Gazette du Bon Ton, 1920 - No. 7, Pl. 54: Les deux soeurs / Manteau et robe pour le soir, de Beer 1920

Mario Simon made this illustration, Gazette du Bon Ton, in 1920. The forms are softly rendered and the colors are muted. I can imagine the artist laying down thin layers of translucent ink, letting them dry, then adding another. There's something really charming about the way the artist chose to depict these two women. They aren’t flashy or particularly provocative, despite the risqué fashions. The woman on the left is almost swallowed up by her huge, green cloak, and appears slightly withdrawn. Her sister, or friend, on the right, is more exposed, yet stands with a quiet self-assurance. I feel as though I'm meeting two different temperaments, and wonder how the artist might identify with each of them. I think of Vuillard and Bonnard, who also rendered the domestic interiors with a similar intimacy, interested in the daily lives of women and the clothes they wore. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, don't you think?