In de straat Rome before 1931

Etienne Bosch made this etching, In de straat Rome, at some point in his life, using the etching technique to create a scene with figures on a street. The piece seems to emerge through this labor-intensive process: one where a metal plate is prepared, lines are etched into it, then the plate is inked and printed. I imagine him thinking, as he worked, about the old masters, like Rembrandt. Look at the way the lines build up to create form and shadow, almost like a memory of a place rather than a photograph. The figures emerge out of this ground, as if finding their way towards you. The line quality varies, from delicate to more assertive, suggesting different levels of light and shadow. There is ambiguity here, and I get the feeling that he is exploring the possibilities of etching, just as I explore the possibilities of paint. Artists like Bosch have a conversation with artists of the past, but he is also showing future artists what is possible. Bosch embraces the medium, and in doing so, he leaves us space to imagine and feel.