Venster met gordijnen c. 1895 - 1910

This design for window curtains, or “Venster met gordijnen,” as Laroche calls it, appears to be ink and watercolor on paper. Look at the flat, decorative pastel shades and the delicate, attenuated forms. What’s so moving to me is imagining Laroche at work. I can almost see him there, hovering over the design as he builds it up bit by bit, line by line, color by color. I see him trying to envision the full scale of the actual design. It’s as if the idea slowly reveals itself through intuition and trial and error. The surface itself is almost translucent—a mix of thin washes and transparent layers that blur together. This creates the illusion of depth and texture. I’m drawn to the stylized, graphic approach, especially in the way the pattern repeats and plays across the surface. Painters are always in conversation with one another across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. This piece reminds me of the ongoing exchange between artists. Ultimately, painting is an embodied form of expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple readings.