Lezende man in een bibliotheek 1892 - 1948

Luc-Albert Moreau made this etching of a man reading in a library, but we don't know when! Look how the composition is built up from so many small, precise marks, like the artist is feeling his way, almost tentatively, across the surface. There’s a real tenderness in the depiction of the reader, who seems so absorbed in his book. I love how the lines accumulate into darker areas, suggesting the weight of the man’s coat, or the density of the books piled up around him. Notice especially the way Moreau renders the man’s hands and face; the light seems to catch them, pulling them out of the shadowy background. You can see every wrinkle and crease, each hair carefully etched into the plate. This print reminds me of other artists, like Paula Modersohn-Becker, who used etching to make images of people that were full of empathy and feeling. Ultimately, art is about seeing and thinking, and Moreau invites us to do both.