Landscape With Pond 1920

Harry Newman Wickey made this print, Landscape With Pond, using etching, a process of mark-making that feels kind of like drawing with acid. Look at how Wickey captures light and shadow! The textures feel almost touchable. Those tiny lines create depth, don't they? It's like a dance of dark and light, and you can almost feel the humid air. I love how the reflections in the pond are just suggested, not overly defined. It lets your mind fill in the blanks. The layering of marks and shapes is what gives the piece its energy and the fact that the etching process itself is so physical is just great. You can just tell he knew what he was doing. It makes me think of other printmakers, like Whistler, who used a similar approach to capture mood and atmosphere. This piece really embraces the beauty of imperfection. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about perfection, but about seeing and feeling the world around us.