Gezicht op Via dell'Arte della Lana te Florence 1886 - 1927

This is a small print by Guglielmo Taubert depicting a view of the Via dell'Arte della Lana in Florence. I imagine Taubert standing there in the street with his etching plate, squinting at the light, trying to capture the architectural forms. Look at the cross-hatching, those tiny, precise lines that build up the shadows! You can almost feel the weight of the buildings, the cool darkness of the narrow street. It’s amazing how such detail and depth are achieved with such limited means. It reminds me of Piranesi’s architectural prints. What must it have been like to walk these streets? I see other artists making use of printmaking to explore space, volume, and the interplay of light and shadow. And it makes me think about how we, as artists, are always in conversation with each other, across time and space. Experimenting with different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world.