Via San Vitale, Bologna

Art Historical Context

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan's *Via San Vitale Bologna* (1904) captures the timeless charm of Bologna's historic streetscape in a delicate etching. This Canadian-American artist, active during the etching revival of the late 19th early 20th centuries specialized in intimate views of European architecture, blending precision with poetic atmosphere. Via San Vitale, lined with medieval towers and arcades, evokes the city's Renaissance heritage, inviting viewers to wander its sun-dappled paths. Printed in black ink on blue laid paper—a textured, handmade sheet that enhances tonal depth—the etching measures just 15.8 × 11.9 cm, emphasizing MacLaughlan's mastery of the intaglio process. He incised fine lines into a metal plate, allowing acid to etch intricate details like shadowed doorways and cobblestone textures, then inked and pressed it for subtle gradations. This technique, popular among printmakers of the era, democratized fine art by enabling multiple impressions while preserving the artist's hand. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection, this work highlights early 20th-century fascination with Italy's urban poetry, offering a window into Bologna's enduring allure for travelers and artists alike.

About the Artist

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan · 1876–1938

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan (1876–1938) was born on November 9 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, though he is recognized as an American artist after his family relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1890. There, as a teenager, he immersed himself in the Boston Public Library's collections of old master prints, studying works by Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt van Rijn, and eighteenth-century E...