L'Attente. Celebe, Menado 1947

Paul Jacoulet made this print, titled L’Attente, in Celebe, Menado. The pastel pink ground and the woman's blue patterned skirt and the red accents create an amazing atmosphere. I can feel her boredom, but I also detect a knowing quality in her expression. I wonder what it was like for Jacoulet to make this? It’s a print, so the marks are probably very considered, but I can still imagine him shifting his weight, trying to get the details of the face just right. Maybe he was smoking, too? I bet he looked at a lot of Japanese prints. There's something of Utamaro in the face, but he's also doing his own thing, adding his own flair. It's all about this conversation between artists, a dance across time, where we borrow, steal, and transform each other's ideas. Painting isn't just about making pretty pictures; it's about thinking, feeling, and connecting, with the world and each other.