Rouen 1916

Editor: Here we have "Rouen," an etching by James McBey. It’s quite evocative, with those skeletal trees framing the cathedral. It feels both grand and intimate somehow. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It whispers of memory, doesn't it? The way McBey uses line, so delicate and yet so precise, it's as if he's capturing not just Rouen, but the very essence of a fleeting moment, a half-remembered dream of a city. Those trees, are they guarding the view, or pointing us towards the divine? Editor: That's a lovely thought. Curator: It makes you wonder about the artist’s hand, the story of its making. And that skyline, so detailed, yet receding into a hazy distance... What’s your read on that? Editor: I guess that contrast highlights the timelessness of the architecture against the everyday bustle. I hadn't quite seen it that way before. Curator: Exactly! It's a dialogue between permanence and impermanence, etched in ink. A beautiful paradox. Editor: A great piece of art!