Journal des Demoiselles, 15 Février 1903, No. 5298 : Toilettes de Mmes Forcillon (...) 1903

This fashion plate from Journal des Demoiselles, made in 1903, shows three women in elaborate dresses. What strikes me is the delicate application of color, like watercolor washes. Look at how the pink dress on the left blooms softly, as if applied in thin layers. There is something so gentle in the mark making; it is all about suggestion and the process of layering. It reminds me that art is about unveiling rather than telling. The textures of the lace and frills on these dresses are evoked through subtle variations in tone and line. The artist isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's real fabric, but rather hinting at the idea of it. It's like a recipe, where you only need a few ingredients to evoke a more complex flavor. Think of fashion plates by Erté. You can see how this kind of image fed into the art deco aesthetic. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation. It's rarely ever about one definitive voice, and more often about an ongoing exchange of ideas, open to endless reinterpretations.