Symphonie automnale ; Manteau, et Robe d’après-midi, de Worth 1922

George Barbier made this illustration in 1922 in the Art Deco style, with flat planes of colour and a focus on line. The lady with the dog feels like a fashion plate, right? I like to imagine Barbier at his drawing board, carefully laying down these lines to define the figures and forms, making tiny adjustments to capture the elegance of the era. Those clean lines, that simplified colour palette—so different from Impressionism. It's like he’s distilling the world down to its most stylish essence. I bet he spent hours considering what would look good in print. What would catch the eye in a magazine? How could he make an image that felt both modern and timeless? You can see echoes of artists like Erté, who were similarly obsessed with capturing the glamour of the Jazz Age. It’s all about creating a world of beauty and sophistication.