Twee vensters met gordijnen 1885 - 1895

Léon Laroche’s ‘Twee vensters met gordijnen’ presents two window treatments, each meticulously rendered with watercolour and ink on paper. The composition is divided vertically, contrasting the aesthetics of two distinct curtain designs. The soft pink hues of the left treatment evoke warmth, while the cool blues on the right suggest a more formal atmosphere. Laroche's precise linework and attention to detail emphasize the texture and fall of the fabrics, highlighting the interplay of light and shadow across the drapery. This focus on form and material reflects a broader interest in the semiotics of interior design, where elements such as curtains serve as signs of domesticity and social status. The curtains' elaborate folds and embellishments invite a structuralist reading, decoding the visual language of bourgeois comfort and taste. The artwork destabilizes the functional role of curtains, transforming them into aesthetic objects laden with cultural meaning. Through his studied arrangement and chromatic choices, Laroche prompts us to reconsider the window not just as an opening but as a framed representation of interior life and values.