L’âme du vin
1862
Edmond Morin’s 1862 illustration is a riotous, vertical explosion of autumnal energy, crowned with the text 'Le Bon Jus d'Octobre!' (The Good Juice of October!). The composition acts like a chaotic 'tree of life' constructed from grapevines, where human figures are inextricably tangled with the harvest. At the top, revelers are climbing and drinking with vigor, but as your eye travels down the vine-covered slope, the scene devolves into a hilarious mess of figures dancing, stumbling, and finally collapsing into drunken slumber at the bottom. It’s a witty visual metaphor for the lifecycle of intoxication, perfectly capturing the 'soul of wine' from the first sip to the final nap.
- Technique
- Engraving