Beating to Windward 1924

Philip Little created "Beating to Windward" using etching, drypoint, and sandpaper around 1924. You can almost feel the artist's hand guiding the etching needle, scratching those fine lines into the metal. I imagine Little out on the water, squinting against the sun, trying to capture that feeling of the wind in the sails. The lines are so delicate, like a whisper of a memory. He probably reworked this plate again and again. See the way he’s used drypoint to create those soft, velvety shadows? It’s like he’s trying to capture not just the image of the boats, but the whole atmosphere of the sea. It reminds me of Whistler's etchings. Artists are always in dialogue like that, reaching back and forth across time, borrowing and riffing on each other’s ideas. "Beating to Windward" is more than just a picture of sailboats, it’s a little poem about light, wind, and water.