Village in the Sun 1951

Charles Capps made "Village in the Sun" using etching, and it feels like a study in contrasts. The man knew how to coax a range of tones from a single color, like a black and white movie with all its subtle greys. This isn’t just about light and dark; it’s about the moodiness that can be captured with a sparse palette. Look at the surface texture he created with his use of line. See how he’s built up the shading on the side of the building in the foreground? There is a real geometry to it. But then there's this contrast between the solid shapes and the more ethereal background. Your eye travels over the town to the mountains in the distance, each element carefully placed, each mark deliberate. That building in the front, casting a shadow, it almost feels like a stage set, doesn't it? Like Edward Hopper, maybe, but with a southwestern twang. It's a beautiful conversation between hard-edged form and atmospheric perspective.