France 1912

Auguste-Louis Lepère etched "France" sometime before 1918 using a technique that feels both precise and intuitive. The lines build up this powerful image—a portrait of a woman combined with architectural elements and text. I can imagine Lepère, bent over the plate, carefully layering line upon line, almost like he’s building a sculpture instead of just describing one. There’s a real sense of weight to the figure, especially in the draped fabric and the set of her jaw. The whole print is in this muted, mossy green that gives it an antique feel, like it's an artifact pulled from the past. Lepère's work reminds me a bit of Whistler's etchings, or even some of the graphic work of Käthe Kollwitz—artists deeply engaged in social commentary through printmaking. It's all connected, this endless conversation between artists across time.