Dressing Gown by Gerda Wegener

This fascinating watercolor signed by the famous artist Gerda Wegener, entitled “Dressing Gown”, perfectly embodies the spirit of emancipation and exoticism of the Art Deco period. The painting features a modern woman with an assertive style, visually interacting with an exotic animal. Through this bold composition, the painter celebrates the figure of the flapper, the ultimate symbol of female freedom and avant-garde elegance of the Roaring Twenties.

The female silhouette stands, dressed in a long, loose dress with yellow, blue, and white vertical stripes. Her white collar is closed by a circular silver medallion. She sports a very structured short black haircut, typical of the era, and looks at the viewer with an enigmatic smile. Her slender legs end in black pumps adorned with geometric crisscross laces. To her left, a large macaw parrot with royal blue and golden yellow feathers is perched on a metal stand equipped with a thin chain. The minimalist grey floor and plain background highlight the striking contrast between the woman and the bird.

The work demonstrates the painter’s exceptional mastery of line and chromatic contrast. Her ability to combine the rigor of geometric patterns with the liveliness of the bird’s organic colors bears witness to a great technical genius and absolute graphic modernity.