Viaduct, Coal Pockets 1908

This is Viaduct, Coal Pockets, an etching made by Earl Horter in the early part of the 20th century. It looks like he really dug into that plate! The marks feel tentative, yet deliberate, like he was feeling his way through the scene. Horter's got this amazing way of capturing the gritty textures of urban life. Look at the layers of crosshatching, see how they create depth and shadow, almost like you could reach out and touch the rough surfaces of the buildings and the viaduct. The eye is drawn to the contrast between the solid, towering structure of the viaduct and the messy, chaotic coal pockets below. It kind of reminds me of Piranesi, but with an American accent. Both artists share that fascination with the monumental and the crumbling, the way the past haunts the present. But Horter's got a bit more rawness, a bit more grit. Ultimately, it's not about answers, but about the pleasure of looking, of getting lost in the maze of lines and forms.