Frenzied Effort 1925

Peggy Bacon made this print, called 'Frenzied Effort' in 1925. The all-over, almost hysterical mark making in this image really pulls you in. It's all drypoint, so lots of scratching directly into the plate to create a burr when printed, giving that fuzzy line quality. It's a study group, right? Artists drawing a model. But everyone's got their own take, their own tools. Look at the guy in the front – is that a magnifying glass? Some are intense, some seem bored. But there's this feeling of urgency, as if everyone's fighting for their vision. There's a really gorgeous layering of marks, a kind of controlled chaos that makes you look closer and closer. That one face near the back, almost obscured but rendered with such precision. This is so reminiscent of someone like Honoré Daumier, right? The satire, the commentary on the everyday, the quick, biting mark. Art as a record, an observation, a total attitude! And ultimately, maybe, a huge, beautiful mess.