Dieppe c. 1930

William Washington made this etching, Dieppe, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. It's amazing how much information he manages to convey with what seems like a very basic set of marks. There's a real sense of a city teeming with life, even though we mostly just see the buildings! The whole image is built up from a delicate network of lines, some short and staccato, others long and flowing. Look at the way he renders the smoke stacks in the middle ground. The lines are denser there, creating a darker tone and a sense of depth. It feels like he's using the etching needle to feel his way around the forms, describing their edges and textures with incredible precision. This reminds me a little of some of Whistler's cityscapes, but Washington has his own unique approach. He's not afraid to leave areas unfinished, allowing the white of the paper to peek through and create a sense of light and air. There's something so fresh and immediate about the way he works, as if he's capturing a fleeting moment in time. It's a beautiful reminder that art doesn't always need to be polished and perfect to be powerful.