The details of the buildings in the background, the statue, the curious urns, all feel so immediate. The way he’s rendered the light, flickering across the surfaces, reminds me of Piranesi and other architectural artists, who sought to evoke the atmosphere of a place as much as its appearance. The print is like a conversation between Horter and the world around him. I see how he uses line and tone, and it makes me wonder about how he saw and understood this bustling urban space. It reminds me that every mark is a choice, a decision to emphasize one thing over another, in the ongoing quest to capture a fleeting moment.