The Piazza 1901

Muirhead Bone made this etching, called "The Piazza," with ink and a metal plate. He created a sense of place through line; the architecture is the star, built from dense webs of tiny strokes. It’s amazing how he evokes the feeling of being there, just by layering those marks. Look at how the ground of the piazza is rendered through delicate lines that fade off into the distance. There’s so much air in the bottom third of the plate, and it gives the work a breezy quality. Those lines bring a sense of balance to the whole composition. Bone reminds me of Piranesi, another master of architectural prints, but with a softer touch. He has a way of making a monumental structure feel intimate. Ultimately, art is about that exchange, how one idea leads to another, and how each artist leaves their mark.