Un Reve (A Dream) 1930

Louis Marcoussis created this etching, titled *Un Reve*, which translates as *A Dream*, sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. Marcoussis, originally from Poland, was living and working in Paris at the time. He was part of the Cubist movement, a group of artists who tried to show the world in a new way by breaking it down into geometric shapes. In this print, Marcoussis uses sharp lines and angles to depict a staircase. Notice how the steps seem to float and intersect, creating a sense of depth and disorientation. The composition is an echo of the fragmented reality many felt during the interwar period, a time of great social change and uncertainty. Etchings like this one, with their reproducibility, democratized access to cutting-edge art, making it available beyond the traditional museum or gallery space. To fully appreciate Marcoussis’ work, one might look at the history of printmaking and the rise of Cubism. By understanding the cultural and artistic context, we can better understand this work’s place in the history of modern art.