Rye, from Camber 1907

Muirhead Bone made this etching titled Rye, from Camber, with a plate around 6 by 8 inches. Just look at all the etched marks! It is almost monochrome with very thin lines. I can almost hear the scratching of the etching needle on the plate. I wonder if Bone used multiple needles at once to achieve that overall tonality? I imagine he was interested in being faithful to the scene. The image becomes about the buildings and boats and less about the artist. I can imagine him working outside in situ, taking his tools to the location and capturing it. Doesn’t it make you wonder about the way this artist sees? Or, what seeing meant to the artist at the time? His work makes me consider how each generation inherits the ideas of the one that came before. What did Bone take from the art of his predecessors? And, what did Bone pass on?