Paris 24 04-07-24, 2024

Corné Akkers  

100 Years of Art Deco

This pastel drawing, Paris 24 – 05-07-24, celebrates 100 years of Art Deco. I consider this the last true aesthetic artistic style humankind has been able to forge. Before I delve deeper into this bold statement, let me first tell you about the underlying intentions.

Last Wednesday, I rode my bike to Brugman Art, where I rent my studio. After a week of tedious website maintenance, I was a bit fed up with it. So, why not set off for a quick under-one-hour sketch like I did during the last live model session? On a whim, I delved into my folder of reference pictures stored on my iPad.

That's when I stumbled upon a beautiful reference photo taken by Alfred Cheney Johnston. It’s part of the famous Ziegfeld Follies series.

Ziegfeld Follies

Back in 2011, I based a couple of pastel drawings on them for the first time. I had stored this particular photo on my computer to look at it later and see what I could do with it. Initially, I thought these pictures were taken in Paris. However, I recently found out they were actually shot in the U.S. It doesn't really matter. The idea of doing a Parisian-themed piece had already taken root in my mind.

As it turns out, producer Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. was also inspired by the Folies Bergère. Therefore, the link with Paris is not illogical.

Chain of Ideas

As I progressed, I saw the potential to do more than just a sketch. Lately, I tend to include more narrative elements in my work, as I did in Venus Lamenting – 14-06-24. Nothing is more tedious than merely copying a reference photo. It’s all about adding value, don’t you think?

Then, a chain of ideas came to mind. The 2024 Summer Olympics was one of them. Coincidentally, Paris also hosted the Jeux Olympiques d’Été in 1924 — another reason to incorporate Paris. Hence, I decided to reference this event in my pastel.

A woman like this as the main theme naturally evokes comparisons to a goddess or patron saint.

Geneviève de Paris

Then I remembered the story of Geneviève de Paris, who protected Paris from the Huns in 451. Her sarcophagus lies in the Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont de Paris.

When I looked at the reference photo, I noticed some lovely rosette-like structures — they looked very Art Deco. Almost too good to be true. I decided to incorporate them into the upper part of the composition.

Thus, all these ideas fused into something akin to a decorative poster — very much in the spirit of the Art Deco era.

Bits and Bobs

A few things bothered me, though. For example, I left out the necklace from the original reference because I found it unnecessarily opulent. Also, I didn’t strive for an exact resemblance to the model’s face. Instead, she turned into a sort of Elckerlijc figure — she could be any beautiful woman, really, but especially one Renoir would have loved to depict.

Once, I had a girlfriend in France who looked like she had stepped right out of one of Renoir’s paintings. Her bonny face and pouty lips served as an inspirational source. While the drawing doesn’t truly resemble her, it’s perhaps a little homage to Renoir’s idea of the Parisian woman.

Final Thought

To conclude this artistic statement: Geneviève will protect Paris from the Huns once again this summer.