Twee vensters met gordijnen 1885 - 1895

Editor: This watercolor drawing from between 1885 and 1895 by Léon Laroche presents two window and curtain designs. I’m struck by the detail, almost like a very precise fashion illustration. What story do these domestic objects tell us? Curator: It's fascinating to consider these not just as aesthetic choices, but as social and political statements. Think about the historical context: late 19th-century Europe, class divisions becoming increasingly fraught. Who would have been able to afford such elaborate window treatments? And what does that say about their values, their worldview? Editor: So, these aren't just about beauty, but also about power? The closed and ornamented curtains do seem to signify a desire for privacy and separation from the outside. Curator: Exactly. The opulence and detail speak to a desire to display wealth and status. Note how these designs, drawing inspiration from Classicism and decorative arts, look back to the Louis XVI style— a style linked to aristocracy before the French Revolution. How might that association have been perceived at a time of increasing social unrest? Were these displays of luxury a provocation, or simply a way to ignore the emerging modern world? Editor: That’s a great point. I hadn't considered the potential tension between the style and the period in which the drawing was made. This makes me see it not just as a decorative design, but as a really complex object with social and historical implications. Curator: Precisely! Art allows us to interrogate history through a visual lens. Examining something as seemingly simple as window dressing opens a dialogue about wealth, class, and the performance of identity. Editor: I will never look at curtains the same way again!