Portret Marie-Lambertine Coclers, bij bladvituur c. 1776 - 1817

Louis Bernard Coclers created this undated portrait of Marie-Lambertine Coclers using etching. The composition is immediately striking: an intimate scene sliced by a stark diagonal. The sharp line divides the subject, Marie-Lambertine, from an ambiguous, brightly lit plane, creating a visual tension. The artist uses hatching and cross-hatching to model form and create areas of shadow, particularly around the figure. The lines not only depict the subject but also construct space and volume. This attention to line allows the artist to play with the viewer’s perception and question the relationship between figure and ground. The etching technique lends itself well to exploring contrasts in light and dark, further emphasizing the geometrical structure and the subtle shifts in perspective. The very act of etching, with its reliance on the incisive mark, echoes the subject’s engagement with drawing and the making of art.