Plate 13. Il serait si doux d’aimer. (To love would be so sweet.)

Series: Miserere
Medium: Mixed etching
Dimensions: 22 3/4 x 16 1/4 inches
Signature: None were signed. Watermark, Ambroise Vollard
Artist details: French, 1871 - 1958
Edition: 208/425 (+ 25 HC)
Printer: Jacquemin, 1922 - 1927
Publisher: Société d'Édition l'Étoile Filante, Paris 1948

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"Georges Rouault was commissioned to make this piece as a part of the Miserere (Misery) Series in 1916 (during WWI). During times of collective or individual trauma, people have always turned to artists to give themselves moments of peace, escape, or distraction. Visual arts, books, netflix, memes, and music are all things we are using today to deal with the pandemic and our own individual struggles. This etching reminds its viewers of the importance of artists and their creativity. Rouault’s work, ‘il serait si doux d’aimer’ or ‘to love would be so sweet’ gives just as much sweetness and comfort today as it did when it was published in 1948. Humans need connection and love. Even in gray, Rouault’s blend of fauvism and expressionism in this image of parent and child puts a small, but strong light on this pocket of love amongst all the misery that surrounds it."