Jacket 1935 - 1942

Curator: At first glance, this garment conveys royalty or high status, perhaps something ceremonial. Editor: I agree. And let me introduce the work a bit further. What we have here is "Jacket", a coloured-pencil and watercolor drawing made sometime between 1935 and 1942 by Charles Charon. Curator: That period is interesting, especially with an image of elaborate clothing like this. Was there a particular context around theatre or costume design during the interwar or early war years that Charon might have been referencing? The shape is unique - it has that sunburst effect around the neck. Editor: I am fascinated by that radiating collar; it certainly evokes celestial power and authority, doesn't it? Looking closer at its elements – the round beads – almost transform it into some sort of talismanic object. Curator: That could be; given that period it might even connect to broader anxieties or a desire for protection as conflict loomed or unfolded. But in terms of the production and presentation of this jacket; consider where designs like these circulated. Was this displayed at salons? Was this intended for theatre production? Who would have seen it and how might its display at the time shaped the jacket's cultural and social currency? Editor: Good questions. Even considering Charon as an artist, we can examine visual themes he engages to get at the potential deeper meanings behind such striking visual forms. We also might examine the colors employed and their historical or conventional associations – red for power, green for renewal… Do these choices reveal intended layers of narrative, perhaps lost to us now? Curator: Ultimately, without further documentation, it is a work that remains wonderfully open to interpretation; we can certainly delve into broader art historical contexts in France at the time. Editor: Absolutely. Its compelling nature prompts us to consider what this drawing signifies within not just an art historical timeline, but through enduring symbols of status and hidden narrative meanings, adding so much layers to its rich display.