Fashion As Art

I find it interesting to read about the history of fashion and the first designers. Taking a look at the history of fashion design one might begin in the 1840s with the first grand couturiers.

WORTH
Charles Frederick Worth was the first to put his signature on clothes and used his ideas of feminine beauty to influence the beauty of women. Worth was also the first person to apply an artist’s standards to the design and construction of a dress.

POIRET
Paul Poiret, known for his simplistic designs, was one of the first to use bold prints for not only cushions, curtains, wall coverings but articles of clothing. He was also known for the exotic style and he also experimented with Oriental themes.

LAVIN
Lavin is one of the oldest fashion houses in Paris. It is believed that Jeanne Lavin’s sense of color and pattern evolved from an admiration of artists Vuillard, Renoir and Fantin-Latour. Lavin is credited to being the first designer to dress whole families. She designed children’s clothing and hats and opened a men’s division.

The look of fashion changed dramatically in the 60’s. We all wanted to look young and the fashion designers answered the call. After the death of Christian Dior a new couture was established. The pioneer for this new movement was Rudi Gernreich. Gernreich and his peers experimented with materials not usually associated with fashion.

If you would like to read more about fashion as art you can find art books, art catalogs and magazine back issues at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.


www.nellasbooksandcollectibles.ecrater.com

The Arts and Crafts of Jewelry

As my interest in making jewelry evolves, I have recently discovered the metalwork artist, Janet Payne Bowles. Bowles lived during the time the Arts and Crafts Movement in America was just beginning. Born in the late 1800’s, Janet Payne Bowles was influenced by William Morris and became a leading figure of the Arts and Crafts movement in Indianapolis.


Bowles taught a basic metal course at a high school in Indianapolis in 1912. She later taught advanced classes. Her classes were both vocational and educational. The classes were divided into three parts: design, construction (including mechanical processes) and art appreciation. The students started with simple things like rings and stickpins and then advanced to more complex items.

Bowles traveled extensively and received many awards for her work. Her work has been exhibited in several cities. As her skills grew she moved from small pieces of jewelry to large pieces of wrought iron metalwork. Precision and detail was included in each piece that she created. Unfortunately, she did not receive the great financial rewards one would expect from her work. Payne Bowles lived during the time that mass production was on the rise and handmade items were not as popular to the general public.

You can read more about this artist in the book, The Arts & Crafts Metalwork of Janet Payne Bowles. You will find this exhibition catalog along with others at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.



www.nellasbooksandcollectibles.ecrater.com

Discovering Picasso

I just read about a large number of Picasso paintings recently being discovered. I believe they total 271 in all. From what is currently known about the collection, the work seems to be authentic. Of course, the experts will have to examine the work and make the final decision.

This could be a major discovery because a Picasso anything is worth a great deal. This is exciting news for the art world. The discovery provides an opportunity like no other to learn more about Picasso. This will undoubtedly provide a lot of fuel for the art historians and biographers. Many writers love to uncover something new and different about a famous individual--especially one who has been written about so much.

Over the years there have been numerous books written about the artist known as the “King of Modern Art”. I will patiently wait to see what comes of this new discovery. It will be interesting to see if there is more to learn about this great artist whose work is so biographical.

You can find books on Picasso and other artists at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.

www.nellasbooksandcollectibles.ecrater.com