The Family 1928

Kerr Eby created this print, called "The Family," using etching on paper. I love the way he makes marks. Each line feels so deliberate, like a tiny decision, a micro-adjustment in perspective, or a mini-experiment in tone. Look at the donkey, for example. The lines that define its form aren't just outlines; they're like little paths that lead your eye around the animal, giving it weight and presence. The cross hatching in the shaded area inside the arched doorway seems to deepen the darkness. What gets me is how those lines create an atmosphere that feels both precise and dreamlike. The way the light catches the stone walls, the textures of the foliage, everything is rendered with a kind of loving attention. It reminds me a bit of Käthe Kollwitz's etchings—that same commitment to portraying the everyday with such care and emotional depth. And isn't that what art is all about? Not just showing us what things look like, but how they feel, how they resonate within us.