Aesthetic Pleasure

Peggy Bacon

1936
Intaglio  etching and drypoint
6 x 8.5 inches

A stylized, black-and-white depiction of a group of eight, mostly attentive, light-skinned adults dressed in suits and dresses. They are tightly grouped together as they view artwork hanging on a wall to their right (viewer’s left). They appear to be on a museum tour. One person is yawning. A man in a black suit is positioned at the bottom left of the composition in front of the group, facing away from the viewer. His left arm is outstretched toward the artworks on the wall. The artworks are portraits displayed closely, in salon style—next to and around one another on all sides. Behind the group of people is a painter, who is partially faced away from the viewer and working on a painting. The painter holds a collection of paintbrushes in their right hand. One person is faced away and looking at the in-progress painting. At the very left edge of the composition stands a light-skinned person wearing a dress and reading a book.