Fields of San Gimignano 1909

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan made this print of the Fields of San Gimignano, with its landscape, trees, and sky using etching on paper. You can almost feel the scratching of the needle across the plate, can’t you? I can imagine MacLaughlan looking for something in this landscape, maybe trying to capture the way the light hits the hills, trying to get the lines just right to show depth and distance. Look how he uses these little hatched marks to create shadows and volume! There’s a real sense of freedom here. The lines feel spontaneous, like he's drawing directly from life, not worrying too much about perfection. I see him making adjustments, experimenting with mark-making, and pushing the boundaries of the etching medium. It’s like a dance between control and chance, with each line contributing to the overall feeling of place. It reminds me of other artists who were drawn to the Italian landscape, like Corot. The conversation between artists keeps going, even across time and different mediums.