Still Hollow 1936

Kerr Eby made this etching, Still Hollow, using delicate, repetitive marks to build a quiet little scene. Just imagine the artist, bent over the printing plate, carefully scratching in all those lines. Those methodical, precise marks! They describe the textures of the snow-covered fields and buildings. The soft, powdery blanket over the landscape. You can almost feel the crisp, cold air. Eby probably used etching tools of different widths and sharpness to create the range of tones and textures we see here. The light and shadow feel like a memory of a winter's day, muted, like a fading photograph. There is a conversation taking place in the artwork, between precision and the organic form, between line and form, between memory and reality. Ultimately it is a work of calm.