Colosses de Memnon (Thebes) 1911

Pierre Roche made "Colosses de Memnon" – that's Thebes – a drypoint etching, and what I really love about it is the mark making. It's all about the process, isn't it? The image features these monumental statues rendered in delicate, scratchy lines, almost as if they're emerging from the earth itself. There's this great contrast between the solid forms of the statues and the ephemeral quality of the lines, especially in the foreground. Look at the way the lines create this sense of texture and depth in the earth, the physical reality of the medium is right there. And then there's that sky – this sort of inky void pressing down. It reminds me a bit of Rodin, who explored the rough qualities of the creative material with similar sensitivity. But Roche’s vision is unique, leaving us to ponder the relationship between the ancient and the contemporary, the solid and the fleeting.