Le Jour et la Nuit 1922

George Barbier made this pochoir print, ‘Le Jour et la Nuit,’ sometime in the early 20th century. It’s all about colour and line; the shapes are clearly defined by strong outlines, and the colours are flat, almost like stencils laid next to each other. This work is really striking, particularly in the contrast between the two figures. Look at the dress of the figure on the right, how it’s patterned like it's been printed or stamped on. It's almost a denial of depth, pushing the image towards a surface design. You can almost feel the artist experimenting with different techniques, layering colours and textures. It puts me in mind of some of the work of Erté. Like Erté, Barbier was working in that space between fine art and commercial illustration, playing with the ideas of art deco and orientalism, in a way that's both beautiful and a bit unsettling. Art is a conversation, and these artists were definitely in dialogue.