Provencal Landscape 1964

Frank Wright made this etching, Provencal Landscape, sometime in the 20th century. The all-over light grey tone gives the impression that it could be a cloudy day in the South of France, or maybe that is just the nature of the etching process? I always think about how prints like this, particularly landscapes, have to be constructed in reverse, when you're drawing on the plate. The thin, dry marks throughout the image give the impression of a place from memory, or a dream. It's pretty far from the full-colour sensory overload you'd get if you were actually there. Look at how the marks become more scribbled and dense as the landscape comes closer towards you at the bottom of the picture. This reminds me of work by Peter Doig, who also uses landscapes to explore psychological spaces. It's like Wright is saying, 'I can't show you the whole place, but maybe I can give you a feeling of it?'