The Boston Sunday herald c. 1890 - 1920

This is Will Bradley’s poster for the Boston Sunday Herald. You can see an art nouveau approach to colour and form, with its decorative qualities. The flat colours give it a feeling of almost being cut out, like a collage. You know I love that! The woman's dress has these rhythmic parallel lines, which are so simple yet so expressive. The curves give a beautiful sense of volume. The mark-making suggests a process of layering. The textures are so smooth and tactile, they invite you to feel the surface and imagine the hand that created it. I love the way Bradley uses the circular frame to contain the figure. She’s holding a book, so it seems as if she’s the reader and the main audience for the Boston Sunday Herald. It makes me think of how artists like Toulouse-Lautrec used similar techniques to capture the energy of Parisian nightlife. Art is just one big conversation. So next time you're looking at art, remember, it's not just about what you see, but how it makes you feel.