Transepts of Strasbourg 1924

Louis Conrad Rosenberg made this etching, Transepts of Strasbourg, and it’s all about lines, hatching, and cross-hatching, which give you the feeling of light and space, but also this intricate, almost gothic sensibility. I love the way he's built up the image from tiny marks, like he’s really thinking about how each one contributes to the whole. The surface has a kind of gritty texture that makes you want to reach out and touch it. Look at the way he's used these super fine lines to suggest the massive scale and height of the cathedral's interior, how it’s dark but also full of light. See that column in the center? It's not just a column; it's a symbol of something much bigger. It makes me think of Piranesi, another master of architectural prints, but Rosenberg has a tenderness that Piranesi lacks. Both show how art is a conversation across time. Ultimately, it’s a beautiful dance between precision and intuition, something that leaves space for our own interpretations.