Sunset at Cattawade 1922 - 1923

James McBey made this etching, Sunset at Cattawade, sometime in the early 20th century, and what strikes me is how it captures a fleeting moment with such simple means. It’s like a visual haiku. Look at the sky; McBey uses these incredibly light, almost scribbled lines to suggest the clouds. There’s a real economy of mark-making here, a sense of distillation. Then your eye travels down to the buildings, rendered with a bit more detail, and further down to the boats in the foreground. What I find compelling is the way he uses the etching technique to create a sense of light and atmosphere. The lines aren’t just descriptive; they’re almost like brushstrokes, building up layers of tone and texture. That little squiggle there near the bridge, could be Whistler, or maybe even a quick note to himself. It makes me think about the relationship between drawing and memory, how we piece together fragments of experience to create a coherent image.