Les Douze Mois de l'Année: Ventose 1919

Marthe Romme made "Les Douze Mois de l'Année: Ventôse," a print with an eye-catching palette of blues, reds and greys. What really grabs me is the way the artist has approached the whole image as a pattern-making exercise; it's like the figure is almost camouflaged! The circles on the figure’s dress, made from a fine red outline filled with white, stand out for their almost hypnotic quality. This is echoed in the checkerboard pattern of the shawl, and the rhythmic dabs of black that make up the ground. It's like Romme is playfully experimenting with surface textures. The shapes are so bold and declarative, but they also merge together into this kind of visual feast. There’s something about the flattening of space that reminds me of Matisse, but Romme has got her own thing going on, for sure. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be so serious; sometimes, it's just about playing with colour and form and seeing what happens.