Schadow and His Family 1925

Johann Gottfried Schadow made this tiny etching of his family at some point in his life. It's a very intimate little window, isn't it? I wonder what was going through his head as he worked on it. Was it a gift for his wife? A record for himself? I bet he didn't imagine it would end up in the Met! The composition is really interesting, because the family are all crammed together into one space. There's the top-hatted gentleman in the background, looming over the two women in the foreground who are reading a book. Schadow has managed to create this really powerful sense of depth and intimacy by making so many different marks. It gives a great sense of movement and almost a photographic blur. I really love the way he's used the black ink to give weight to the figures, and to draw our eyes to the faces of the women. The etching almost acts as a conversation between friends! We're all constantly inspiring each other and pushing the boundaries of what art can be.