Untitled (Scene in Provincetown, Woman with a Bucket) c. 1920s

This black and white etching by William McGregor Paxton captures a quiet scene in Provincetown. Imagine him, bent over the plate, carefully scratching away with his etching needle, coaxing this composition into existence. There’s something so intimate about the way he renders this everyday moment. The woman with her bucket, caught in the act of walking, the clothes hanging out to dry – these are the details that make up a life. You can almost feel the sea breeze. I think about other artists who were drawn to the mundane, like Bonnard with his interiors. There's a shared curiosity there, a desire to find beauty in the ordinary. Ultimately, it's the artist's touch, the way they choose to see and represent the world, that makes the image so compelling. And that’s why artists keep looking and learning from each other, across time and space.