ART HISTORY HALLOWEEN: Femme au chapeau

Happy Halloween!

My costume this year was inspired by Henri Matisse's Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat), 1905, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  I've always been fascinated by this painting for its riotous colors, and it was actually one of the first artworks to be classified as "Fauvist".  

It is a portrait of Matisse's wife, Amélie, who was a hat-maker.  What a fun challenge to recreate the gorgeous topper depicted in this painting!  

I used hand-painted paper, which I cramped and attached to a painted hat.  I painted the blouse as well, and the backdrop.  My friend Kathy helped me with the makeup and took the photos.  It was so much fun to bring one of my favorite paintings to life!

Have you worn an art-inspired Halloween costume?  I'd love to see it!

LA GERBE

"Another word for creativity is courage." -Henri Matisse

My love of Henri Matisse has been a constant throughout most of my life, and my own work has been inspired by his many times.  However, it wasn’t until last year that I gained the courage to create a garment inspired by one of my favorite Matisse works: La Gerbe.  It was surprisingly intimidating to embark on a project inspired by an artist and a work that I so greatly revered.  I spent months visualizing how I would portray my own interpretation of La Gerbe, and the entire process, from conception through creation, lasted about six months. 

Over the weekend, the two finally came together at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  I planned to meet an old art school friend, Rose Lawrence, at the museum, and I waited for her outside in the LA sunshine, wearing my masterpiece jacket.  When I saw her approaching from a distance, I couldn’t believe my eyes – she was wearing a hand-painted dress she had made, inspired by La Gerbe! I was overwhelmed and incredulous.  After hugging and laughing and hugging again, we went inside to meet our match, arm in arm.  I can hardly describe how much joy it brought me to bask in the presence of La Gerbe along with another kindred spirit.  It was like three generations coming together – La Gerbe, my jacket inspired by the piece, and Rose’s dress inspired by my jacket inspired by La Gerbe.  It was fun to see the museumgoers’ reactions to our outfits in front of the grand artwork, and to answer questions about how we made our respective garments.

In my study of Matisse, I’ve found that I relate to many of his artistic sensibilities, have experienced some of the same struggles, and am working toward many of the same goals.  I uncovered a similar affinity when reconnecting with Rose, an entrepreneur and creative genius in her own way. Not only did I learn that she valued and connected with my artistic passion, but that we also experienced many of the same challenges and triumphs in our respective endeavors.  Matisse said that, “Another word for creativity is courage”, and this truth has revealed itself more and more to me. As I continue to pursue my artistic endeavors and understand and appreciate more deeply the passions of my friends, I've learned that it takes not only courage, but endurance and determination to follow your passion, and I believe Matisse would be glad that we did.

Photos by myself, Rose Lawrence, and Myra Hassaram.

You can find Rose's fabulous company Red Bread here.

THERE ARE ALWAYS FLOWERS

When late winter seems to drag on, it is unbelievably exhilarating to find inspiration in the form of brightly-colored flowers on a dreary February day in the city.  I've spoken before of the link between color and emotion, which is undeniably apparent in the work of Henri Matisse (1869-1954), one of my constant sources of inspiration.

For this look in particular, I was inspired by the color combination used so very frequently in his works, the contrast of purple and yellow.

Matisse's use of these highly saturated, straight-from-the tube hues (a movement known as Fauvism during the first decade of the 20th century) characterizes his entire oeuvre, and inspired a league of artists who followed in his footsteps.

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." 

--Henri Matisse

View my previous Matisse posts here, here, here, and here.

I'm wearing a vintage dress and belt, Topshop tights, leather boots from Joe Fresh, a Burberry trench, and a leather Dooney & Bourke tote.

These photos were taken by my friend Meri, who suggested this lovely flower shop on 28th Street as a backdrop.

I've extended the deadline to enter my recent giveaway of a beautiful red Shabby Apple dress!  View the post here.

[Matisse images from painting-box.com, and princetonol.com, wikipaintings.org, famouspainters.org, respectively.]

BOOOOOOOM REMAKE

Sacramento recently alerted me to this inspiring remake project happening on Booooooom.  Above are a few of my favorites.  I also noted the multiple versions of Man in a Red Turban.

