Gezicht op de Fontaine Saint-Michel in Parijs 1859 - 1860

This is Léopold Flameng’s print of the Fontaine Saint-Michel in Paris. The print uses etching to create a scene that captures the monument and the surrounding urban environment. The artist’s strategic use of line and texture is what defines the work. Flameng uses dense, cross-hatched lines to render the dark, imposing structures of the fountain. In contrast, the sky and the distant buildings dissolve into a haze of fine, light strokes. This contrast draws the eye, encouraging a reading of the image as a play between the solid and the ephemeral. The perspective, slightly elevated, allows us to survey the scene, while the detailed rendering of the crowd gives a sense of scale and liveliness. Through this detailed rendering, the print serves not just as a depiction of a place, but as a meditation on the experience of space, inviting the viewer to contemplate the interplay between permanence and change.