Turrets 1930

Herbert Ferber made this print titled 'Turrets' in 1930. Looking at the hatching, those tiny lines, it's clear this is an etching - a process of building up an image by dragging a tool across a plate. The buildings rise up, layer upon layer, like a ziggurat. Look at the contrast between the dense, regular lines of the buildings and the more freely drawn sky, a kind of vortex above. The marks are so controlled, so consistent, but also, so free. There's a tension between the formal and the gestural. It reminds me of Piranesi’s etchings of Rome, the way he used line to create depth and atmosphere. Like Piranesi, Ferber isn't just showing us a place; he's giving us a whole world. Art isn't just about what you see, but how you see it.