Gezicht op het St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel before 1900

Jean Malvaux created this print of the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel, rendering the architectural grandeur in muted tones. The structure's verticality dominates the composition, with a mirrored effect adding to its visual complexity. The print's formal arrangement invites a semiotic reading of space and representation. The architectural details function almost as linguistic signs, conveying notions of luxury, history, and power. The inverted mirroring destabilizes any straightforward interpretation of the building, challenging fixed ideas about representation and perception. The stark contrast in the tonal values gives a visual emphasis to the architectural elements. Malvaux’s print underscores the relationship between form and function. Here, the act of inversion is more than just a visual trick, but a commentary on how meaning is constructed and perceived.