Les Grandes Modes de Paris, Supplément, ca. 1910, No. 113, Pl. 1233 : Aux Nouveautés 'le Phénix'(...) c. 1910

This is A. Souchel’s fashion plate, Les Grandes Modes de Paris, made around 1910. What I find interesting is the way the artist allows the pencil lines to peek through the watercolor washes. It gives the image a provisional quality, like it’s not quite finished, but that’s precisely where its charm lies. The drawing feels like a stage set, with each figure carefully posed like actors awaiting their cue. There’s a theatrical quality to the way the colors are applied, with soft, muted tones that create a dreamy atmosphere, especially the way the pale blue dress is formed of almost invisible vertical pencil lines. It’s as if the artist is saying, “Here, but not here," revealing the process of how these images are constructed. I guess that's why I like it so much - not really a painting, not really an illustration, but something beautifully in-between. It reminds me of Charles Demuth’s watercolors, especially in the way he used color to evoke atmosphere and mood, rather than simply to depict reality. Ultimately, it’s the incompleteness of the piece that makes it so compelling, leaving space for our imaginations to wander and wonder.