Mirabilia
Marvels of style, textile design and fashion through the eyes of a historian
Continuing to explore my love of past styles, I was particularly inspired by an exhibition I attended at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Lucky for me I managed to see it in its final days. It was a source of wonder which was a continution of the time I saw a similar exhibition in Croatia two years ago.
Few things can transport you in time so much as seeing a fully robbed mannequin standing in front of you, its clothes and ornaments sparkling with contemplative and playful jazz in the background. The highlights include original covers for Vogue magazine (as pictured below) and black and white images by Edward Steichen.
ART DECO
Art Nouveau
A description of my favourite presented photograph said that the model in question did not need to be told what 'look' was required for the scene but immediately adjusted her character appropriately. It was a reminder that Art Deco fashion, despite being the forerunner of much of todays fashion, required open minded and strong willed personalities. I tried to capture those characteristics in my own works by using my favourite mixed media technique which I find suited to the stylish forms of the Art Deco style. Have a look at them in the gallery below.
For my first post I think it is appropriate I begin with my favourite art style which has been my greatest inspiration throughout the years. During my secondary school for textiles and fashion design I was deeply attracted to the style of Gustav Klimt. What I loved about this style of art and fashion was how it seemed to radiate feminity; the see-through layers of colours like glass, the gentle mozaic patterns and elaborate flowers provided me with an endless source of inspiration that hasn't left me to this day. That is why I am starting it all with a potrait that symbolizes what Art Nouveau means to me. It is more a search for transcendental and effortless beauty then simply a style one prescribes to.
As it is evident from the pictures below, Art Nouveau is a style that always catches my eye. The pictures were taken during my first trip to Australia when I accidentaly stumbled upon these in the back streets of Melbourne. What I adore is how this style can be so familiar and traditional yet so revolutionary and modern at the same time...