Profile of a Woman 1900 - 1905

Theodore Roussel made this 'Profile of a Woman' print, using etching, drypoint, and aquatint. Look at the way the light seems to emerge from the darkness. The velvety blacks are achieved through the build-up of many layers, a kind of tonal exploration. Isn't it interesting how a limited palette can sometimes say more than a riot of colors? I'm drawn to the woman’s hands; they're so delicately rendered. The way Roussel uses the drypoint needle to create those soft, blurred edges gives the image a dreamlike quality, as if we are glimpsing a private moment, a fleeting thought. It reminds me a little of Whistler’s work. Both artists were interested in the suggestive power of the fragment, using subtle variations in tone and texture to evoke a mood, rather than describe every detail. Ultimately, art is about possibilities, not pronouncements. It’s about opening up spaces for our own experiences and interpretations.