The Frogs and the Well 1912

Arthur Rackham scratched this image of two frogs and a well in 1912. Can't you just imagine him, bent over his desk, squinting through his spectacles as he etches the lines, cross-hatching, and stippling, to build up a sense of depth and texture? I love the way Rackham used line to describe the scene. The rough stones, the dark foliage, the movement of the water, and of course, the warty skin of the frogs! I can feel the weight and bulk of those amphibians as they peer down into the well, looking for something tasty. It makes me think about other illustrators like Aubrey Beardsley, or even contemporary comic book artists, how they use the starkness of black and white to create atmosphere and drama. There's something so raw and immediate about it, like a direct connection to the artist's hand and mind. It’s all part of a continuum, isn’t it? Artists talking to each other across time.