Flames of Love 

Curator: Well, hello! Gazing at "Flames of Love" brings an unexpected wave of…drama, don’t you think? It's Erte at his most visually flamboyant. All flowing lines and controlled passion, bursting with Art Deco elegance, no matter when he created it. I'm almost sweating over it! Editor: Drama, yes, but so consciously constructed, like a tableau vivant! That silver filigree against the intense orange background makes her pop. Immediately, my mind leaps to ancient rituals. She’s caught in a dance – something Orphic, perhaps. Do you think she is surrendering to something? Curator: Surrendering? Mmm, possibly! She's definitely embodying something – the raw energy, a touch of both power and vulnerability in that gesture, suspended as she is within the silvered sphere. This is one of those images I swear I feel swirling around me... I would not say it's raw; polished. It is the height of polish. Do you not get that with his decorative style? Editor: That stylized grace, the exaggerated silhouette…it all contributes to this idea of idealized womanhood, a timeless feminine archetype presented in such an utterly modern way. I'm mostly curious about those stylized flames at the base of her gown. Flames traditionally suggest purification, destruction…passion, of course! Their deep crimson color, though, indicates sacrifice, I'd suggest. The dress itself almost becomes a chalice with a message. Curator: It’s intriguing, the more I really consider her shape as a vessel, the more I see those hints, I do tend to resist easy definitions – sacrifice is not as blatant as it looks, I would say more of what could happen if passion got away from itself – uncontrolled sacrifice versus raw sensuality and control over feeling. The circle traps and accentuates; this figure, who dances on its boundary and maybe beyond, hints towards worlds both known and desired. And I never can resist a touch of Erte's gorgeous camp. Editor: Well, yes, control is key; without constraint, there is, after all, only chaos. I like that ambiguity too. Curator: I guess for me this kind of piece throws open a million possibilities. Editor: It allows each viewer to construct the feeling, doesn’t it? Excellent point to rest upon, I think.