Queen of Sheba 

Erte's 'Queen of Sheba' is a striking image rendered with bold graphic simplicity. A dark silhouette of a regal figure is set against a light background. The composition relies on the interplay of flat planes of color and precisely delineated lines, creating a sense of stylized elegance. The restricted color palette is strategically deployed: gold highlights the hair, lips, and scattered stars, drawing attention to key features and contrasting with the figure’s solid black form. This contrast is not merely decorative; it engages with the symbolist tradition of evoking emotional and psychological depth through color. The artist utilizes a visual economy that echoes the ethos of Art Deco, favoring clear geometric forms over naturalistic representation. Ultimately, 'Queen of Sheba' is less about historical depiction and more about how form and color can articulate ideas of power, beauty, and otherness within a modernist framework. The visual reduction and stylistic exaggeration serves to explore the semiotics of representation itself.