Here and Now: April 2009

Renaissance

The Birth of Venus by Botticelli in 1482 is one of my absolute favorite Renaissance Paintings. The Renaissance's rebirth of Humanism is so eloquently depicted in Botticelli's painting(s). The fluidity and preciceness of the lines, colors and textures can be seen in both Botticelli's painting and in the garments of this time period.

These images were adopted from: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/botticelli/botticelli.venus.jpg and http://www.costumes.org/history/racinet/racinetitalianrenaiss.jpg.

Baroque

Baroque fashions were as extravagant as the relationship between the religious and political upheavals during the 17th Century as well as the art and architecture. There were many religious paintings during this time period, however, through the use of specific colors you can definitely feel the mood of this era. The first image is called the "Death of the Virgin," by Carvaggio in 1606 that is now at the Louvre in Paris and the second image is of Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria by Peter Paul Rubens, 1606.

These images were adopted from: http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/c/caravagg/07/index.html and http://www.marquise.de/en/1600/pics/index.shtml.

Victorian Gothic

"The Gothic Revival had developed from the 18th century, and was boosted in the 19th by the chivalric writings of Sir Walter Scott, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Thomas Love Peacock. In a period of industrialization there was a new generation of nouveaux riches, self-made industrialists, boastful of their success, who in the architecture of their houses advertised their achievements in tangible form. Many favored the mock Gothic style as a romantic fantasy that implied ancient lineage." (http://www.buffaloah.com/a/archsty/gothic/#Br) This Gothic Revival inspired fashion very distinctly with elaborately designed bustled gowns, corsets, top hats, walking sticks etc. and the use of ornate embroidery.

These images were adopted from: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/19thc/albert02.jpg and http://www.artofadornment.ca/webring.htm.

Art Nouveau

The Art Nouveau movement dominated the late 19th Century and early 20th Century throughout Europe and the United States. Art Nouveau was a decorative arts movement which combined both artificial elements as well as nature's organic forms. One designer inspired by this art movement was French designer, Paul Poiret. Poiret's innovative designs incorporated a lot of rich and exotic detailing and fabrics similar to the main ideas of this movement. The first image is a painting by Gustav Klimt called "Nuda Veritas" in 1899 and the second image is of Daisy Irving in a two-tier "lampshade" dress by Poiret in 1910, free of of any bustling and corsets.

These images were adopted from: http://www.practicalpainting.com/Articles/ArtNouveau/Klimt001.htm and http://farm1.static.flickr.com/94/256647717_be9d930ec7.jpg

Surrealism

During the 1920s through the 1940s, Italian-born, French designer, Elsa Schiaparelli changed fashion history when taking inspiration from and collaborating with Surrealist artists. The Surrealist works feature the element of surprise and unexpected juxtapositions, according to Wikipedia, and these elements were very prevalent in Schiaparelli's designs. One of the most prominent Surrealist artists of that time period was Salvador Dali. In this image you see Dali's "Lobster Telephone" from 1936, which inspired Schiaparelli's "Lobster Print Dress" in 1937.

These images were adopted from: http://www.thorninpaw.com/u/htdocs/thorni/image/2607.jpg and http://pics.livejournal.com/unohow2whistle/pic/000356fe/s320x240.