The Bridges, New York 1930

This is an etching made by William Charles McNulty, and it gives a very specific, particular, and precise description of the bridges of New York. I’m imagining McNulty outdoors, breathing in the city air, and composing the scene before him. You see his hand in the careful orchestration of line, shadow, and the patient accretion of small marks. Look at those cable lines and the way they meet the towers – it gives the scene a sense of structural majesty. I can almost imagine him thinking, ‘How can I translate this incredible feat of engineering into the language of etching?’ The details in the buildings and the ships suggest the artist has an eye for both the grand and the granular, capturing the vitality and movement of the city. It reminds me of other printmakers like Whistler, who also found poetry in urban landscapes. The way he uses the etching needle feels like he is thinking about how to make a new kind of mark.