Number 9 

This is Erte's "Number 9", made using gouache and ink on paper. Erte's sophisticated and glamorous imagery comes from the world of fashion, theater, and the decorative arts. Look at how Erte uses lines to delineate form, pattern, and texture. The gouache gives the illustration a matte opacity, contrasting with the sharp black ink. The figure's form emerges as a slender, stylized number nine. Notice the contrasting scales: the fur stole's volume and the cascade of pearls. Erte skillfully balances organic and geometric forms with the bold use of red and the luxurious costume. The use of these materials reflects the glamour and artifice that characterizes Erte's work, blurring the line between fine art, commercial design, and printmaking, at the service of fashion and theater.