Manteau de velours 1913

George Barbier made this print called ‘Manteau de velours,’ using line and flat colour, sometime between the wars. Look at the way he uses the whiteness of the paper to describe the folds of the dress, leaving the shapes open, with just the barest hint of shadow. You could almost continue these lines yourself, like a colouring book! The flat dark background is punctuated by decorative swirls. The dark areas force us to look more closely at the areas of detail, like the elaborate trimming on the model's coat. It’s interesting how the eye is drawn to the line of pearls, as they mimic the way the picture is constructed, in a series of dots and dashes. It has a stencilled, handmade feel, like a contemporary version of Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave.’ This kind of decorative work feels very much of its time. Artists like Barbier helped shape the way we see the world and owe a huge debt to Japanese printmakers. But the beauty of art lies in its open-endedness, inviting endless conversations and interpretations.