Gadeparti i en udkant af København 1906

Adolph Larsen made this etching of a street scene just outside Copenhagen. He’s working with a limited palette, just black ink on white paper, but he coaxes so much atmosphere out of it! Look how he uses hatching and cross-hatching, those tiny little lines, to build up the tones and textures. The cobblestones underfoot almost vibrate with detail, each one catching the light a little differently. And then there's the way he suggests the sky – not a blank void, but a hazy, overcast day pressing down on the scene. There's a figure in an apron standing outside a building on the right. It reminds me of the etchings of Whistler, that same interest in the everyday, the poetic potential of the urban landscape. But Larsen brings his own sensibility to it, a kind of quiet observation. Like all good art, it's about looking closely, paying attention to the world around you, and finding beauty in unexpected places.