The Veil Water effect is a subtractive image-making technique in which dark ink or wash is applied to a surface, then partially removed—often with water or solvent—to create the illusion of fading, fluidity, or age. The result resembles a water stain or veil: something both present and dissolving, like a memory erasing itself.

Unlike traditional painting, where forms are built up with brushstrokes, the Veil Water method reveals the image by removing darkness—leaving behind softened edges, ghosted outlines, and atmospheric residue.

In Morée, this effect dominates the composition. It’s not background decoration—it’s structure. And in the works that echo it, like Da-Dandy and Belle Haleine, the same dissolving aesthetic quietly returns—shifting the tone of Dada from defiance to disappearance.