The Moonlight Attack, Jelil 1920

James McBey made this etching, called *The Moonlight Attack, Jelil*, using fine lines to define the contours of soldiers on a battlefield. The etching is mostly grey but in the lower field of vision, the artist builds up the intensity of the lines to create a thick mass of tangled bodies and earth. The battlefield is depicted with loose, gestural strokes, as if McBey was trying to capture the chaotic, shifting nature of war. I can imagine him bent over the copper plate, scratching away with his etching needle, trying to capture the fear and uncertainty of those moments. It’s interesting how he uses the etching to convey the textures of the scene – the rough fabric of the soldiers' uniforms, the prickly grass, and the churned-up earth. Look at the helmet in the lower left corner – the way he’s rendered the shadows gives it a weighty, three-dimensional presence. McBey was working in the tradition of artists like Goya and Käthe Kollwitz, who used printmaking to explore themes of war and social injustice. This kind of art serves as a reminder of the human cost of conflict and the need for empathy and understanding.