Farmyard in Normandy 1924

John W. Winkler made this etching, Farmyard in Normandy, with a plate and sheet sometime between 1894 and 1979. The marks are so delicate, like the fleeting memory of a place. It's all about the process, you know? How do you capture light with just lines? Look at the way he builds up the textures, almost like a visual whisper. The lines dance together, thick in the trees and buildings, then so faint they nearly disappear in the sky. It's all about layering, letting the ink and paper do their thing. The reflections in the water at the bottom are pure poetry. You can almost feel the air moving through the scene, like a Corot painting but with a sharper edge. Winkler reminds me a bit of Whistler, that sense of atmosphere and mood. But, this is his own vision. It’s not just what you see, but what you feel. It’s all there, hanging in the balance.