North End of Telegraph Hill 1918

John W. Winkler made this etching, North End of Telegraph Hill, sometime in the early 20th century, using a metal plate and etching tools to create a scene of urban life. The etching captures a jumble of houses stacked on a hill. It’s all in monochrome, but the textures! You can almost feel the roughness of the wood, the grit of the soil. Look closely at the way Winkler uses these tiny, precise lines to create depth. The details are incredible. You can see figures on balconies and children playing in the foreground. It's like a snapshot of everyday life, rendered with so much care. That scribbly hatching that defines the hillside, seems to almost dance, and yet it also grounds the composition. It reminds me of the work of Whistler or maybe even some of the German Expressionists. This is how art is an ongoing conversation. Each artist picks up the thread from those who came before, adding their own unique perspective. Winkler invites us to see beauty in the everyday, to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.