L’Oiseau Volage 1914

George Barbier made this illustration called ‘L’Oiseau Volage’, with some kind of printmaking technique. I love the image! The color palette is subdued, and the aqua background brings forward a floral dress and the coral-colored leaves. I'm thinking about George, alone in his studio, trying to capture this moment of freedom, where a bird has left its cage to fly away. How the woman yearns for a similar freedom. The line work is meticulous and gives it a decorative art nouveau flavor, but at the same time, there is so much life in the scene! I imagine George looking at many other painters and printmakers. I see him conversing with them, picking up ideas, and also rejecting them. He's part of an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring creativity, where he explores different forms of expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty.