Hampstead Heath 1906

This is Muirhead Bone’s ‘Hampstead Heath’, made with etching on paper, though the date is unknown. The controlled chaos of marks that define the densely packed trees on the right give way to the more sparse and open plain to the left, where horses pull some kind of machinery. The etched lines are not just descriptive but seem to vibrate with energy. Bone clearly knew how to make the most of the etching process. The plate itself has taken on a tonal quality, giving the image a warmth that is enhanced by the artist’s carefully placed marks. I love the way he captures the light filtering through the leaves. Those decisive lines are so confident, they conjure the feeling of being in that exact place, at that exact time. It’s all about the process, and Bone really understood how to make the most of it. He reminds me a little of Whistler, another printmaker who knew how to make poetry from landscape. Ultimately, art is just a conversation between artists, across time, where meaning is always shifting.