Homeward Bound c. 1932

Eugene Higgins made this print, Homeward Bound, with etching, and it's a beautiful example of how a limited palette can still pack an emotional punch. The texture here is everything; it’s all about the lines, a dense weave that creates depth and shadow. Look at the way the lines follow the form of the woman’s shawl, or the scratchy, chaotic marks that build up the foreground, it’s like Higgins is carving his way through the darkness, revealing the figures as they emerge from the shadows. That concentration of marks around the base of the figures gives the impression of ground beneath their feet, a path worn down by years of use. The way he's handled the etching, it reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz, with that same sense of empathy for the working class, a shared understanding of struggle and resilience. Art, for me, is always about these connections, these echoes across time and space.