Le Nys, Amsterdam 1901

Auguste-Louis Lepère made this etching titled Le Nys, Amsterdam, with a plate, about 185 x 147 mm. Imagine him there, in Amsterdam, on a cold night, bundled up, observing the figures with a keen eye. Look at the way he uses line to capture the hustle and bustle of the crowd. See how these tiny marks build up to create a sense of depth and movement, like the figures are emerging from the darkness, or dissolving into it. You can almost feel the chill in the air, the excitement of the party. Lepère probably thought about Rembrandt here, who also used etching to capture the humanity of everyday life. Artists are always looking, borrowing, riffing off one another. It reminds you that art is not about perfection but about embracing the unexpected. Just like life, it’s messy, chaotic, and full of surprises. And that’s what makes it so damn interesting.