By: Erik Desmazières

Medium: Etching, aquatint & roulette
Year: 2013
ImageSize: 24.6 x 12.95 inches

In Le Magasin central des imprimés (Plate No. 5), Erik Desmazières explores the towering verticality of the Bibliothèque nationale de France’s historic print repositories. A narrow elevated passage leads the viewer past networks of pipes, railings, and gridded floors toward soaring arched windows that reveal dense tiers of books below. Desmazières’ precise linework and tonal control give the space an almost cathedral-like gravity, transforming this utilitarian archive into a monumental architectural vision.