Tennis 

This bold image, simply titled 'Tennis', is by the artist Erte. Its flat planes of colour and stylized representation, were probably achieved through the process of pochoir, a type of stenciling. Pochoir was a popular method in the early 20th century to reproduce high-end fashion illustrations. This labor-intensive technique involved skilled artisans hand-applying layers of gouache or watercolor through metal stencils. The result was a print that closely resembled an original painting, with vibrant colours and crisp lines, perfectly suiting the Art Deco aesthetic Erte was known for. The visual impact of this particular image comes from the sharp contrast of the flat orange background with the details of the tennis racket and the stylized figure of the tennis player. The choice of bright, bold hues is indicative of Erte's background in costume and set design, where theatricality and visual impact were essential. So, next time you see a print from this era, remember that it is not just an image, but the result of an intricate, highly skilled craft tradition.