Fisher's Creek, King's Lynn 1903

Muirhead Bone created this etching of Fisher’s Creek, King’s Lynn, using decisive lines and a warm, monochromatic palette. Imagine him, maybe standing on the riverbank, squinting in the bright light, his hand moving swiftly, scratching away at the metal plate. There's something so immediate about etching—a directness of mark-making that’s almost like thinking aloud. Those quick, hatched lines in the foreground are like a shorthand for the grassy bank and the water's edge. The boats, with their towering masts and tangled rigging, have a real presence. What I like is the surface, how Bone gives it a slightly blurry, dreamlike quality. It reminds me a little bit of Whistler, who was also into this kind of atmospheric, tonal work. You sense a feeling of intimacy and an ongoing conversation. It’s like they’re all inspiring one another across time.