Très Parisien 1923, No. 4: 6.-JEUNE PAGE. Robe de sergetrefine... 1923

This fashion plate, Très Parisien 1923, No. 4, is printed on paper, but I imagine it coming into being through gouache or pochoir. You can see how the anonymous artist is playing with blocks of flat color. I sympathize with the artist, imagining them thinking about the design while mixing colors, trying to get the consistency just right. I love the pink and blue; what was it like to work with those pigments at that time? The flowers, the figure, and the landscape seem very connected. This makes me think of Matisse, or Bonnard, who were both interested in the relationship between figure and background. I like the gesture of the hand in the painting, offering up the design. It communicates a specific feeling and intention. It shows how artists are in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas across time, and inspiring one another's creativity.