Valencia 

Editor: Henri Laurens’ print, “Valencia”, rendered with such delicate lines, pulls me in. I’m intrigued by this exploration of form. It feels like he's distilling a memory, a feeling, into these fundamental shapes. How do you see it? Curator: I think you've hit on something crucial there. The feeling *of* a memory, or perhaps a fleeting impression, is what this work evokes. Note how Laurens utilizes line – seemingly simple, yet so suggestive. It reminds me a bit of looking at a landscape through a rain-streaked window: fragmented, abstracted, but still carrying the essence of what lies beyond. There's a hint of cubism there. What stands out to you most compositionally? Editor: Probably how the title "Valencia" is integrated right into the composition; it feels almost like another object in the still life. And the stippling! What’s up with that? Curator: Exactly! The inclusion of text transforms it from representation to… well, almost a diagram, doesn't it? And the stippling, yes, it's that beautiful textural contrast that plays against those smooth lines. He is using these basic elements to create space, dimension and light within an image. He's doing so much, using so little! It is this distillation and the feeling it gives the viewer, that elevates it from basic object representation to a great artwork. Editor: It's making me rethink what a print can even *be.* Curator: Yes! And hopefully appreciate how a limited medium can lead to such vast artistic expression. It’s like poetry - constraints breed creativity. It almost urges us to find the emotion in simplicity.