Arthur Briscoe

No other British etcher has celebrated the world of the sailing ship with more understanding than Arthur Briscoe. Briscoe portrayed not just sailing vessels and the sea itself but, in particular, he delighted in portraying seafaring men whilst at work. Briscoe's original prints are now generally acknowledged as the finest marine etchings of the 20th century, for Arthur Briscoe’s bold etched works display both the artist’s intimate knowledge of the sea and his innate mastery of the etching needle. In particular, Briscoe had the ability to convey the motion of the sea itself and the varied effects of light and shade with extraordinary economy of line - a feat which has been the ultimate goal of the etching purist since the time of Whistler and the beginning of the British Etching Revival.