Le Bonheur du Jour ou Les Graces à la Mode: L'Arc-en-Ciel. 1920

Henri Reidel made “Le Bonheur du Jour ou Les Graces à la Mode: L'Arc-en-Ciel” using printmaking techniques. The colours are so soft they almost melt into one another, with the pastel rainbow arcing gracefully in the background. It makes me think, what was Reidel thinking as they laid down each of those fine lines? The precision and detail suggest a real labor of love. I see them carefully planning the composition, maybe even fretting over the placement of each raindrop. The way they’ve rendered the figures with such elegance reminds me of Erté, but with a gentler touch. There’s a quiet beauty here, a celebration of nature's ephemeral moments. You see how artists build on the past, learn from one another, and then push things forward, making something new. It’s a beautiful thing to witness, whether you're the artist or the viewer.