Le Feu 1922 - 1926

Curator: This is George Barbier’s "Le Feu," a print made sometime between 1922 and 1926. It captures a certain… zest for life, don’t you think? Editor: It does evoke a world of luxurious ease. The materials of their clothing seem so fine, capturing the dynamism of urban modernity alongside traditional artistic themes of romance and elegance. But the composition feels overly staged. Curator: Staged, yes, but also carefully constructed with potent symbols. Note the title: "Le Feu" means "fire." Consider how Barbier connects passion and illumination through the fireworks, which stand for vitality and, perhaps, fleeting beauty. The erotic undercurrent is strong. Editor: And carefully produced for mass consumption, I would wager. Consider the production processes required to create this print, aimed to be fashionable, decorative, a consumer item depicting yet more consumer goods in the clothing and background. Curator: Perhaps. However, the overall style suggests that Romanticism never really disappeared; it was just updated for the Art Deco age. You see it in the longing glances, the implied narrative, the elegant, melancholy feeling. Think of Fragonard updated with smoother lines and sharper color contrasts. The lovers are on a precipice of intimacy; what deeper meanings might the artist wish to communicate to a generation devastated by World War? Editor: A romantic escape, clearly directed towards an upwardly mobile readership seeking solace from daily labor, with affordable depictions of luxury items manufactured within the urban spaces hinted at in the backdrop of Barbier’s fantasy scene. It's less an escape, however, than a careful re-branding of desire aligned with market forces. Curator: So, we both see “fire” here, just different facets of it. The spectacle of explosive feeling against a backdrop of carefully constructed pleasures and anxieties that simmer underneath. Editor: An art object as mirror and beacon both! I appreciate you lighting my way through this symbolic darkness.