The Curtain 

Erte created this artwork called ‘The Curtain’ with gouache, a type of opaque watercolor. Immediately, we notice the interplay of the ornate patterned curtain juxtaposed against the sleek figure of a woman. Erte constructs a composition of elegant refinement, enhanced by his precise application of line and the considered use of shape. The woman’s form is elongated and stylized, typical of the Art Deco aesthetic, with a geometric treatment that renders her almost as an architectural figure. The juxtaposition of the flat, patterned curtain with the three-dimensional illusion of the woman creates a semiotic tension. The curtain acts as a signifier of both concealment and revelation, a boundary between the public and private. The line of gentlemen at the base of the dress is barely visible and almost dreamlike. Erte asks us to look beyond the superficial, decoding the layers of artifice to find deeper meaning. The emphasis on linear precision and the flattening of form underscore a modernist interest in exploring the limits of representation. Meaning is created through form.