By: François Houtin

Medium: etching
Image Size: 4.75 x 3.5 inches
Edition: 40
Year: 1974

In Portrait #1, François Houtin transforms botanical motifs into an elaborate fantasy of form and texture. Using fine, rhythmic lines, he constructs an imaginary figure that feels part plant, part architecture—a hybrid being rising from a lush, ornamental world. The intricate crosshatching and organic symmetry evoke both nature and dream, a hallmark of Houtin’s visionary style. Known for his surreal etchings of gardens and metamorphic landscapes, Houtin blurs the boundary between the cultivated and the fantastic, inviting viewers into an otherworldly realm where vegetation takes human shape.