SARAH BARTLETT

SARAH BARTLETT

Artist & Illustrator

of elegance and the enigmatic

Les Elegantes: art inspired by Parisian fashion from the belle epoque to the mid twentieth century

I lived and worked in France for many years, where I was inspired by the fashion and beauty of the Parisian elegantes, a term used to describe not only high society fashionistas, but muses, actresses and courtesans of the first half of the twentieth century.

“Les elegantes’ often led a bohemian or beau monde lifestyle, and as such these influencers helped fashion to become an artistic genre in itself. This was a time when art was life, and life was an art to be lived.

This eclectic circle met in fashionable bars and cafes, and among other things, expounded the qualities of graceful insouciance and bewitching elegance. Les elegantes were often seen at cinq a sept cafes, where between the hours of work and play, some would sip aperos as they waited for a rich suitor to take them to dinner, while others might engage in a lover’s tryst.

The fashion designers and couturiers (such as Poiret, Worth, Vionnet, Lanvin, Patou and Chanel) who dressed and perfumed many of these women, were among the leading dramatis personae of this chic Paris society, and it is to all these creators and those who lived and breathed their art, that my paintings are a tribute.

Thank you too for looking at my work, and I hope ‘les elegantes’ who once adorned the boulevards, bistros, bars and cafes of Paris, will also enchant your space with their presence.

My collection of original paintings, les elegantes, is also available as limited edition (100 each) A3 (29.7 x 42 cm) art prints on acid-free 200 gsm archive paper, numbered and signed with a certificate of authenticity.

If you are interested in acquiring either an affordable limited edition print or the original gouache painting and would like pricing and shipping details, please get in touch with me via the contact page.

Please also take a look at sarahbartlettbooks.co.uk where you can find a selection of my non-fiction titles.

Blessings and let the light of the universe shine through you every day.