The woman without shadow (Costume for the wet nurse) 1919

Alfred Roller made this costume design for 'The Woman Without a Shadow' in 1919. Look at how Roller uses hatching to create a sense of depth and shadow. It's a kind of building, a construction. You can see how the process is embedded in the final image. I love the starkness of the black and white, the contrast giving it a really dramatic, theatrical feel. The texture in the cloak is so different from the pattern in the dress, it’s like two different worlds colliding on one body! It’s especially clear in the way the ink describes the drapery, how it clings to the body but also falls away. It’s a great push and pull. There’s something about Roller’s linework that reminds me of Klimt. It’s like they were drinking from the same well of ideas, both obsessed with line and pattern. Of course, art's just an ongoing conversation across time anyway, isn't it? The piece embraces a certain ambiguity, an invitation to interpret rather than a demand to understand.