Selection of a Heart 

Curator: Erte’s “Selection of a Heart," done in a mixed-media painting technique, pulls you in immediately. It just feels theatrical and glamorous. What grabs you first? Editor: It's like a fever dream, all right angles fighting with sensual curves! That intense yellow is almost unsettling, contrasting with the velvety blacks and swirling patterns. Is this opulence or something darker, masquerading? Curator: Consider Erte’s background in fashion and costume design, those influences bleed into how the artwork focuses on details, elaborate fabrics, and precisely rendered figures. The composition foregrounds decorative elements almost as characters themselves. We can examine it also in terms of production and distribution as it has become emblematic with fashion design since the 1920’s. Editor: Right! Everything feels so painstakingly crafted. It’s interesting how cold and stylized the figure looks—but, look there at the hands presenting these vulnerable hearts pierced by cupid's arrow... There's a tension there, a sense of emotional exposure presented with a veneer of Art Deco cool. Almost mocking vulnerability and ideal love. Curator: The materials play a key role, because Erte has an attention to both line and pattern to highlight mass production potential. Those strong, contrasting color combinations make reproduction easier. Erte, or Romain de Tirtoff, clearly understands this visual appeal will translate to the consumer very directly through printed reproduction as he gains a reputation of high society visual branding. Editor: Hmm. You’re right to observe it. This artist creates a visual brand identity with commercial undertones; this reminds me, what would the feeling be of this artwork without the heavy black inks as foundational outline. Would the feeling come off differently without those details? And perhaps without Erte’s expertise he doesn’t realize the cold art deco feeling could become…sinister? Curator: Perhaps. It’s this intersection of art, labor, and social standing that made Erte's style both accessible and deeply rooted in the cultural mindset of glamour during his peak of work in the late 20th century. His influence as a popular aesthetic makes him historically significant still today. Editor: This image makes me consider the masks we wear to show the world only particular pieces of our true heart. Thanks to this dialogue I am rethinking the idea of love—what an adventure.