Le Bonheur du Jour ou Les Graces à la Mode: Le Goût des Laques. 1920

Henri Reidel made this print called Le Bonheur du Jour ou Les Graces à la Mode: Le Goût des Laques, and it's all about 'the taste of lacquer', that shiny, smooth surface. I love the colours here, they’re so muted and elegant. Just try to imagine Reidel making this, layer by layer, figuring out the balance between the figures and that amazing backdrop. Look at how the flat patterns give the sense of a decorative screen, but also a kind of weird, dreamlike space. I bet Reidel was thinking a lot about Japanese art and design when he made this. There’s this whole conversation happening between artists from different times and places. It's like they're all talking to each other through their work. Paintings never really give you a straight answer. And that’s what’s so cool about them. They let you bring your own ideas and feelings to the table and find something new every time you look.