Jour de repos á Hyde Park 1929

Jean-Louis Boussingault made this small etching, 'Jour de repos á Hyde Park', sometime in the early 20th Century. What strikes me is the incredibly light touch he uses. It’s almost as if he’s sketching with light itself, letting the subtle gradations of tone emerge from the paper. Look at the way he renders the trees. They're not solid forms, but a network of delicate lines, a bit like memory. The overall effect is dreamlike, a fleeting moment captured with incredible economy. Notice the almost scribbled marks in the lower foreground, how they suggest the texture of grass without ever really defining it. It's this tension between suggestion and representation that I find so compelling. It makes me think of James McNeill Whistler and his atmospheric etchings of London. Both artists share a fascination with capturing the ephemeral qualities of light and atmosphere, prioritizing feeling and impression over detail. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfection, but about finding beauty in the imperfect and the incomplete.