The Alps from the Lido - No. 1 1912

Muirhead Bone made this etching, "The Alps from the Lido - No. 1," sometime in the early 20th century. The sepia color feels old-timey, like a faded photograph, and the whole scene is rendered with such delicate lines. It makes you think about the fleeting nature of a view. The Alps are in the distance, sketched in with such fine strokes, they're almost disappearing into the sky. There's a real contrast between the detailed architecture on the right, and the almost abstract rendering of the water and sky. Look at those tiny little dashes for the ripples! It's like Bone is saying, “I can capture this place, but only in glimpses, only in fragments.” It reminds me a bit of Whistler, how he used etching to evoke a sense of atmosphere and mood. Ultimately, art is about the conversation between artists across time, isn’t it? It is about how we see, and what we choose to remember.