Elin 1913

Anders Zorn made this etching, Elin, with a metal plate, in what feels like a flurry of concentrated energy. I imagine Zorn hunched over the plate, scratching and hatching, trying to capture the light as it glints off the model’s body. It’s all about mark-making here, a network of fine lines creating volume and depth, a real push-pull. Look at the way he’s described the folds in the sheets with these energetic, almost frantic lines. There is something so raw and immediate, an urgency to capture the fleeting moment. You know, making an image is like having a conversation across time, a dialogue with everyone who has ever picked up a tool. Zorn, I think, was in deep conversation with artists like Rembrandt, wrestling with the same questions of light, form, and how to make something that feels alive.