Saint-Tropez, la ferme a l'aire (petite planche) 1925

Editor: This is André Dunoyer de Segonzac's "Saint-Tropez, la ferme a l'aire (petite planche)", an etching from 1925. It's a scene rendered in incredibly fine lines; it's somehow both busy and peaceful at the same time. What catches your eye when you look at this work? Curator: Immediately, I see how the cross-hatching invokes a timeless connection between land, labor, and leisure. The artist chooses the etching needle to memorialize not the *what* but the *how* of seeing the Saint-Tropez landscape. Editor: Can you elaborate on the 'how' of seeing? Curator: Notice how the foreground trees almost function as curtains, framing the distant bay. Consider the cultural memory associated with Saint-Tropez. Before its fame as a jet-set destination, it was a working port, its identity intertwined with fishing and agriculture. The print offers us that view—but only just slightly obstructed. What feeling does that evoke? Editor: I guess it reminds me that even places change, and beneath the surface, there's a whole other story. It makes me wonder if Segonzac intended to highlight the enduring aspects of the landscape amidst societal shifts. Curator: Precisely. By emphasizing the underlying forms of nature and rustic life, he speaks to something deeper about human presence in that space. Think of it as the collective memory of Saint-Tropez etched onto the plate – and into us. Editor: That's a very different Saint-Tropez than I imagined, it enriches the artwork quite a lot. Curator: Indeed. It invites us to question what we consider iconic and how images shape and carry cultural memory.