Woman with Flowers in Her Hands 

Pierre Laprade made this lithograph of a woman with flowers in her hands sometime between 1875 and 1932. The process of lithography is essential to understanding this print’s delicate, almost ethereal quality. Laprade would have drawn this image with a greasy crayon on a flat slab of limestone. The stone is then treated with chemicals so that only the drawn areas attract ink. It’s a printing technique that allows for a remarkable subtlety of line and tone. The gestural, sketch-like quality of the drawing is perfectly suited to the lithographic process. Unlike a more rigid, industrial printing method, lithography retains a direct connection to the artist's hand. This gives the print a sense of immediacy, as if we are witnessing the image come into being. It bridges the gap between drawing and printmaking, reminding us that even in mechanical reproduction, the artist's touch remains visible. The choice of material and process is vital in conveying the artwork’s feeling of effortless grace and spontaneity.