Winthrop Water Tower 1937

Lawrence Kupferman made this etching of Winthrop Water Tower, likely in the mid-twentieth century. You can see the incised marks, the delicate hatching. Etching is such a physical process; so many steps from the plate, the acid, the pressure of the printing press! I wonder what Kupferman was thinking? There’s something about the loneliness of that water tower looming over the little house that makes me think of Hopper. Kupferman's created this contrast between the rigid verticality of the tower, and the angled craggy rocks, softened by that little puff of cloud—or is it smoke?—billowing out. These stark verticals that make up the cliff face are so bold, so expressive. They remind me of the angular marks you see in German Expressionist woodcuts, or even the Futurists. Etching, like any form of mark-making, is a conversation across time, inspiring artists to see and feel in new ways. It’s this conversation, full of uncertainty, that makes art so alive.