The House of Cards 1710 - 1953

This is Pierre Filloeul’s "The House of Cards," an etching printed on laid paper. The composition uses a restricted palette, with only shades of grey creating tonal variation and depth. Observe how the artist has distributed light across the scene to direct the viewer's eye, casting illumination on the subject. The orderly construction of the cards sharply contrasts with the idleness of youth. Here, the arrangement of cards hints at temporality and precariousness. The house of cards—a delicate structure built through careful arrangement—risks imminent collapse, thereby becoming a metaphor for human endeavor and fragility. Note how the artist uses line and form to establish the subject’s introspective mood. Is Filloeul suggesting that youthful pursuits, however innocent, contain within them the seeds of their own undoing? This play between order and chaos, stability and instability, invites us to reflect on the human condition itself.