The Fashion Magazine as Temptress 1925

This is G-P. Joumard’s magazine cover, “The Fashion Magazine as Temptress,” a vision of Parisian chic made with ink and gouache. Look at the way Joumard uses these flat washes of color, like the blue of her coat. It's almost like a stage set, right? Nothing too fussy, just enough to suggest a world of leisure and style. The magazine cover is like a sketch of an idea. Gouache can be unforgiving, yet Joumard uses it here with such ease. The fur trim around the coat seems to dance off the page. I love how the dog looks equally nonchalant, blending into the overall scene. It’s a great example of capturing a mood with minimal detail, the artist trusts the viewer to meet them halfway. Think about how artists like Erté were also capturing this moment in time, but with a different kind of glamour, and how both were feeding into the dreams and desires of their audience. Joumard’s image reminds us that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the viewer, and the world around us.