His Excellency Ferdinand Foch 1921

Walter Tittle made this etching of His Excellency Ferdinand Foch sometime in the early 20th century. Imagine Tittle, bent over the plate, etching the network of lines that make up Foch's face. The pressure of the tool, the resistance of the metal, and the way the lines accumulate to create light and shadow. It’s so different from painting but kind of the same; you add material and then take it away to create form. The etched lines bring out Foch’s world weary eyes, his formidable mustache, and the set of his jaw. You feel like he is someone you would not want to cross. I can imagine Tittle thinking about how to make this formidable figure imposing and humane at the same time. The etching is a delicate dance between precision and chance. It’s a testament to the way artists can capture not just a likeness, but a sense of presence. Artists, we are all just trying to capture something that feels truthful.