Escouade en Marche 1917

This etching by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen shows us a squad on the move, rendered with a flurry of lines that feel both urgent and weary. Imagine Steinlen hunched over the plate, scratching away, each line a tiny commitment to the story he’s telling. I feel for him, trying to capture the weight of those soldiers’ packs, the drag in their steps. What’s going through his mind as he etches? Is he thinking of the front lines, the lives disrupted, or just the sheer physical toll of war? See how the repeated, almost frantic, strokes of his needle create a palpable sense of movement and exhaustion. The figures blend together, their individuality swallowed up by the collective march. It reminds me of Goya’s disasters of war, but with a softer edge, more melancholy than rage. Artists, they’re always in conversation, riffing off each other's anxieties and insights. Steinlen’s work is a reminder that art isn't just about pretty pictures, it’s about wrestling with the big stuff, the messy stuff, and trying to make sense of it all, one line at a time.