Interieur met haard, secretaire en harp 1880 - 1936

Here's René Janssens’ print of an interior scene with a fireplace, a secretaire, and a harp. Look at the way he’s built up the image with these fine lines, a kind of cross-hatching that makes you feel the light filtering through the curtains. I can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the page, deciding where to add shadows, where to let the light in. Did he start with the harp, carefully outlining its elegant form, or did he begin with the secretaire, establishing the solid structure of the room? What was Janssens thinking as he rendered the carpet’s pattern, each tiny line contributing to the overall texture? I wonder if he imagined someone sitting at that desk, writing a letter, the harp waiting for a moment of musical inspiration? Painters, like musicians, often riff off of one another, and maybe Janssens was thinking of other interior scenes he admired, adding his own spin. Each artwork is part of this big, ongoing conversation across time, inspiring our own interpretations.