Horse Market in Algiers 1925

Paul-Albert Besnard made this etching, "Horse Market in Algiers," with a fine web of linear marks in black ink. It's like he's feeling around with the tip of his etching needle trying to conjure a world of horses. I can imagine Besnard, squinting, studying the angles of muscle, and the way the light filters through the dust of the marketplace. It’s a swarm of bodies, but he’s trying to pull them into focus with these tiny, controlled scratches. Look how the lines cluster and disperse, almost like breath on a cold window, to create the impression of light and shadow. The overall effect is hazy, dreamlike. The horses are built up out of nothing, by his hand; he coaxed them into being. This kind of work has a conversation with Degas, Lautrec, even Goya. It’s about seeing the familiar world in a new way, breaking it down and rebuilding it through marks. And that's what artists do; we keep each other company across time, responding to the same problems, inspiring each other to see and feel more deeply.