['Journal des Dames et des Modes: the Fashion Illustrators', 'Journal des Dames et des Modes: Fashion News'] by Jan van Brock

['Journal des Dames et des Modes: the Fashion Illustrators', 'Journal des Dames et des Modes: Fashion News'] 1913

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janvanbrock

graphic-art, print

graphic-art

art-nouveau

print

figuration

genre-painting

Dimensions: height 175 mm, width 106 mm

Jan van Brock made this fashion plate, 'Journal des Dames et des Modes', and it's a window into the stylish life around 1913, captured with graphic lines and a cool palette of orange, blue, green and cream. You can almost imagine Van Brock’s thought process, choosing where to place each colour to define form and texture. The horse race in the background seems less important than the woman in the foreground, yet the title 'winning colours' implies a subtle connection. The woman's outfit mirrors the colours of the race. It reminds me of Matisse, in its graphic simplification, and bold use of colour. The stripes on the woman's skirt create a sense of depth, each carefully placed to create a visually dynamic surface. The colours aren't blended. They stand alone, creating a harmony. Looking at this work, it’s obvious that Jan van Brock was not just illustrating fashion; he was thinking about how colours communicate. Just like any painter, Jan van Brock had something to tell us, and he found a way to say it.

Comments

rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

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['The Journal des Dames was inspired by the eponymous fashion magazine from the previous century and, like the earlier publication, referred to its illustrations as Costumes Parisiens. These Costumes Parisiens (184 illustrations in total) were drawn in a new, flat, decorative manner by George Barbier, Jan van Brock, Victor Lhuer and other Parisian artists, each with a signature style. Every issue came with two or three separate plates. These showed a wide variety of fashionable apparel, from elegant evening attire to outdoor outfits. A brief caption provides the name of the garment and the material from which it was made, but never the name of a fashion house.', 'The Journal de Dames et des Modes was marketed towards the affluent, sophisticated elite. The text consisted of literary contributions and articles on various topics written by leading Parisian literati. The fashion commentaries discussed the full spectrum of new trends, such as ‘strolling bareheaded by motorcar,’ matching the colour of one’s dress to that of one’s automobile, the impracticality of small umbrellas, the wearing of sky-blue and grass-green wigs, and the vogue among women for large flat hats or for the small toques adorned with feathers that projected from their foreheads like antennae.']