Robe de taffetas 1913

George Barbier made this print titled, Robe de taffetas, the printmaking feels like a process, it's like he's revealing something layer by layer. The taffeta robe is a kind of dance of grey and silver; you can almost feel the way the light would catch on it. And the willow branches – aren't they just beautifully melancholic? It's got a strange balance of flat areas of colour, especially in the indigo lake, and the slightly more modelled surfaces of the dress. I’m drawn to the texture of those leaves. They have this crisp, repetitive quality that reminds me of textile design and the way patterns can both reveal and conceal. There is something haunting and wistful, like a silent film. Barbier reminds me a little of Erté, another master of the decorative arts. Both knew how to marry fashion, illustration, and a touch of the surreal. Ultimately, this print revels in the beauty of artifice and the power of suggestion.