L'Île de la Cité, Paris 1926

Henry Rushbury made this etching of L'Île de la Cité in Paris using a plate, ink, and paper. It’s like he's sketching, but instead of pencil lines he is using these really precise marks to build up this epic cityscape. You can see he is layering lines, hatching, and cross-hatching to get the tones just right; the buildings emerge through these textures, and the whole thing kind of shimmers. It's funny, though, you can feel the weight of the stone in those bridges, but the overall effect is airy, like looking through a veil. Check out those spindly trees, and the way they mirror the spiky rooflines. For me, it makes the city feel like this living, breathing thing. You know, the way art is alive because it keeps changing for you every time you look. It makes you think differently, right? Like a conversation, and Rushbury here is saying something.