Il calar della notte (Nightfall) c. 1902

Luigi Conconi made this etching, Il calar della notte, sometime in the late 19th century. It's got this great all-over texture, built up through layers of tiny etched lines. It’s almost like he's knitting the image together, one little stitch at a time. The etching feels like a memory, or a dream. Look at the way Conconi uses these marks to create a sense of depth, especially in the upper part of the image. It's like a curtain of branches framing a distant, hazy light. There’s a kind of quietness to the landscape, despite the busy-ness of the marks. Conconi’s process reminds me a little of Whistler, who also used etching to capture fleeting moments. Both artists understood that sometimes, it's not about the thing itself, but about the feeling it evokes. Art's always a conversation, right? And this piece is like a quiet murmur in that ongoing exchange.