Apres La Pluie. Tarang, Yap 1938

Paul Jacoulet made this dreamy print called ‘Apres La Pluie’ – that’s 'After the Rain' – showing two figures under a coconut tree, somewhere in Tarang, Yap. You can almost smell the freshness in the air. I imagine Jacoulet building up the scene in layers, carefully placing each block of color. Look at the way he’s captured the stillness after a storm. The way the colors seem to bleed into one another, like a watercolor, it makes me think of time, the way it slows down after rainfall. The figures are so serene, so present. The detail given to the figures is incredible! You can almost hear their quiet conversation as they wait for the world to dry, existing in their own place and time. The palms are leaning in on the figures, perhaps sharing a secret. Maybe the artist wanted to capture a brief moment in time, or to create a sense of longing for a place far away. Like many artists, Jacoulet reminds us that painting is a portal.