Trattoria "La Vida" (Campo San Giacomo dall'Orio) 1924

This is Trattoria "La Vida" (Campo San Giacomo dall'Orio), an etching by Fabio Mauroner. Look at the way Mauroner coaxes a whole world from the plate using a dense but airy method! The most striking thing to me is the texture. The cobblestones in the foreground are especially fantastic, a tight weave of tiny etched lines, each one catching the light. It's a wonderful example of how a simple mark, repeated and varied, can create an illusion of depth and form. It makes me think of Piranesi, with a sense of architectural space created through line work. Then there’s the canopy of leaves at the top of the frame, like lace, throwing the scene into relief. These elements invite me into a world of light and shadow, and evoke Venice as a conversation with the past.