Ponte Vecchio over de Arno te Florence 1886 - 1927

Guglielmo Taubert made this etching of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence at a time when printmaking was really having a moment. The etching captures the light on the water and the architectural detail of the bridge with a kind of tender attention. I can imagine Taubert, carefully drawing the image onto the plate, thinking about the history of the bridge, its reflections rippling in the Arno, and the many artists who had come before him to capture this very scene. There’s a lot of really controlled, intentional mark-making, but there's also areas where the lines seem to dissolve into the water. I can feel his hand as he is working, see him wiping the plate and watching the image emerge. In a way, every artist stands on the shoulders of those who came before, each adding their own layer to the ongoing conversation of art. It is a process of exchange, where ideas are constantly reinterpreted and reshaped, offering a chance to see and feel the world in new ways.