Alfonso and Conchita 1913

This color etching of two children called 'Alfonso and Conchita' was made by Helen Hyde. The scene comes into being through delicate lines, and a warm color palette of ochre, red and black. I imagine Hyde bent over her plate, focused on the minute details of the children's clothing. The girl's dress is a pattern of red checks, the boy's hat casts a shadow over his face. They are looking up, perhaps at a building with a balcony, or is it a cloud formation? There's a beautiful ambiguity in the work, a sense of openness, which makes me feel sympathetic to these kids. I get a feeling that they're curious and want to understand what is going on up there. I wonder about the kind of exchange that occurs between artists across time. Hyde’s work makes me think about Mary Cassatt’s exploration of intimate scenes of domestic life. Perhaps Hyde was thinking of Cassatt as she made this print, and I can think of both women, now. It’s an ongoing exchange.