Untitled (Everyone's A Critic) 1936

William J. Scott made this print, Untitled (Everyone's A Critic), using etching. It's all about mark-making, every line seems deliberate, like he's thinking through each decision, building up the image layer by layer. The texture of the print is subtle, almost velvety, and those close-valued grays create a mood that's both intimate and kind of gritty. Look at how he renders the crowd watching the painter; each figure is built up with these tiny, almost frantic lines, which makes them feel alive, buzzing with curiosity and maybe a little judgment. The artist stares intently at his canvas, his back turned to the critics, and this is so brilliant because the act of painting or printmaking is itself a kind of critique. There's a touch of Honoré Daumier in Scott's focus on the everyday, the working class, but also a very modern sensibility in how he abstracts the scene, boiling it down to these essential lines and shapes. What's art, anyway? A question we're all still trying to answer, right?