My Old Luxembourg (Mon vieux Luxembourg) 1935

Jacques Villon made this print, "My Old Luxembourg," sometime between 1898 and 1903, using etching. It looks like he's feeling his way through the scene, using a web of delicate lines that crisscross and overlap, creating something solid out of thin air. That's what art-making is, isn't it? A kind of alchemic process of turning thoughts and observations into something real, something you can touch and see. The surface of the print is light, almost airy, but the closer you look, the more you notice the density of those marks. Take the trees, for example. They're not just filled in; they’re built up with layers of tiny, precise strokes. You can almost feel the scratch of the needle on the plate. It’s like Villon's recreating the experience of being there, in that place, in that moment. It reminds me of some of Whistler's etchings, the way he captured the atmosphere of a place with just a few lines. Art’s an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and sharing what we see with others.