Travel and Sailor suit c. 1932

Editor: This is Yva’s "Travel and Sailor suit", a black and white photograph from around 1932. There’s such a relaxed feel to it, the geometric shapes and the model perched so casually create this strangely elegant and cool atmosphere. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Ah, Yva! She's whispering secrets of a Berlin that was… just before the lights went out. It's not just the geometric dance, darling; it's the mood. That louche pose… does it not strike you as subtly defiant? She’s holding onto that stick, but is it for support or… to push against something? Editor: Defiant, yes! I see what you mean. Like she's on the verge of setting off, but also unwilling to move? The stick could be a sailing mast perhaps. Do you think it references her travels somehow? Curator: Maybe a bit of both. “Travel” and "sailor suits"…suggests a journey and a uniform, doesn't it? It's New Objectivity, so it strips things back, showing only the essentials. No romance, just the angles and the shadow, all these shapes but it hides just as much. Yva always left breadcrumbs to follow, I suspect. Don't you think so? Editor: Definitely! Now that you mention the shadows, I can almost feel the cool studio light shaping her form. It’s clever how Yva suggests movement while also keeping things so static. Thank you, this was super insightful! Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Remember, art is never a fixed point. Feel it, wander through it, argue with it. The photograph ends only where you begin.