N’ayez pas peur, petite ! ; Écosse XVIIIe siècle 1923

George Barbier made this illustration, "N’ayez pas peur, petite !," sometime in the 20th century. It's a scene from 18th century Scotland, rendered in an Art Deco style, where flat, bright colours create a sense of stylised elegance. The colours are light and airy, like cotton candy, and the lines are so precise, almost machine-made. But that's what gives it its charm! Everything looks so neat and controlled, but then you notice the weird, almost cartoonish waves at the bottom, and it's like, oh yeah, this is handmade. It reminds me of Erte, with that similar commitment to decorative splendour. But there's also something very contemporary about the way Barbier flattens everything out, reducing figures to patterned surfaces. It’s like he’s playing with our expectations of depth and perspective, turning people into chic, fashionable objects. A reminder that art is not just about representing the world, but also about creating new ways of seeing it.