Art - Goût - Beauté, Feuillets de l' élégance féminine, Juin 1932, No. 142, 12e Année, p. 12 1932

H. Rouit made this fashion plate, Art - Goût - Beauté, Feuillets de l' élégance féminine, back in June 1932. The colors are so gentle, a wash of peach, cream, and grey. It’s like Rouit laid down these colours and then very carefully went back to define each of the gowns. Look at the dress on the far left. See how the lines intersect, forming a kind of grid. You can almost imagine the artist at work, carefully plotting each line, each intersection. The lines of this dress contrast the more flowing lines of the backdrop, making this central female figure the focal point of the piece. It makes me think of the ways that we build up our own sense of style, piece by piece, line by line. Reminds me a bit of Erté, though Rouit is a little more understated, a little less theatrical, perhaps? Anyway, it shows that art is always a dialogue. And it's never really finished.