Vier stoelen 1885 - 1895

Léon Laroche’s "Vier stoelen" presents a set of furniture designs rendered with delicate lines and soft washes of color. The composition is divided into quadrants, each showcasing chairs from the Louis XV and Louis XVI periods. The application of watercolors gives each piece a translucent quality, emphasizing the ornate details and curvilinear forms characteristic of the Rococo style. Consider how Laroche uses line and color to denote not just form, but also the cultural codes associated with luxury and aristocratic taste. The asymmetry in the top right chair challenges fixed notions of symmetry. Laroche plays with the conventional understanding of furniture as purely functional objects and represents them as emblems of status. The seemingly straightforward presentation belies a deeper engagement with the semiotics of design. Here, we are invited to decode the visual components and cultural codes informing both the creation and reception of these designs. Think of it as an ongoing discourse between form, function, and cultural significance.