Covered Street, Florence 1907

Ernest Roth made this etching of a street in Florence, using black ink on paper. I'm imagining him out in the street making this, and wondering what it was like to make all those tiny little marks, cross-hatching in so much detail. Those subtle tones seem to emerge from the texture of the surface. You can see the play of light and shadow across the stones. I'm picturing Roth outside, squinting through the lens of his camera obscura, searching for the right view, thinking about how to capture the feeling of being there. Doesn’t it remind you of Piranesi? Those old etchings of Rome? It’s like artists across time are in conversation with one another. Roth is drawing on the past, making his own mark on this tradition. And, in turn, inspiring future generations.