L'arbre de Noël I 1930

Curator: This is "L'arbre de Noël I," or "The Christmas Tree I," a 1930 ink drawing on paper by Mily Possoz. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Ethereal. Almost haunting. The lightness of the ink combined with the cluster of faces creates a really dreamlike quality. It's deceptively simple in its rendering, yet there's an undeniable complexity. Curator: Absolutely. Considering it was created in 1930, it’s important to understand the artistic landscape of the time. Surrealism was gaining traction, impacting how artists like Possoz depicted everyday scenes and subjects. This piece, despite its domestic subject, feels deeply influenced by those avant-garde ideas. Editor: And that is visible through its composition. The surreal aspect isn't immediately obvious, but look closer: we have figures juxtaposed unexpectedly around the central image of the Christmas tree, animals wandering indoors, and then, too, those disembodied figures up top like floating spirits, angels almost. All this raises questions about domesticity, performance, and identity. Are the figures real or dream representations? Curator: A fascinating point. What's really striking to me is Possoz’s manipulation of materials— the way she's employed the ink’s translucency to suggest the diaphanous nature of memory, as if all of these portraits are emerging from a collective experience, or perhaps reflecting how childhood events remain layered in one’s recollection. Editor: The repetition of figures makes me think of the role of women during this era. Note that all the faces appear to be women or girls, so the subject might reflect the enclosed nature of domestic life. Who has access to domestic spaces and labouring roles during the period—mothers, daughters? Curator: It's true that art always reflects to some degree, consciously or otherwise, its period. And for Possoz, I believe her visual language allowed her to hint at these more complex ideas of both female roles and dream worlds. It feels quite progressive for the period. Editor: In retrospect, considering the piece within this cultural and artistic context helps highlight its distinctive tone. It's more than just a charming image, it's a sophisticated interpretation of the cultural politics and family roles, subtly brought together with a fine material sensibility. Curator: Exactly, it brings us closer to the original context.