The New Strand 1908

This is Muirhead Bone's "The New Strand," an etching, of uncertain date. Etching is an indirect process, a cousin to drawing. The artist covers a metal plate with a waxy ground, draws through it with a needle to expose the metal, then immerses the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves that will hold ink. Here, Bone uses the etching technique to capture the dynamism of urban construction. The lines are hatched and cross-hatched, mirroring the dense scaffolding that dominates the scene. Look closely, and you'll notice the figures of laborers perched high on the structure, dwarfed by the scale of the project. The choice of etching emphasizes the gritty reality of the building site, a world of labor far removed from the refined elegance often associated with fine art prints. Consider the social context: Bone made this work during a period of rapid industrialization and urban renewal. By focusing on the process of construction, he acknowledges the sheer effort involved in shaping the modern city. This challenges the traditional hierarchy separating "high" art from the realities of everyday life and labor.