Venster met gordijnen c. 1895 - 1910

Here we have a print of a window with curtains by Léon Laroche, and it's got me thinking about all the things we keep hidden. The color palette here is so subtle – these muted greens and pinks. The window frames the light but these billowing curtains on top and bottom threaten to shut it out completely. I imagine Laroche, the artist, grappling with the push and pull between revealing and concealing. What secrets do these windows and curtains hold? These soft drapes remind me a bit of Fragonard. They're a bit of a stage, and you get the sense of theater that Rococo art brings to the art of painting. It's like Laroche is playing with the idea of what we choose to show the world and what we keep hidden behind closed curtains. Artists are always in conversation with one another, riffing off each other's ideas and styles across time. It's about finding the hidden beauty in plain sight and reminding us that there's always more to see if we just take a closer look.