Très Parisien, février 1922, 3e année, No. 2 : La Mode Le Chic L'éléganc (...) 1922

This anonymous cover of "Très Parisien" was printed in February 1922, and, like a lot of images meant for mass consumption, the mark-making feels both precise and economical. It's like, how much can you do with the least amount of effort? The textures and colors here are so specific. The flat beige of the paper, the way the green dress pops, and the black shawl creates a graphic punch. And look at how the white strokes around the figures give them a halo. There's this one dark shadow trailing from the fringed shawl that really gets me. It almost looks like an afterthought, a dark splodge but it gives the image such depth, and a real sense of drama. It makes me think of Erté, but without the high drama. It's like a more chill, downtown cousin. Ultimately, it shows how art is just one big, ongoing conversation, with each artist riffing on the ideas of those who came before. We always find ways to make art new, even when working within the same old forms.