Alcantara Bridge, Toledo 1924

Ian Strang made this etching of the Alcantara Bridge in Toledo. It’s all about process, isn’t it? The patient labor, the careful cross-hatching, the way the image slowly emerges from the metal. Look closely at the water. See how the lines create depth and reflection, giving the river a life of its own? Strang uses line to build form and atmosphere, almost like he's sculpting the image. The bridge and rocky hillside are built from clusters of these lines. There’s a kind of stillness here, a quiet grandeur. It reminds me a bit of Piranesi, with that same love of architectural detail, and the way it captures the weight and permanence of stone. Strang, like Piranesi, invites us to contemplate the relationship between human creation and the natural world. Art isn’t about answers, it’s about opening up space for questions and possibilities.