L’amant poète. ; Écosse XIXe siècle 1923

This print, L’amant poète, was made by George Barbier in the 19th century in Scotland, and it’s like stepping into a dream. Barbier lays down these flat, decorative colors, bounded by these clear, crisp lines, and you just know that process is everything to him. The surface is smooth, almost like a page from a storybook, but it's the colors that grab me. All those soft blues and pinks, and how they play off the sharper blacks, creating a world that's both gentle and a bit mysterious. Take a look at the way he renders the tartan. Each square so deliberately placed, a little world in itself, full of complexity. This piece reminds me of Erte, another artist who was thinking about theatre, costume and design. With Barbier, like Erte, it's not just about the image, it's the whole concept, inviting you to imagine all sorts of stories, to embrace the ambiguity and let your mind wander.