Robe de drap blanc 1912

George Barbier made this pochoir print, Robe de drap blanc, in 1912, and the approach is all about line and flat colour, making it a piece that’s decorative, and precise. It really shows you how artmaking is a process of decisions, right? The texture's smooth because it's a print, but the colours, they're something else. The white of the dress is so clean, contrasted with these almost spooky shadows creeping around. The pink trim and belt, it adds a soft touch, but it’s the shadows that grab me, like dark thoughts intruding on a fancy day out. I keep coming back to those shadows; they’re like strange, invasive thoughts. They remind me a little bit of Odilon Redon, that sense of dream meeting the slightly grotesque. Ultimately, this piece embraces this ambiguity, right? Is it about fashion, or something darker? Who knows!