Mediterranean Wash Day 1939

Samuel Chamberlain created this print, "Mediterranean Wash Day," using etching techniques. Look closely and you'll notice how he describes tone through intricate networks of line. For me, mark making is always about process: a record of time and a physical embodiment of thought. Consider the texture. The surface has a tactile quality, almost like you could feel the grit of the stone or the wear of the sails. See how the ink is dense and layered in the foreground but becomes lighter and more sparse as your eye travels back? This contrast creates depth and a sense of atmosphere. I keep coming back to those sails. The way Chamberlain uses the cross hatching gives them volume. You can almost feel the breeze catching the fabric. Chamberlain's work reminds me of Whistler, who also used etching to capture fleeting moments of urban life. It's like art is an ongoing conversation, artists responding to each other across time. And isn’t it wonderful how a simple etching can transport us to another place, another time?