Costume de serge blanc plissé. 1919

This fashion plate was made sometime in the 1900's by an anonymous artist. I like how flat and graphic it is! It's like the artist is playing with shape and form instead of trying to create a realistic representation. I wonder what it was like to make something like this? Did they use stencils to get those crisp lines and solid blocks of color? Or was it all done freehand? And the colors are so interesting - that muted blue-grey of the coat, the pop of magenta in the hat, and the pale yellow gloves. They create a quirky harmony together. I'm struck by how the artist reduced everything to its essence. A line here, a shape there, and suddenly you have a fashionable woman, complete with her little fox friend! And look at how she is posing. She is a painting within a painting. It reminds you that painting is an ongoing conversation between artists through time. Each one of us builds on what came before, and we all add our own little twist.