Vrouw met hoed in een armstoel 1920 - 1928

Pierre-Georges Jeanniot made this etching of a woman with a hat in an armchair using subtle blacks and grays to conjure a sense of light and shadow, and the softest of lines that give the image a dreamy haze. I imagine Jeanniot must have been fascinated by the ways that people present themselves to the world, the surfaces and textures of their clothes, the subtle gestures that reveal their inner thoughts. Look at the way he captures the plushness of her fur stole, the way it seems to swallow her up, while her legs are so bare. It makes me think about the artist making and re-making decisions with each stroke of his etching needle. It makes me wonder about the real story of the woman with the hat in the armchair. Is she a society lady, a performer, or simply a woman who enjoys dressing up? Maybe Jeanniot knew her personally or perhaps she was a muse he admired from afar. Like all artists, Jeanniot was in conversation with those who came before, riffing on old ideas, making something new. Every print like this opens a space of imagination where meanings emerge, collide, and transform, inviting us to join in.