Pont Saint-Benezet, Avignon 1919

Ian Strang made this print of the Pont Saint-Benezet in Avignon, with ink on paper. The image is so detailed; you can almost feel Strang standing there with his etching tools. He's got to be thinking about light, about how the sun hits the water and bounces up to the bridge, and the buildings beyond. I can almost feel him gently scratching at the metal plate, building up those shadows and textures one tiny mark at a time. I love the contrast between the solidity of the stone and the movement of the water. It makes me wonder about time, and how human-made things stand against the chaos of nature. The way the image fades into the distance is gorgeous. It's like he's inviting us to imagine all the things we can't see. It makes you consider all the generations of artists who have tried to capture the world around them, each in their own way. It's all connected, this act of seeing and making and sharing.