Mrs. Kip 1904

Anders Zorn made this etching, Mrs. Kip, without a date, using an etching plate and paper. Look at the hatching and cross-hatching, see how it builds up the dark areas, like the shadow on Mrs. Kip’s face, and creates the illusion of depth. It’s like Zorn is thinking through the process, making marks and adjusting as he goes. The texture is so interesting, isn’t it? The way the ink sits on the paper, creating a slightly raised surface. You can almost feel the burr of the etching. Then there’s that incredible hat. It’s like a cloud of ink, somehow solid and ethereal at the same time. It’s a very particular moment, but it's also about something timeless, that exchange between the artist, the model, and the viewer. Zorn reminds me a little bit of James McNeill Whistler, both of them masters of capturing light and atmosphere with such economy. But where Whistler is all about elegance and understatement, Zorn has this raw energy. Ultimately, it's all about seeing – and isn't that what art is all about?