Odalisque à la Boulle de Crystal 1920

George Barbier made this painting called ‘Odalisque à la Boulle de Crystal’ with a precision that’s, like, wow. The colours are controlled and yet, wild. I see candy pink stripes and that deep, glossy black where she reclines. It's a dream space for sure! Imagine Barbier, maybe in a Paris studio, carefully layering these lines, and the way he’s built up the woman’s skin tone with the crystal ball she's gazing at. What’s she thinking, or is she even thinking at all? Maybe he worked on this in multiple sessions, letting the image emerge like a memory or desire. There's something about the way he renders the human form that reminds me of other painters who were pushing boundaries, like Klimt. The lines in the painting are so crisp, but they also suggest a kind of flowing, organic movement. What I love about this piece is how it invites us to consider the act of seeing and imagining – and how all painters, including myself, are engaging in a constant conversation across time.