Harfleur 1903

David Young Cameron made this etching, Harfleur, using a metal plate and acid, leaving behind lines that catch the light. It's all about process, isn’t it? You start with a surface, mess it up a little, and see what happens. The texture here is incredible; the cross-hatching builds up this crumbling, gothic façade. Look at the top of the archway, see how the lines almost vibrate? The inky blacks contrast with the stark white of the paper, creating a moody, almost ghostly atmosphere. There's a lone figure at the base, sitting just within the archway, giving scale to the architecture, but also adding a sense of mystery. Cameron reminds me a little of Piranesi, with his architectural fantasies. But unlike Piranesi’s sharp precision, there’s something softer, more romantic here, and I appreciate how he lets the marks speak for themselves. It's a conversation, really, between the artist, the metal, and the acid, each playing its part in the final image.