Maut 1917

David Young Cameron made this print, Maut, and it's fascinating how the lines build up the form. It’s all about the process of etching, the artist digging into the metal, a kind of controlled excavation. There's this wonderful texture, a gritty feel to the paper, like the surface of a stone tablet. See how the lines on the vulture's wing are so precise and close together? Then notice how they loosen up around the body, creating depth and shadow. I love how the whole thing is built from these tiny marks, each one carrying its own weight. It reminds me of a drawing, where every mark counts. This piece makes me think of Durer, someone Cameron would have been looking at, particularly in the handling of light and shadow. Both artists seem to be asking: how much information can you extract from a simple line? It’s a question that never gets old.