View the updated gallery or submit your own here.

[Matisse's Femme au Chapeau by Stella Vula, van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles by Joshua Louis Simon, and Renoir's Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary by Marianna Oboeva.]

FEMME AU CHAPEAU

If I had to choose one artist whose work I could live with for the rest of my life, it would undoubtably be Henri Matisse. His body of work features such a wide range of styles, but he always stayed true to what he viewed as the most important aspect--color.

For this ensemble, I was inspired by my very favorite Matisse painting--Femme au Chapeau or Woman with Hat, 1905.

When the painting, a portrait of Matisse's wife, Amélie, was exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1905, the color scheme caused an outrage.

Another painting of his wife, Madame Matisse ("The Green Line"), 1912, shows Matisse's further exploration of abstraction without any loss of color.

In yet another portrait of his wife, also from 1912, the face becomes strictly a portrait of black and white value. I've always found it interesting to see the variations in the ways Matisse portrayed the same subject--in this case, Amélie Matisse.

Click here to read a provocative article from the Smithsonian magazine on the importance of models, including Amélie, to the ouevre of Matisse.

Originally inspired by Woman with Hat, I combined a bright blouse and hat in the colors of Matisse's painting. I added the green bag as a nod to The Green Line, and denim to reflect the cool blues of the final portrait of Amélie.

I'm wearing a Zac Posen for Target blouse, BCBG hat, Cheap Monday jeans, Castaner wedges, my mother's vintage frog belt, and a Marc by Marc Jacobs leather tote.

[Matisse photos from tysonrobichaudphotography.files.wordpress.com, artchooser.com, and hibiscusguesthousechingola.com, respectively.]

Hau' oli lā hānau

Aloha!

I am currently writing from the island of O'ahu, where I've been enjoying lovely sun and sand for the past week, spending time with my best friend from middle school and making my birthday last as long as possible.

I've enjoyed experiencing Hawaiian culture, particularly local art and style. Though Hawaiians are exceedingly laid back, and greet every day with a shaka, I've adored the bright colors of local artists and designers, which reflect the surroundings so perfectly.

Though I've enjoyed the local art, I can't help but think of my very favorite artist, Henri Matisse. His cut outs are some of my favorite works, and I think they really relate to the mood of the islands.

I shared here that, after a lifetime of painting, Matisse turned to producing paper collages when he was bedridden and could no longer wield a paintbrush.

The bold, bright colors of these works, and themes of nature and jubilation encapsulate my experience of the island aesthetic.

I wore this outfit to my birthday luau at Germaine's in Honolulu, where I learned how to hula dance and that I don't like poi. Hau' oli lā hānau means "Happy Birthday" in Hawaiian.

I'm wearing a silk Diane von Furstenberg maxi dress, Miss Trish of Capri leather seahorse sandals, and a fresh orchid lei.

Thank you to the lovely Jessica Vandagriff for taking these photos!

[Matisse images from archimuse.com, redyellowbluemakeyou.blogspot.com, and madamepickwickartblog.com, respectively.]

CASUAL FRIDAY

Happy Friday, all!

After this morning's session of Art Lovers' Yoga, I was motivated to post another Matisse-inspired outfit. As one of my favorite artists of all time, Matisse is bound to appear on this blog with some frequency.

The print of this sweater reminds me of Matisse's late work, the cutouts. As I mentioned before, when the artist was bedridden, he relied on cutting shapes out of colored paper and pasting them down to express his artistic vision.

I've always found the cutouts to be extremely powerful for their simplicity and visual dynamics.

Here is an installation shot I captured on a recent visit to the National Gallery:

Isn't it hard to believe that Matisse created masterpieces like this on his death bed?

I decided to pair my Matisse sweater with this necklace which was a recent acquisition. I have a weakness for neon in my wardrobe (case in point), and I think it complements the sweater quite well! To complete the look, I added my favorite jeans and leather mules.

I'm wearing a Twinkle by Wenlan sweater, PRPS jeans, necklace from H&M, and Marni shoes.

Have a great weekend!

[Matisse images from henri-matisse.net, habit-of-art.blogspot.com, and picasaweb.com, respectively.]