<b>LE PACIFIQUE MYSTERIEUX, MERS</b> / Paul Jacoulet1951<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Le Pacifique Mysterieux, Mers du Sud, or more commonly known as The Mermaid, is among Paul Jacoulet’s most desirable designs. The print features a mermaid rendered in a conventional manner for this mythical creature: half woman and half fish with a long tail and fins. The artist's design moves past folklore and humanizes the subject with careful consideration of the mermaid's features. The upper torso, a stunning nude, is rendered in exacting detail to that of a beautiful woman. The creature's long blond hair shimmers with highlights in the twilight. Her startling light blue eyes look out longingly towards some remote vista. Her voluptuous torso is rendered in a soft olive complexation, recalling the hue of sand. Her fingernails reveal a coral pink, which is also highlighted throughout her long, graceful tail. Her fins appear seamless and natural, seducing the viewer into belief. This stunning creature rests on top of a rock along with a small squid whose shape echoes the half of the mermaid. The silver mica applied to the ripples below is the only source of movement in this arresting composition. Jacoulet's exquisite design is so compelling that one is left to wonder if it was conceived from life.

Connoisseur's Note

The Mermaid is among those prints that amazed Jacoulet’s audiences. The poetics of the design in concert with expertly applied printing techniques resulted in one of the most compelling nudes in 20th-century Japanese woodblock prints. This impression is part of the P.J. seal edition, stamped on the verso. The print is in excellent condition with sharp and vibrant colors—appearing as fresh as the day this impression was printed.