Place Blanche à Montmartre 1911

Anselmo Bucci made this etching, Place Blanche à Montmartre, sometime in the early 20th century, using a metal plate and acid. It's all in shades of grey, a bit like a memory fading in and out. Look at how Bucci layers these tiny, scratchy lines to build up the image. It’s like he's sketching with acid, letting the process itself guide the way. The surface has this amazing, almost vibrating quality, especially in the way the buildings loom over the square. Check out the blurry figures; they feel like ghosts. The way they’re suggested rather than defined creates a sense of movement, as though the artist is capturing not just a place, but a moment in time. Bucci reminds me of other artists, like James Ensor, who use etching to create these bustling scenes, full of energy. Bucci isn't trying to give us a perfect picture, but something more like an impression or feeling.