Percy Francis Gethin, Irish, 1874-1916
Title: Auxerre
Medium: Etching on paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 10.2 x 17.4 cm
Signed: lower right: Percy F. Gethin
Credit Line: Purchased, 2019
Object Number: NGI.2019.66
DescriptionThis etching, issued in November 1913, was the result of Gethin’s visit to the French cathedral city in May of that year, on his return from a trip to Italy. Auxerre fascinated Gethin and he wrote to Harold Wright who worked for the London print dealers Colnaghi, of his impressions of the city: ‘things to dream of … I think one gets better inspiration and more variety in French surroundings, for all the beauty of Italy.’ This sketchy view has all the hallmarks of a plate worked up on the spot. Different weights of line describe the reflections and the church and trees on the shore while heavier cross-hatching is used for the shadows.