Toujours Chic Les Robes, Hiver 1921-1922: Rustique 1921 - 1922

Curator: Standing before us is "Toujours Chic Les Robes, Hiver 1921-1922: Rustique" by G-P. Joumard, likely executed between 1921 and 1922. It’s currently part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, crafted using ink and possibly watercolour, on paper. Editor: My first thought? Nostalgia, but with a melancholic whisper. The soft blues and earth tones create a subdued palette; it’s charming and oddly...isolated, don't you think? Like a pressed flower. Curator: Indeed. Notice how Joumard utilizes clean, deliberate lines contrasted with areas left sparsely detailed? The geometry of the dress's lower grid offers a grounded structure while the free-flowing vertical strokes add fluidity and suggest movement, almost like rain trickling down a window. The artist masterfully plays with balance here. Editor: Absolutely! That grounding is so necessary! I feel she might just float off the page with those charming little puff sleeves. It's curious how the “Rustique” aspect contrasts with the urban modernity the silhouette suggests. I wonder, what might "Rustique" even mean in the context of winter fashion? Is it the fabric or some color of it that implies country life? Curator: It's possible. The term suggests simplicity, perhaps even a handcrafted quality amidst the sleek lines typical of Art Nouveau, the red embroidery lends an immediate cozy aspect. In a way, Joumard hints at the intersection of nature and urbanity; rustic charm attempting to temper, or even refine, the geometric abstraction defining early 20th-century fashion plates. It's clever how the shadowing gives the two dimensionality volume as well. Editor: I see that intersection, I really do. Now, considering the "Toujours Chic" part of the title - the always chic element, where the modernity lies...I find this sketch more than just a record of garments. I am now beginning to think that Joumard asks: What does “always fashionable” even signify amidst societal shifts? Can an understated "rustic" theme transcend temporal trends, still be very contemporary? The longer I ponder it, the cleverer the work gets. Curator: I concur. And how this artist balances suggestion with definition, line and empty space – such attention to detail! I depart thinking that perhaps ‘Rustique’ signals a quest to locate eternal style amidst fleeting vogue… Editor: To find timeless beauty by anchoring fleeting fashions in a deeper rooted sensibility, precisely! I am forever captivated by its thoughtful contradictions. Thank you.