Gazette du Bon Ton, 1920 - No. 9, Pl. 66: O Maitre el Relicario / Robe de dîners garnie de ruban 1920

Fernand Siméon made this print, ‘Gazette du Bon Ton’, in 1920; it’s ink and stencil on paper, with an intense graphic sensibility. The flat planes of colour, bounded by dark outlines and the overall composition create a stylised image of a lady in a fashionable dress, being serenaded by a musical trio. The lines are like roads, carrying your eye to the woman, the musicians, the instruments. Everything’s been reduced to its essence, yet somehow it manages to capture a mood. The dark outlines have this great tension with the flat colour that gives the image a real punch. The pale yellow of the cello, for instance, seems to pop against the darker background, while the dress worn by the woman has a delicate complexity. I love how Siméon uses the dark lines to convey the shadows and folds of the fabric. The stark contrast between light and shadow is kind of reminiscent of Toulouse-Lautrec, especially in the way he captures the feeling of a particular time and place. Ultimately, this print isn't about the dress or the musicians, but about the experience of seeing, and the joy of looking.