Très Parisien, 1925, No. 6, Pl. 7: 40 H.P. - Très élegante, cette redingot (...) 1925

This fashion plate, Très Parisien, was made around 1925 by G-P. Joumard. Look at this figure, caught in a web of diagonal lines and soft pinks—it’s like she's emerging, or maybe dissolving, into the scene. I can only imagine what it was like for Joumard to create her. What were they thinking as they were laying down those lines, building up the pattern of her coat? Was it a dance of precision, a delicate act of constructing an ideal, or a kind of playful experiment? Notice how those diagonal lines create a sense of movement. She's static, but those lines suggest a dynamic energy, a push and pull that keeps her from being still. And those soft pinks and greens lend the picture an airy quality, a sense of lightness that’s almost dreamlike. It makes me think of Sonia Delaunay’s bold color choices, or even the graphic sensibilities of someone like Erté, but with a quiet, subdued elegance. Painters are always chatting with each other across time.