Fifth Eclogue: Woodland Nymphs Weeping the Loss of Daphnis (Nymphs des Bois dansant le contrapas) Possibly 1926

Aristide Maillol made this print, "Fifth Eclogue: Woodland Nymphs Weeping the Loss of Daphnis," with careful lines of a terracotta ink dancing across the page. I can imagine Maillol in his studio, carving the image into a block, each line a deliberate caress. These nymphs, caught in their grief-stricken contrapposto, remind me of those figures you find on ancient vases. There's something so timeless in their sorrow, yet also so human. You can almost feel the weight of their sadness as they weave together, bound by garlands. Maillol's focus on the body, its mass and form, gives these nymphs a kind of grounded presence despite their ethereal subject matter. The terracotta lines, so firm and delicate, create a beautiful tension, like a whispered secret etched in stone. It's a conversation between past and present, grief and beauty.