Kerrera, No. II 1912

David Young Cameron made this etching, Kerrera, No. II, at some point during his career. It's all about line here, isn't it? That's the first thing that grabs you – the way he uses these thin, decisive strokes to build up the image. Look at the cliff face, how the vertical lines give it such a sense of scale and weight. Then, your eye drifts down to the water, and the lines become more horizontal, suggesting stillness and reflection. The way Cameron varies the pressure and spacing of these lines is almost like a form of shading. See how he creates depth and volume with such a minimal technique. The simplicity makes me think of Whistler, another master of etching. But Cameron has his own voice. His lines feel a little more assertive, a bit more grounded. It's like he is saying, "This is what I saw, this is how I felt," and you can't help but feel it too.