Hove To 1929

Arthur Briscoe made this etching of a ship in rough seas, called *Hove To*. It’s all about line, how the artist coaxes a feeling of movement with the bare minimum of marks. Look at the waves in the foreground, built from dark, almost frantic scratches, a real contrast to the blank space above, which suggests a sky heavy with impending doom. The ship itself is caught in between, its precarious angle and tangled rigging giving a real sense of danger. The whole thing feels kind of urgent and raw. The lines aren't fussy, they’re laid down with purpose, like Briscoe was trying to capture a fleeting moment before it disappeared. It reminds me of some of the German Expressionist printmakers, like Heckel or Schmidt-Rottluff, who used a similar kind of direct, almost brutal mark-making to convey intense emotion. It’s a reminder that art isn't always about perfection; sometimes, it's about capturing a feeling, a moment, a raw, unfiltered truth.