Gazette du Bon Ton, 1920 - No. 3, Pl. 19: Les premières roses / Tailleur et robe d'après-midi, de Worth 1920

Bernard Boutet de Monvel made this print, "Gazette du Bon Ton" in 1920. Look at this gentle archway of roses, framing two women and their Worth dresses! What was Monvel thinking as he made this image? Perhaps he was interested in the relationship between fashion and nature. Or maybe he was exploring the subtle interactions of color and form through the way the dresses interact with the pale pinks and greens of the rose garden. The delicate, controlled lines and soft washes of color create a sense of elegance and sophistication. It's interesting how the clothing echoes the architecture – there's an intentionality in the composition of the dresses as designed objects. The artist is playing with the surface; flat planes of color create texture, and pattern, and the way the light hits certain spots. The use of muted tones gives it a timeless quality. Artists borrow ideas and motifs across generations, you know? It's a constant conversation. And there are no definitive readings of an artwork – we are free to interpret based on our own experiences.