Gezicht op de Passage des Patriarches in Parijs 1906 - 1911

Henri Manesse made this etching, 'Gezicht op de Passage des Patriarches in Parijs', and he rendered it in shades of grey. You can see him working away, scratching into the plate, thinking about tone and light, and how to conjure the feeling of a Parisian backstreet. I love the depth he's created. I can imagine him standing there, squinting, trying to capture the way the light filters through the buildings, hitting the cobblestones. Did he sit there for hours, or did he take a quick sketch and run back to the studio? I'm guessing he was thinking about other printmakers, like Piranesi, who made these incredible, moody cityscapes. The figure sitting in the alley, perhaps he saw them? Or he just felt like they should be there. I’m sure Manesse would love that we’re still looking at it today.