Small Vase of Flowers (Petite vase de fleurs) 1949

Jacques Villon made this etching, ‘Small Vase of Flowers,’ using fine, dark lines that feel both precise and a little frantic. You can almost hear the scratching of the tool on the plate. I imagine Villon hunched over the metal, his brow furrowed in concentration. Did he pause to rearrange the flowers, or did he just let his memory and imagination guide him? The blooms themselves are just these suggestive shapes, a kind of shorthand for ‘flower.’ The vertical lines in the background are interesting - are they wallpaper, or bars? They push the flowers forward, into our space, but at the same time, they flatten everything out, making it all one surface pattern. It makes me think about other artists, like Matisse, who also played with pattern and flatness. We artists, you know, we’re always looking at each other's work, borrowing ideas, and trying to push things further.