The Forth 1904

David Young Cameron etched this landscape sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, and the Art Institute of Chicago now holds it. The scratchy marks create a scene, and the overall effect feels like something recalled from memory. When I look at this, I see a tonalist aesthetic, interested in surface and atmosphere. I can imagine him outside, squinting at the landscape, trying to capture the way the light hits the water and the trees. It’s like he’s thinking about Whistler, but also doing his own thing. The etching has a casual quality. It feels like he was just trying to capture a moment, a feeling, rather than creating a grand statement. The little marks across the land in the foreground add a sense of texture, like stubble. Then there are the dark splodges of trees. You know, artists are always looking at each other's work, riffing on ideas, keeping the conversation going. And that’s how art evolves, through this constant dialogue and exchange.