Treurende man ziet twee jonge kinderen als geest voor zich 1830 - 1881

Adolphe Mouilleron created this monochromatic print depicting a grieving man confronted by ghostly children. The desolation is palpable, conveyed through densely packed lines which form dark, emotionally charged scenes. The composition creates a stark contrast between the crisp details of the foreground figure and the ethereal vagueness of the background apparitions. Mouilleron masterfully employs light and shadow to emphasize the man's despondency. See how the cross-hatching accentuates the depth of his sorrow, while the misty figures of the children seem to emerge from the chaos, their forms unstable. This work invites a semiotic reading, where the conventional signs of mourning and loss are disrupted. The traditional imagery of grief blends with the almost surreal presence of the children, challenging fixed notions of reality and emotional processing. Ultimately, this print is a profound meditation on loss, memory, and the instability of perception itself.