Word By The Way 1919

Editor: This is Kerr Eby’s etching from 1919, "Word By The Way". It's an evocative piece, mostly sepia tones, depicting three soldiers in what looks like a war-torn landscape. The scene feels strangely still, despite the suggestion of conflict. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: It's the space between the soldiers and the suggestion of the unseen that speaks volumes, doesn't it? Notice the sharp lines of the barbed wire fading into the misty distance versus the men bunched together. I can almost hear the quiet murmur of their conversation. They appear to be isolated in their grief, but connected with this fragile bond of camaraderie. There's a strange sense of poetry there, amongst the brutality. Editor: I see what you mean about the isolation. And I like your phrase 'poetry amongst the brutality'… what does the etching technique add? Curator: Well, think about it – the etching technique lends itself perfectly to capturing the bleakness, the harshness of the landscape. The stark lines create a sense of rawness, like the experience these men are enduring. There’s a palpable sense of exhaustion captured in their slouching figures and downcast faces, isn’t there? Almost as if the landscape has imprinted itself on them. But it makes you wonder what word exactly is ‘on the way’? It adds to the mystery of the piece! Editor: That makes so much sense. It’s like the technique mirrors the emotional state of the subjects. So much left unsaid and yet so deeply felt. Curator: Exactly! And isn't that often how war lingers - in the unspoken moments and the shared silences? Art capturing the mood after the thunder rolls on by. Editor: Absolutely. I hadn't considered the visual language working so closely with the historical context. It really changes my perception of the print. Curator: Mine too - every single time!