['Journal des Dames et des Modes: the Fashion Illustrators', 'Journal des Dames et des Modes: Fashion News'] by Charles Martin

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

0:00

print, watercolor

portrait

art-nouveau

print

pastel colours

figuration

watercolor

watercolour illustration

watercolor

Dimensions: height 174 mm, width 107 mm

This fashion plate, ‘Journal des Dames et des Modes,’ was made by Charles Martin. The print has a very precise application of color, almost like stencils, blocking out areas to create distinct forms. It’s like a coloring book that’s already been filled in, emphasizing shape and flatness. I find myself focusing on the figure’s blue suit, and the way it holds the image together. It is such a strong colour, and feels like a modern monochrome painting. The figure seems almost carved out of the black ground of the print, with just a simple stroke of white defining its edges. You can see how the artist used the texture of the paper to add depth. Martin’s approach here reminds me of Matisse, another artist who understood the power of flat shapes and bold colors. Like many images of this period, there's something both old-fashioned and very modern about it, making us question what we think of as new or innovative in art.

Comments

rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

⋮

['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.']