Les Douze Mois de l'Année: Vendémiaire 1919

Editor: Here we have Marthe Romme's "Vendémiaire" from 1919, a striking print rendered in the Art Deco style. The figure is so stylized, almost like a fashion plate, and I’m immediately drawn to the checkerboard pattern of her dress. How do you interpret this work, especially within its historical context? Curator: Well, given Romme’s time, and this work representing "Vendémiaire"—the month of the grape harvest in the French Republican Calendar—it's hard not to read it through a lens of both celebration and reclamation. France, recovering from the devastation of World War I, would be looking back to symbols of national identity and prosperity. What might the deliberate choice of the Republican Calendar—created in the wake of the French Revolution—suggest to you? Editor: That's fascinating. It makes me think of rejecting old norms. The grapes, the harvest… it’s a very intentional revival of revolutionary ideals, like a renewed sense of self. Curator: Precisely! And the Art Deco style itself, with its clean lines and stylized forms, signifies a break from the past. This piece subtly pushes against conservative expectations while aligning with the new social freedoms experienced particularly by women in the 1920's. What connections can we make, in your view, between art of this period, new social opportunities for women, and political identity? Editor: That makes perfect sense. Viewing this through a social lens highlights the subtle rebellion, a quiet yet assertive statement within the elegant aesthetics of the time. I never thought of Art Deco carrying so much political charge! Curator: Exactly. It’s in understanding these contextual layers that we really start to understand what artists like Romme were communicating. Editor: Thank you. I now have a completely different perspective on what initially appeared to be simply an illustration.