Le Petit pont, Paris

Etching was especially suited to the obsessive detail and subjective feeling that were the hallmark of Charles Méryon’s work. In the first original etching from his principal work, the Eaux-fortes sur Paris [Etchings of Paris], Méryon transformed a familiar view of the city into something vaguely menacing, not only reflecting his delicate state of mind, but also prefiguring modern ambivalence about the urban experience.