Très Parisien, 1925, No. 6, Pl. 12.- LE BEAU PAYSAGE. 1925

Curator: The artwork before us, created by G-P. Joumard in 1925, is entitled "Très Parisien, 1925, No. 6, Pl. 12 - LE BEAU PAYSAGE.". It’s a drawing executed in pen and ink. Editor: My initial impression is that it embodies a rather lighthearted take on modern urban women; it looks very chic and playful. The colors are so understated. Curator: It presents a glimpse into the fashionable world of 1920s Paris, revealing much about the clothing manufacture of the era. It almost serves as an advertisement. Notice the champagne cashmere hunting suit juxtaposed against the parma fabric dress, styles ideal for countryside pursuits. It really tells you a lot about interwar textile production. Editor: Visually, I immediately see these confident women juxtaposed with the somewhat minimalist landscape; they almost float above it. The stark delineation of these women suggests a separation from the very "beau paysage" that the title alludes to. It raises questions of whether this is their true landscape. The little white bird – could that be a dove, perhaps representing peace and the optimism of the “roaring twenties?" Curator: The image gives off the sense that art deco aesthetics favored new fabrication methods for garments for all of these pursuits and is therefore at odds with a lot of traditional craftsmanship, and I also find that significant. I find it interesting that it appears in the Rijksmuseum collection among old masters given how mass-produced it may have been! Editor: True! What endures through it all is the human connection through images that offer clues and cultural symbols for those eras. It provides us a peek into what was meaningful during that era and still speaks volumes now. Curator: Yes, the piece allows one to reflect on fashion's influence as a product and document the cultural values it represents. The interplay of design, textiles, and industrial capabilities encapsulates an epoch that persists even today. Editor: Ultimately, both interpretations give this fashionable pen-and-ink image meaning that can continue through time and in our collection.