The Cobbler and the Banker 1927 - 1930

This etching, *The Cobbler and the Banker*, by Marc Chagall is made of dense arrangements of etched lines and textures that create a whole world of dream-like energy. I can imagine Chagall hunched over the plate, scratching and biting into the metal, coaxing this scene into being. Look at how those hatched marks are like shadows, creating depth but also a kind of nervous energy. The cobbler’s face, a mask of glee, with every line seems to vibrate with madness. The image comes alive through the sheer physicality of the medium, and I immediately think of Goya, whose prints, like this one, also explore the darker sides of human experience. There's this feeling that the artist is in a constant state of dialogue with other artists and their work. The conversations don't necessarily yield conclusions, but open up new territories.