Fashion (Mode) 1912

Otto Lendecke made this gouache and graphite drawing called Fashion, or Mode, on paper at some point, and I love how immediate it feels. You can really sense the hand of the artist. It's got this cool, crisp palette - black, white, and a lavender pink - that gives it a sense of modernity. The way Lendecke used the gouache, it’s really flat and opaque, almost like he stenciled the shapes, which gives the whole image a graphic quality. But then you look closer, and you see these tiny graphite marks, like little whispers, defining the edges and adding texture. The hands, for example, are just these delicate lines, barely there, but they give so much personality. What's really interesting is the way the pink dress seems to float within the black coat. It's not quite a perfect fit, and that slight awkwardness makes it so much more human. It reminds me a bit of some of Erns Ludwig Kirchner's graphic work. It feels like art is always talking to itself, across time, which is cool, right? And ultimately, there’s something beautifully unresolved about it, and that’s what keeps me coming back.