Uitgeversprospectus voor La Parisienne fin XIXe siecle door Henri Jourdain 1874 - 1931

Henri Jourdain made this drypoint etching, *Uitgeversprospectus voor La Parisienne fin XIXe siecle*, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The lines are so delicate, aren’t they? Like whispers on the paper. I can imagine Jourdain hunched over the plate, scratching away with a needle, building up the image bit by bit. The figures emerge from the darkness like memories. He would have to have been very precise! Look at the way he renders the woman’s dress, the texture and bustle of fabric are rendered so beautifully. It reminds me a little of Whistler’s etchings of the Thames, that same sense of atmosphere and fleeting moments. Artists are always in conversation with each other, picking up ideas, responding, and pushing things further. You can imagine how painters like Manet and Degas influenced so many artists like Henri! He probably saw what they were doing and wanted to add his own take, his own voice, to the discussion. Painting is like that.