Rue Mouffetard, Paris 1906

John Marin made this etching, "Rue Mouffetard, Paris," and it feels like he's right there, capturing the city's pulse through a veil of soft, silvery tones. The whole piece is about process; the network of lines suggesting form and movement. Up close, you can see the way the etching needle dances across the plate. It's not about precision, but about capturing the essence of a bustling street. Look at the figures – they're almost like ghosts, mere suggestions of people going about their day. I’m drawn to the rooftops: they're not perfect, and yet, their imperfection gives the work character. Marin understood that art-making is about translating an experience. It makes me think of Whistler's etchings of London, but with a distinctly American energy. Like Marsden Hartley or Georgia O'Keefe, Marin sought to capture the spirit of a place, embracing ambiguity rather than pinning down a single, fixed view.