Catherine Market 1903 - 1907

Charles Frederick William Mielatz etched this piece, Catherine Market, sometime around the turn of the century. I love the feel of it, how the lines are so present, so insistent, almost like you can hear the scratching of the needle on the plate. The whole thing shimmers with the possibility of touch. The dark, wet street in the foreground really grabs me. Look how Mielatz uses these tiny, packed lines to suggest the slickness of the cobblestones and the reflection of the sky. It feels like you could slip and slide right into the scene. The whole image is a process of layering, of finding the scene through making the marks. You know, in some ways, Mielatz reminds me of Whistler, another printmaker who was obsessed with capturing the fleeting moments of urban life. But where Whistler is all about atmosphere and suggestion, Mielatz is a bit more grounded, a bit more interested in the grit and grime of the city. Anyway, it's just something to think about. There's no right or wrong way to see it.