Bebe Coreen En Costume De Ceremonie. Seoul 1934

Paul Jacoulet’s woodblock print depicts a Korean child in ceremonial dress, likely made sometime in the mid-20th century. Jacoulet really knew how to play with color. The way he lays down these stripes of the rainbow, right next to each other! It's like he's challenging the eye, making it work to separate each hue. The surface is flat, typical of woodblock prints, but look closer, and you can sense the layers. The pale blue robe with the geometric design, juxtaposed with these flashes of pink and lavender. Jacoulet’s not aiming for realism here, it’s more of an emotional landscape. Check out that little sprig of red leaves! Tucked down there, almost hidden, and so meticulously rendered. Jacoulet reminds me of the Vienna Secessionists, Klimt and Schiele, who took inspiration from Japanese prints. But where the Secessionists were often about angst, Jacoulet is more playful, with a similar interest in pattern and the decorative. Ultimately, this print shows us how art is a conversation, a dance across time and cultures.