Pescatore di Grado [A Fisherman of Grado] c. 1913

Edoardo Del Neri made this etching of an old salt, a ‘Pescatore di Grado,’ or Fisherman of Grado, in the early twentieth century. Look at the dark and light interplay, the etched lines working together to create shadows on his weathered face and dense beard. I bet Del Neri was really thinking about the kind of person he was etching. I see his careful observation and the detail in the fisherman’s cap. How did he want to represent him? Was it a romanticized view, a critique, or just a study of a character he encountered? I love to follow the etched line as it creates different textures. The lines are delicate, almost fragile, but together they convey so much strength and character. You sense he’s seen a lot, been through storms and calm seas. Artists are always talking to each other across time and place, and I imagine Del Neri in conversation with other artists who captured the human spirit. There is no fixed way to interpret it, just a feeling, a suggestion of a life lived.