Dress c. 1938

Hans Mangelsdorf painted these two gowns in watercolour, and I imagine him delicately layering washes of color to create their forms. I find myself immediately drawn to the contrast between the two dresses – the rich, saturated red of one against the ghostly white of the other. The red one feels like a passionate declaration, all draped ribbon and lacy black trim. The white one is more of a whisper, a fragile memory of innocence and purity. It's interesting how they face opposite directions, as if they are either coming or going. I want to know more about their wearers! I wonder if Mangelsdorf was thinking about the passage of time, the changing roles of women in society, or perhaps just the changing fashions of the day. It’s all here, isn't it? The relationship between color, form, and meaning that keeps us painters in constant conversation.