Memento Vivere, Notre Dame, Evreux 1947

This intricate etching by John Taylor Arms captures the Notre Dame cathedral in Evreux. It’s a monochromatic fantasy, almost dizzying in its detail. I wonder what it was like for Arms, teasing out each tiny line, each gothic flourish, with such deliberate care. I imagine him hunched over the plate, magnifying glass in hand, lost in the labyrinth of spires and arches. There’s something meditative about that level of focus. It reminds me of Agnes Martin and her quiet grids, or the obsessive mark-making of some outsider artists. It’s almost like a form of prayer, isn't it? This isn’t just documentation, it’s devotion. Arms' work reminds us that artists are always in conversation with each other across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. Painting, like etching, is an embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations. It is an ongoing dialogue with the world.