Pilsēta vakarā. 1961

Guntis Strupulis made "Pilsēta vakarā" - that translates as 'City at Night' - as an etching, and it's not dated so we don't know exactly when he made it. The whole image is built up of layers of thin, scratchy lines, which is typical of this printmaking process, but it's not just about technique, it's about feeling. You can sense the atmosphere of a cold, dark night, with a couple of lonely figures walking the streets. The scratches of line in this piece build up to a rich, almost velvety surface. It's the kind of picture that rewards close looking; the more you look, the more you see, and the more you start to imagine what it might be like to be in this place, on this night, alone but also part of the urban landscape. Artists like Piranesi or Whistler come to mind with Strupulis' quiet but confident approach to cityscapes. It reminds you that art is a conversation across time, and that every artist is in dialogue with those who came before.