Marshland 1962

Peter Milton made this print, Marshland, using etching, a process that embraces the happy accident. Look at the whole thing, then move in close: it’s a world of tiny, teeming marks, like a million little scratches building a whole landscape. There’s real depth here, but it’s created with such a limited palette, just a range of grays and blacks. The contrast is so strong! See how Milton varies the texture to create a sense of depth and space? In the foreground, the lines are dense and tangled, while in the distance, they become lighter and more sparse. The horizontal lines create the illusion of water, giving the impression of a vast, open space. What I like most about this piece is how the marks let your imagination get to work, you fill in the gaps. For me, Milton has the same ability to evoke place as someone like Turner, and you can see the ongoing conversation between artists across time. In the end, it’s not about what you see, but what you feel.