Evening Light 1913

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan made this print, 'Evening Light', using etching, with its decisive lines and cross-hatching, almost like he’s drawing with acid. What’s cool about printmaking is how the artist's hand is still totally present, even though it’s a multiple. Look at the way the smoke rises from the ship’s chimney, created with these tight, wiry marks that somehow feel both solid and ephemeral. You can see that same kind of energy in the reflections on the water, these quick, almost scribbled lines that give the scene a lively, shimmering quality. The composition is great too, the way he’s balanced the heavy ship with the lighter, more open space of the foreground with those boats. It’s interesting to think about MacLaughlan’s work in relation to someone like Whistler, who was also into atmospheric effects and tonal nuances. Both artists knew how to make a scene feel like a specific moment, but McLaughlan has a modern, more graphic approach. Ultimately it’s this balance of precision and looseness that makes ‘Evening Light’ so captivating.