Laag water in de Theems 1910

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan made this print of the River Thames using etching, a technique that lets you create the most incredible detail. The web of fine lines gives the whole scene an airy, shimmering quality, like you could reach out and feel the cool mist rising off the water. I can imagine him, bent over the plate, carefully drawing each line, letting the acid do its work, proofing, correcting. It’s a slow, meditative process. The low water reveals the bones of the city – the bridges, the boats, the muddy banks. It’s like the tide has pulled back, exposing the hidden layers of history and industry. I wonder what MacLaughlan was thinking as he captured this view? Was he drawn to the way the light played on the water, or was he trying to capture the grittiness of urban life? Painters have always been in conversation with each other, across time, inspiring each other’s creative process. And it's like art is never really finished, is it? It keeps changing as we look at it, as we bring our own experiences and ideas to the table.