Town Hall Steps 1929

Kenneth Holmes made this print of the Town Hall Steps, I’m guessing, with some kind of etching or engraving process where he painstakingly carved lines into a metal plate. Look at the density of marks! I imagine him, hunched over, squinting, pushing and pulling the tool across the surface. The whole scene is built up from tiny hatch marks, like a pointillist painting made with lines instead of dots. It's a real feat of observation, capturing this bustling street scene with horses, carts, and little figures milling about. I wonder what it was like for Holmes to decide what to include, what to leave out? He’s not just copying reality, he's interpreting it, filtering it through his own sensibilities. The way he uses light and shadow gives the scene a real sense of depth and atmosphere. You can almost hear the clatter of hooves and the murmur of voices. It feels like a moment frozen in time. And that is what etching can do so well.