The Giaour: Title Page 1932

Imre Reiner made this etching, "The Giaour: Title Page," using fluid lines and a muted palette of earth tones and blacks to construct figures on horseback. I imagine the artist working on the plate, scratching away, trying to bring a scene to life from a story or from memory. I love to think about the decisions an artist makes when creating an image like this. Should I add more definition to the horse on the left? How can I create a sense of depth and movement using only lines and tone? I see areas where Reiner has layered the lines, creating dark, ambiguous forms that suggest figures and landscapes, and others where the lines are sparse and delicate, almost disappearing into the ground. The dry, scratchy quality of the lines gives the image a sense of immediacy, like a fleeting moment captured on paper. The act of making art, whether painting or etching, is really just a conversation between artists, one that spans generations and geographies. Reiner’s images make me think of Goya.