Le bureau de Colette (Colette's Desk) 1932

Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac made this etching of Colette’s desk sometime in the 20th century. It’s all lines, you see, hatched and cross-hatched to create a sense of depth, almost like he’s thinking out loud with the metal tool on the plate. The ink is so light, it's as though we're seeing a ghost of a room. Look at the shadows under the desk: they're built up from tiny, nervous scratches. It’s an intimate image, like a secret glimpse into the writer's private world. The bouquet of flowers, the lamp angled just so, and the chair pulled up to the desk create an almost stage-like space, waiting for the protagonist to arrive. You can see a similar network of sensitive lines in the work of Matisse. But Segonzac has a quality of light all of his own. What does this image say to you?