Accessories 1912

Here is what George Barbier created, a series of fan designs whose subjects are ancient bacchanals. Take, for example, the vine motif, which in the upper design arches over a figure as she raises her arms. This symbol, deeply entwined with the Greek god Dionysus, is a symbol of both ecstasy and chaos; it crops up again and again throughout antiquity. We can see this exact gesture mirrored in images of maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, caught in states of ecstatic frenzy. The psychological lure of these symbols resides in their ability to evoke primeval feelings of passion. These gestures speak to a subconscious longing for liberation, for the abandonment of self-restraint. The enduring presence of the vine through the ages reflects its uncanny ability to express our deepest, most primitive urges.