Jonge lachende vrouw 1884 - 1947

This etching of a young woman, made by Edgar Chahine, feels like a captured moment of genuine happiness. Imagine Chahine, bent over the plate, the acid biting into the metal, trying to capture that fleeting expression. There’s this beautiful, soft focus to the whole image, but it's the delicate lines around her eyes and mouth that really get me. You can almost hear her suppressed giggle. The way Chahine uses the light and shadow creates a sense of depth and volume, giving her a real presence. It reminds me of some of the etchings by artists like Whistler, a similar interest in capturing intimate portraits through a printmaking technique. Each artist is in conversation with one another, building on the past but making something entirely their own. It is an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.