Maree Basse

Jacques Deschamps

The title of Gerard Deschamps’ minimalist color etching and engraving, “Maree Basse,” loosely translates to “low tide.” In it, three small figures explore a marsh, walking amongst the plantlife that springs from brackish waters where fresh water meets the sea. A skiff floats on the flat surface of a bay in the background.

Deschamps does not appear to have worked in intaglio printmaking until the 1970s when, disillusioned with the Parisian art scene, he abandoned his adopted home for his grandparents’ estate in La Chatre. Whether he had taken previous workshops or studied with someone nearby is unknown. However, the artist’s intaglio work is professional, deft, and a far departure from his usual work, which used everyday objects to create large scale pieces and installations. However, stylistically, his sentiment is the same: using a limited palette and trimming the superfluous from the composition to form an atmosphere, rather than a narrative.