Untitled (Standing Woman) c. 1930

Herbert Ferber made this Untitled etching of a standing woman sometime in the 20th century. The approach is linear, with a network of fine marks defining the woman’s form. Looking closely, you can see the etched lines coalesce to create areas of light and shadow. The paper has a warm tone, almost like old parchment, against which the lines read darker. The woman herself seems both present and ghostly. Is she emerging or dissolving? There’s a tension in the mark-making, which reminds me that artmaking is a process, a back and forth between intention and accident. Take a look at the lower part of the dress, you can see the marks become denser, grounding her in the space. There's something about the figure that reminds me of other sculptors like Gaston Lachaise. All this work feels like an ongoing conversation about the body, form, and the poetics of space. It’s more about questions than answers.