Artwork
Douglas
Douglas is a drawing by Carven. It dates from 1955 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1955 by the artist known as Carven, “Douglas” is an image held in the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. The work presents a single figure—a woman—rendered in profile with a raised right hand. Rendered in a restrained, linear manner, the drawing emphasizes silhouette and gesture over elaborate background.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is dressed in a sleek black ensemble, complete with a high‑necked garment, a belted waist, a hat, and slender heels. Her posture, with the hand poised near the face, suggests a moment of contemplation or poised elegance, inviting viewers to consider notions of fashion, poise, and the social codes of mid‑century femininity.
Technique & Style
Carven employs a minimalist approach, using clean, unembellished lines that define the outline of the subject. The drawing relies on subtle cross‑hatching and stippling to suggest form and texture without overwhelming detail, creating a crisp, graphic quality that foregrounds the figure’s silhouette and attire.
History & Provenance
The work dates to the mid‑1950s, a period when Carven’s practice often explored fashion‑related themes through drawing. “Douglas” entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains part of the institution’s representation of mid‑twentieth‑century visual culture.
Artist & collection
Artist
These delicate ink-on-paper drawings capture the quiet poetry of everyday things: pinecones, reeds, apples.
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
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