Le Marie. Seoul, Coree 1950

Paul Jacoulet made "Le Marie, Seoul, Coree" with, what looks like, woodblock prints, a real process. The patterns, colours, the whole thing vibrates with a graphic energy. The texture and colour – wow! Look at the brown of the robes. The way the fabric folds almost flatten into these wild, spiralling shapes. Then, BAM, your eye hits the peacock feathers on that little red hat. It’s like the whole piece is a stage, and every part is putting on a show, strutting its stuff. But what really gets me is how those details, the lines on the robe, the curve of the plant stems, all come together. It reminds me of some of Matisse’s later paper cut-outs - that same joy in making something beautiful from the simplest of forms. And you know, that’s what art’s all about, right? Taking something ordinary and turning it into a whole new world.