['Journal des Dames et des Modes: the Fashion Illustrators', 'Journal des Dames et des Modes: Fashion News'] by Jan van Brock

['Journal des Dames et des Modes: the Fashion Illustrators', 'Journal des Dames et des Modes: Fashion News'] 1913

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janvanbrock

print, watercolor

portrait

art-nouveau

print

watercolor

flat colour

fruit

decorative-art

Dimensions height 179 mm, width 107 mm

This is a fashion plate by Jan van Brock, and I can imagine him working on a smooth surface with delicate tools. The woman, rendered in a palette of reds, blues, and browns, appears to be offering grapes. Is she about to share them with us? The grapes might be a hint about a story here, and van Brock's line so carefully delineates form. I wonder if he was thinking about Ingres, or other great draughtsmen while he made this? Maybe not. It’s interesting how he sets the figure within a tight frame, almost trapping her, whilst paradoxically opening up our imaginations to this fictional world. The curve of her arm is so elegant, the angle of her neck so coy. Every artist is in conversation with those that came before them, even fashion illustrators! Van Brock probably knew he was part of a long history of mark-making, and yet was making something unique. Ambiguity and uncertainty are part of the game.

Comments

rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

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['The Journal des Dames was inspired by the eponymous fashion magazine from the previous century and, like the earlier publication, referred to its illustrations as Costumes Parisiens. These Costumes Parisiens (184 illustrations in total) were drawn in a new, flat, decorative manner by George Barbier, Jan van Brock, Victor Lhuer and other Parisian artists, each with a signature style. Every issue came with two or three separate plates. These showed a wide variety of fashionable apparel, from elegant evening attire to outdoor outfits. A brief caption provides the name of the garment and the material from which it was made, but never the name of a fashion house.', 'The Journal de Dames et des Modes was marketed towards the affluent, sophisticated elite. The text consisted of literary contributions and articles on various topics written by leading Parisian literati. The fashion commentaries discussed the full spectrum of new trends, such as ‘strolling bareheaded by motorcar,’ matching the colour of one’s dress to that of one’s automobile, the impracticality of small umbrellas, the wearing of sky-blue and grass-green wigs, and the vogue among women for large flat hats or for the small toques adorned with feathers that projected from their foreheads like antennae.']