La Ferme a l'aire en fin d'apres-midi 1926

Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac made this etching, *La Ferme a l'aire en fin d'apres-midi*, with incredible precision and control. You can almost feel the scratch of the etching needle against the plate, as he built up the image from a network of fine lines. I find myself wondering about his state of mind while making it. Was he trying to capture a fleeting moment of light, or a more lasting impression of the landscape? Check out the way he uses hatching and cross-hatching to create depth and shadow. See the way he varies the pressure and speed of the line to suggest texture and form. It’s as if he’s not just depicting a scene, but also exploring the very act of seeing. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they? Segonzac has certainly looked at his Cezanne and Van Gogh. And maybe he knew that future artists would look at his work and think, "Yeah, I want to try that!" Painting, like any other form of expression, is about embracing the messy, the uncertain, and the ambiguous.