Securing the Boat 1928

Editor: Here we have Arthur Briscoe's 1928 etching, "Securing the Boat." It's a tumultuous scene; the ship seems to be battling some pretty fierce waves. All those frantic lines, they really convey a sense of urgency and struggle. What's your take on this piece? Curator: Well, isn't it a dramatic rendering? The diagonals absolutely make it, lending dynamism and precariousness. Briscoe was a master of capturing the sea. He really understood how to use line to convey not just form, but feeling, a real haptic quality. Look how he uses short, choppy lines for the waves versus longer, sweeping lines for the sails. It’s almost like he's trying to communicate the raw energy of the ocean and that battle for survival. What does that raw energy evoke in you? Editor: I definitely feel that sense of energy, almost chaotic. And those sailors clinging on for dear life… it’s not a comfortable image. It kind of makes me think of the romanticized, but brutal, age of sail. Curator: Exactly! Briscoe wasn't just depicting boats, he was speaking to the human spirit contending with the elements, perhaps reflecting on our own personal struggles, in a rather lovely monochromatic manner. What do you take away from it all? Editor: I'm now more aware of how much detail and emotion can be conveyed through etching. The choice to only use drawing also really emphasize the power of simple tools when utilized in the best possible way. Curator: Precisely. It also is wonderful to consider how line can speak volumes without any color at all!