From Simon's Wharf 1925

John W. Winkler made this print of Simon's Wharf with a plate of copper, some acid, and a printing press. I can imagine the act of scratching the image into the metal, then biting it with acid. It must have taken a lot of trial, error, and intuition. It’s easy to sympathize with Winkler as he etched the city scene. I can imagine him thinking about Whistler, maybe the Italian etchers like Piranesi. I wonder if he was thinking about how to make something new out of these old influences? Look at the thinness of the lines, and how they build up to create depth and shadow. Each gesture communicates something, like a feeling, an intention, or meaning. I feel his hand moving across the plate, dragging the etching needle through the copper, trying to capture the light and the atmosphere of the wharf. Artists are in an ongoing conversation across time, and Winkler is part of that. There's an ambiguity here, and a sense of openness. There's no fixed reading, just a feeling.