Herald Square c. 1935 - 1943

This etching of Herald Square was made by Harry LeRoy Taskey. It looks like he used black ink on paper to make it. I like how he’s created a bustling city scene with all those scratchy lines. It feels like New York, full of people and buildings. I imagine he had to be really careful and precise, because you can’t just erase an etching. It’s more permanent than pencil or charcoal. It reminds me of Piranesi. The way he makes you feel the hugeness of the city with the high buildings and the feeling of being small. There’s something old-fashioned about it, like looking at a photograph from a long time ago. All those details, all those lines, telling a story about a place. The artist captures that fleeting moment, now preserved on paper for us to contemplate.