Lynton, England 1906

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan made this print of Lynton in England using etching, a process that always feels like controlled chaos to me. Look at how the mass of dark marks on the left pulls your eye in, a real dense thicket of lines. There’s something so physical about the way the lines vary in weight and direction. It’s almost like you can feel the artist’s hand moving across the plate, digging into the metal with real intention. See the way the light bounces off the white buildings further back, though? A total contrast. For me, there’s a kinship here with Whistler, that same interest in capturing a place, not just as it looks, but as it feels to be there. It’s like MacLaughlan is inviting us to wander through the narrow streets of Lynton with him, to get lost in the shadows and discover the hidden corners. Art isn’t just about answers, it’s about opening up possibilities.