Très Parisien, 1925, No. 6, Pl. 17.- SIMPLICITÉ

This fashion plate, "Très Parisien" from 1925, by G-P. Joumard, is made of paint on paper. It’s like a whisper of a drawing, isn’t it? The palette is beautifully muted; the pinks and greens are so gentle they're almost not there, and the rendering is so economical. The artist’s process feels very present in the mark making. Look closely at how the dress is rendered. The pattern is created by a series of small strokes, almost like the cross-hatching you find in printmaking, suggesting the texture of the fabric through visual cues. It's a lesson in the power of suggestion, the way that a few simple lines can convey so much. You see the influence of artists like Matisse, in the reduction of form to its most essential elements, and in the way that color is used not just to describe but to evoke a mood. It’s more about feeling than about accuracy. That’s what good art does, it makes you feel something.