France at Her Furnaces 1917

James McBey created this etching, ‘France at Her Furnaces,’ using a network of very fine lines to build up the image. Think about how the lines can suggest a single plane or create the illusion of depth depending on how they are layered, like hatching. This work is all about contrasts. The artist uses the starkness of the monochrome palette to create both a sense of drama, and of something solid emerging out of the darkness, or being swallowed by it. Look at the way McBey uses shadow and light to emphasize the figures straining against the weight of… something. The details are obscured, but the tension in their bodies is palpable. The use of line suggests the heat, smoke and dust of industry, while the contrast between the solid darks and open areas of the image create a flickering effect, as if what we are seeing is only partially visible. I can’t help but compare this to Käthe Kollwitz's prints, they share that sense of raw human emotion, even though their style and subject matter differ. Art’s like a big conversation, isn’t it? A constant back and forth.