The Critic (Portrait of Duncan MacDonald) 1924

James McBey made this etching called ‘The Critic (Portrait of Duncan MacDonald)’ using lines, and cross-hatching to create this scene. You can almost feel the sharp, biting lines of the etching tool as he worked on the plate. I imagine McBey, in his studio, inking the plate, wiping it just so, and then cranking it through the press. What a moment of anticipation! Will the image be everything he hoped for? I know that feeling when, after a lot of work, you finally get to see what you’ve made, and you think: is this any good? Look how McBey uses line to create the illusion of space. A lone figure stands near a window, perhaps looking out at the world, or maybe just lost in thought. Is he thinking about what the critic would say? Or is he thinking about his own relationship with the artist? This image reminds me that all artists are in conversation with each other, building on the ideas of the past and pushing into new territory. I am sure he knew how much the simple line can do.