Le Modèle Intéressant 1922 - 1926

George Barbier made “Le Modèle Intéressant” sometime in the early 20th century. It's like a little stage set with this artist, his model, and a backdrop of neoclassical romance. The colors are these soft, almost pastel washes, giving the whole scene a dreamy, slightly unreal feel. Look at the artist, perched so carefully on his stool, palette in hand. He seems to float more than sit, doesn't he? The way the washes of color bleed into each other, it's like Barbier is letting the paint do its thing. The whole piece has this open, airy quality, like a conversation that’s just getting started. The scene is infused with a sense of possibility, hinting at the fluidity of identity and the endless potential for reinvention. It makes me think of Erté, another artist who captured that Art Deco spirit, but with a bit more polish. Barbier, though, has this wonderful, casual looseness, a recognition that art is as much about the process as it is about the final image.