Night Time, Dieppe 1926

Edmund Blampied captured this night scene in Dieppe using etching, and right away, you get a sense of movement, a blurry, dreamlike state. Imagine Blampied, out there in the dim light, scratching away at the plate, trying to capture the feel of the city at night. The marks are so delicate, so intentional. See how the lines converge and diverge, creating areas of light and shadow? It reminds me a bit of Whistler’s nocturnes, that same hazy, atmospheric quality. I love the way he suggests the figures in the background, just a few lines, but enough to give you a sense of their presence. And the horse! You can feel the weight and effort, the way it strains to pull the cart through the night. It’s not just a picture of a place, it’s a feeling.