The Moray Firth 1914

James McBey made this etching of The Moray Firth, and what strikes me is how he captures a moment in time with such simple marks. It's like he's sketched a memory directly onto the plate, a process that feels both immediate and deeply considered. The etching is awash with a soft, almost dreamlike quality, achieved through the delicate, intricate lines. Look at the way he renders the group of children in the foreground, each figure defined by a flurry of marks, capturing their postures with such economy. And above them, those kites dancing in the sky, each one a tiny, soaring gesture. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbles, a kind of visual shorthand that conveys so much with so little. McBey’s work, in this piece, shares a certain kinship with Whistler's atmospheric studies. Yet there's also a raw, almost diaristic quality here that feels distinctly modern. It’s a reminder that art isn't about perfection, but about the messy, beautiful act of seeing and feeling the world around us.