Two Horses 1906

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan created this image of Two Horses using etching, a really skilled and involved printmaking technique. I imagine him carefully drawing through a waxy ground on a metal plate, and then biting that plate with acid to create these lines. Looking at the final print, there is a rawness and immediacy to the lines describing the two horses. It’s a monochromatic scene, but it’s full of textural variety. The artist seems to capture the weight of the horses and the texture of their harnesses. I’m kind of hypnotized by the way the cross-hatched lines create depth. Each stroke feels deliberate, but spontaneous at the same time, you know? There is a shared language among artists; each stroke or line is an effort to see. Each artist is in conversation with those who have come before them. MacLaughlan's print offers a perspective, a way of thinking about how art can be about capturing a moment, a mood, and a feeling of labor.