Costume Design 

Vadym Meller created this costume design, sometime in the early twentieth century, using gouache, ink, and pencil on paper. The figure's angular pose and geometrically abstracted costume immediately command attention. Meller’s avant-garde aesthetic breaks down traditional forms into simplified shapes, particularly evident in the sharp triangles composing the shoulders and lower body. These shapes create a sense of dynamic movement, as if the figure is caught mid-stride. The color palette, dominated by reds, blues, and whites, adds to this dramatic effect. Note the stark contrast between the solid black boots and the pale backdrop, which flattens the space and heightens the design's graphic quality. This abstraction reflects broader artistic trends of the time, where artists sought to challenge fixed meanings and explore new modes of visual expression. Ultimately, the dynamic composition, with its interplay of line, shape, and color, destabilizes traditional notions of representation and invites us to see the human form in an entirely new light.