Canapé 1895 - 1935

This is a print of a design for a 'Canapé Louis XVI' – that’s a fancy sofa – by Léon Laroche. I can almost feel Laroche hovering over the paper, meticulously rendering each curve and flourish. The line work is so controlled, so precise. I think of the hours he must have spent mastering the form, trying to bring an image to life. I wonder, was he ever tempted to let loose, to let the ink run wild? Or was he always so disciplined? The muted palette gives the piece a kind of solemnity, a nod to classical elegance, but I am always interested in what happens when people let go of rules! These old drawings are conversations across time – we look, we respond, and we keep the dialogue going. Each stroke and shade becomes a question, a proposition and an invitation.