Wilby Church, Northamptonshire, England 1940

Curator: Here we have John Taylor Arms's etching "Wilby Church, Northamptonshire, England," created in 1940. Editor: My first impression is how the sharp, almost brittle, lines create an image that feels both solid and fragile. Curator: The church looms with impressive, geometric architecture, seemingly fortified, evoking a timeless feel reminiscent of medieval iconography, almost a protective maternal space. Editor: It’s all about the labor isn't it? The way the light etches and bites into the plate to capture all that detail... think about how many hours went into incising that plate, stroke by painstaking stroke. Curator: And that labour transmits an enduring cultural memory, doesn't it? Churches, after all, symbolize community and steadfast faith. Consider how the spire pulls the eye heavenward. Editor: I am drawn to how the deep blacks carve the stone of the church as if digging into time. Did he use different acids and resists, or achieve that with the duration of immersion to build such contrast? It speaks to control. Curator: Absolutely. The symbolism connects to more than craft. In tumultuous times, perhaps the enduring structure serves as a reminder of history. Editor: It is incredible that such an image comes about via material manipulation: the selection of plate, acids, pressure. The craft, the act of making. To me the finished work seems at once both humble and incredibly arrogant in its level of detailed realism. Curator: Thinking about symbols and structure here adds so much weight to a scene one might pass by unthinkingly. Editor: Indeed, by investigating the physicality and the time ingrained in its creation, my perspective has transformed how I will engage with printed material henceforth.