Sherman House, Clark and Randolph Streets, Erected in 1860-61, Chicago c. 1926

Raoul Varin made this print of the Sherman House in Chicago sometime between 1860 and 1943. The scene fizzes with life, all kinds of comings and goings rendered in a style that’s precise yet atmospheric. You know, when I look at this print, I feel a kinship with Varin. I can almost feel the artist standing there, etching away, trying to capture the feel of a bustling city corner. What was it like to be him, breathing in the thick city air, watching the light shift across the facade of the Sherman House? How did he choose what to include, what to leave out? The sky is full of atmosphere, like a watercolour wash, the buildings have a geometrical exactness, and below, the figures swarm with individuality. Like all of us, Varin was working within a tradition. He was taking cues from other printmakers, other image-makers, and trying to find his own way of seeing, his own way of making. And that's the beautiful thing about art, isn't it? It's a conversation that stretches across time, a community of makers inspiring one another, pushing each other to see the world in new ways.