Gazette du Bon Ton, 1920 - No. 8, Pl. 58: "Jamais prêtes!" / ou / Le premier acte sacrifie / Robes de chez soi, de Becker et fils 1920

Charles Martin made this pochoir print, Gazette du Bon Ton, No. 8, Pl. 58: "Jamais prêtes!" in 1920. Martin’s approach to color and mark-making is so interesting, like a stripped-down version of painting that embraces the flatness of print. The color is thin, like a dye, but the way he uses it gives depth and volume to the figures. Take the purple robe, for example. It's one flat color, but the simple addition of a thin white trim makes it feel luxurious and weighty. And it's not just about color; it’s about the line. Look at the waiter's arm: it's so stylized, almost abstract, but it totally works! I think Martin is in conversation with someone like Erté. There is a similar playfulness and interest in fashion as a form of art. But in this work there’s a certain ambiguity about the relationship between image and text that keeps it from being a straightforward fashion plate. It's like he's asking questions about what it means to represent the world around us.