Le Tricorne (Three-cornered Hat) 1920

Here's an anonymous drawing of a costume for Le Tricorne, made in an unknown medium on paper. What a zany character! The bright stripes and jaunty hat make me think this is a dancer, maybe someone from the Ballets Russes? Whoever made this design was really thinking about how clothes perform, how they can create a sense of movement and drama. The hand is so interesting, isn't it? It's like the dancer is about to step out of the paper. I imagine the artist drawing that hand over and over, trying to get it just right. Maybe they thought about the way that dancer would hold his own body, the way he would gesture and flirt. As painters, we're always looking at each other's work, riffing on ideas, and pushing things further. I wonder who this anonymous artist was looking at, and who they inspired in turn? It's a conversation that never ends.