Boston Harbor 1918

Philip Little made this etching, Boston Harbor, which is a dance of dark lines on paper, somewhere between 1857 and 1942. Look at the way those lines describe the water, almost scribbled, but precise. The industrial buildings and boats are built up with tight hatching, so dense, they feel like solid blocks, especially the buildings. The smoke stacks are particularly evocative, creating a sense of industry and of something being created. It’s like seeing the world through a screen, a layer of atmosphere. Check out the small boat in the foreground – the etched lines create a sense of ripples and reflections, but also something deeper, a feeling of being present in that space. It reminds me a bit of Whistler’s etchings, that same interest in capturing a moment, a mood, with just a few well-placed lines. It’s about suggestion as much as description. It's an interesting conversation between artists across time.