North Marston Church 1909

F. L. Griggs made this drawing of North Marston Church on board, using delicate linear marks. He builds up this incredibly detailed image of the church using tiny strokes and cross-hatching. The surface is so alive! If you look closely at the lower left, you can see how Griggs uses these marks to create depth and shadow. It's almost like he's sculpting the form with his pen. The texture is palpable; you can almost feel the rough stone of the church and the dense foliage. It’s amazing to see how much variation he manages to achieve with a limited palette. Griggs' work reminds me a little of Piranesi, with that same obsession with architectural detail and atmosphere. Of course, we could also think about Durer. Like those artists, he shows us that art is a conversation across time, and there's always room for new voices and interpretations.