Ville 1959

Roger Chailloux’s Ville, in shades of grey, feels like an etching of a dream. You can almost see him working on the plate, scratching and biting into the metal, building up a dense network of lines. Looking at it, I'm thinking about the push and pull between control and accident in printmaking. How much does he plan, and how much does he let the process take over? The stark contrasts make it feel both claustrophobic and expansive, like a city that’s constantly growing and shrinking at the same time. It reminds me of Piranesi's etchings of imaginary prisons, but with a slightly more human touch. There is something about the density of the city, the marks all fighting for space on the page. The way that artists like Chailloux, Piranesi, and others use these marks to create a sense of atmosphere and depth, it’s kind of amazing. It's like they're not just showing us a place, but also a state of mind.