Untitled (Street Scene) c. 1926

Harry Newman Wickey made this etching, Untitled (Street Scene) with a hectic flurry of lines and a great sense of movement. I wonder if he started with a light sketch, but it feels like the etching needle moved intuitively as it met the plate, cutting with speed and confidence. I really get a sense of the chaos of the crowd in this image, the people are all bundled up together, and it feels like the horses and carts are being pushed through a tight bottleneck. The composition is really interesting and full of life! I can imagine Wickey, in his moment of creation, standing amongst the crowd, taking it all in, and then rushing back to the studio to make this print. It really captures a moment in time. The more I look the more details I notice – a broken window on an upper story, for instance. Artists are always working in the context of what other artists have done, it’s this great conversation across time, as we inspire and challenge each other. And ultimately, the meaning comes from you, the viewer. What do you see? What do you feel?