Dress c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Fanchon Larzelere's "Dress", a watercolor and drawing made around 1936. It’s a design sketch, I believe. There's a soft, almost romantic quality to the gown and the pastel color scheme. What are your immediate observations about this artwork? Curator: Initially, I’m drawn to the arrangement of the piece itself. The watercolor medium allows for delicate washes of color, creating a gentle harmony. The ribbons and floral motifs produce vertical rhythmic complexity in the picture plane, while the rendering of the sleeve hints at something more geometric. What effect does the repetition of these forms and colours have on the overall structure, do you think? Editor: I guess it helps create unity? It stops the different parts of the drawing feeling too separate, maybe? What about the choice of presenting the back of the dress, though? Curator: Precisely. The perspective, revealing the back of the dress, emphasizes the elaborate drapery and construction. Larzelere guides our focus to the convergence of lines and pleats at the waist, highlighting the garment's architecture. What would you say this directional emphasis conveys? Editor: It almost feels like an invitation. Like we’re being invited into the dress's world. The pale palette gives it a dream-like vibe, too. It’s intriguing to consider how something as functional as clothing can become so abstracted through form and color. Curator: Indeed. The function recedes, and what comes forward is a study of shape and shade, rhythm and symmetry. Form transcends its representational duty. Editor: This has opened up a new way for me to interpret design drawings; it's more than just utility. Curator: And for me, the emphasis on compositional components reframes the practical within a theoretical view of aesthetics.