Pierrot with Chanteuse and Satyr 1918

Gerda Wegener created this illustration, Pierrot with Chanteuse and Satyr, with delicate lines and washes of watercolor. Look at how the pale colours wash across the figures, the whole image shimmers with an intimate glow, making the scene feel dreamlike. See how the satyr, dressed as Pierrot, leans in to kiss the chanteuse while she’s poised at the piano, cigarette holder in hand. There’s this whole tension between performance and life, with the figure on the left, also playing the piano, perhaps the most honest one, and the pair on the right more performative. It’s like life versus artifice. Wegener’s line is so assured and fluid. There’s a real confidence to it, but the colour palette is limited to pastel colours, giving a sense of melancholy, which is echoed in the wistful scene, with the figures playing at love and desire. It reminds me a little of Aubrey Beardsley, with the decadence and world-weariness, but I don’t think Wegener is quite so cynical. Ultimately, it’s a playful piece, full of suggestion, and like any good painting, it leaves you wanting more.