Battery Park, NY c. 1930

Hampton Ericsson made this etching of Battery Park in New York, and it really makes you consider the beauty of the everyday. The buildings are built up of thousands of tiny marks, like he’s trying to capture the grit and the grandeur all at once. It’s amazing how much depth and texture he gets with just these simple lines. Look how the light seems to be filtering through the clouds, casting shadows on the buildings. There's one little guy walking through the park, and it feels like you're really there, breathing it all in. This kind of reminds me of the work of the urban sketchers, people like Saul Steinberg. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art isn't always about perfection. It's about capturing a moment, an emotion, or a feeling. Ericsson's Battery Park is just that, a beautiful and imperfect snapshot of a city in motion.