Leeds 1905

Muirhead Bone’s ‘Leeds’ is made up of a delicate network of lines, etched into a plate. Just imagine him, scraping away at the metal. The sepia tones are so earthy, aren't they? It gives the whole scene this feeling of something old, like a memory. Look at the cathedral, the grand architecture contrasted against the everyday buildings. Bone’s architectural etchings remind me of Piranesi, but here, there’s something more personal. I wonder what Bone was thinking when he made this? I bet he felt like he was capturing not just a place, but a whole slice of life. He’s using a vocabulary that’s very particular, but somehow, he makes it universal.