ART AND FASHION

When I met E.P. Cutler at a Fashion and Street Culture symposium in 2011, I was blown away by her knowledge of everything fashion related and sharp wit.  We've stayed in touch over the past few years, and I've watched her accomplish marvelous things as a writer (she published PANTONE on Fashion: A Century of Color in Design in 2014), and I couldn't be more excited to announce the release of her newest book, Art + Fashion: Collaborations and Connections Between Icons.  Combining my two favorite topics, the book covers every important fashion and art collaboration; from Cecil Beaton and Jackson Pollock, to Mary Katrantzou and John Chamberlain, to Prada and Elmgren + Dragset.  I can't think of another volume that better reflects my interests.  It brings me great joy just to leaf through the glossy pages at a compilation of so many beautiful and significant creations from the intersection of the two worlds I most love.

Congratulations to my dear friend Elizabeth.  You can buy the book here.

POLLOCK KRASNER HOUSE

After an enjoyable afternoon impersonating Pollock on the roof of my building, I was ready to make the trek to East Hampton to the Pollock Krasner House & Study Center. 

I’d been wanting to visit the historic place for at least ten years (probably as long as I’d known that it exists and is open to the public), so it was quite a treat to pile into a car with three of my friends and hit the road on a lovely autumn morning.  After about a 2.5 hour drive from Brooklyn, we pulled up to a wooden-shingled farmhouse in an absolutely beautiful setting with a view of the river and marshes.

After a warm reception from our very knowledgeable and hilarious tour guide, Myrna, we were welcomed into the barn, which had served as Jackson Pollock’s studio, and then Lee Krasner’s after his death.  After removing our shoes and donning foam slippers, we entered the space, which was filled with light, photographs, and ephemera from both of the artists’ careers.  It was truly overwhelming to walk through the space where Pollock had created such masterpieces as Autumn Rhythm.  The most poignant part of the experience was looking down on the paint drips and splatters, records of Pollock’s action painting practice and still completely intact.  You could even see outlines of specific paintings if you looked closely. 

After spending a long time in the studio, we took a tour of the house, which included the couple’s collection of books, records, and even their monogrammed suitcases.  As a fan of AbstractExpressionism, it was so interesting to see the chattels of two of the movement’s greatest members, and further understand and appreciate their relationship, both personally and creatively.

The Pollock Krasner House is closed during the winter, but reopens in the spring by appointment.

Dress: DIY (read here about how I did it)

Leather jacket: DKNY (also worn here, in my Pollock post from New Year's 2011!)

Scarf: Vintage

Tights: Hue

Boots: Zero + Maria Cornejo 'Aura' Bootie

Sunglasses: Alexander McQueen 'Blue Marble'

Photos of me by Micah Bozeman and Emily Hoerdemann and other photos by me.

ACTION PAINTING

Hans Namuth photograph of Jackson Pollock, 1950

Hans Namuth photograph of Jackson Pollock, 1950

Hans Namuth photograph of Jackson Pollock, 1950

It was a stunning fall day; the type of day which makes you feel guilty for doing anything but frolicking outdoors.  I'd been wanting to do an action painting project for a while, and with a visit to the Pollock Krasner House & Study Center upcoming, it was time to make something to wear.  After looking through countless photographs of Jackson Pollock creating his drip paintings (most of them taken by Hans Namuth ca. 1950), I was ready to embark on my own paint-flinging experience.

First, I found a dress at the thrift store in a thick cotton fabric which resembled canvas.  I used an old sheet as a dropcloth, and spent some time mixing acrylic paint to the right consistency.  (Pollock used house paint.)  Then I took everything up to the roof of my building, set up my camera and tripod, and went to work.

I used one of Pollock's most famous paintings, Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist), as my inspiration, and created multiple layers of black, some white, and a lavender color.  I waited for each color to dry in between layers so they wouldn't mix and become muddy.

Overall, it was an extremely fun project and a great stress reliever!  I left the back of the dress unfinished, because some of the paint bled through and it reminded me of what the back of a painting would really look like.

On a side note, I've had great difficulty finding out how to attribute Namuth's photographs of Pollock.  It seems that many of them are courtesy of the Namuth Estate, and most are copyrighted 1950.

For more information about Pollock's painting process, here is a great article from ArtNews from 1951.

Photos by me; Pollock photos from various sources, all courtesy of the Hans Namuth Estate.

ART TO WEAR: Boyarde Messenger x Charlotte Olympia.

I'm not sure how this project has eluded my attention for so many months, but I just came across these painted shoes by artist Boyarde Messenger.  Messenger hand-painted Charlotte Olympia pumps to look like famous works from Art History, and they're just beautiful!  Now I have a serious desire to make my own.

What do you think: would you DIY?  Which shoes are your favorite?

 Via.

ART TO WEAR: AbEx

Jackson Pollock, Number 1A, 1948

If you've visited this blog a few times, you're probably acquainted with my obsession with Abstract Expressionism (examples here, here, and here). However, I'm not completely sold on these new Litas. I appreciate the similarity to AbEx, but buying paint-splattered shoes sort of seems like you're missing out on all the fun. New DIY project?

What do you think? Would you rock the Lita Paint?

$174.95 at Solestruck

[Pollock image from artchive.com.]

LEE KRASNER

If I was forced to choose my favorite art movement, it would have to be Abstract Expressionism. It is a great movement to initiate a discussion of art because the works are very open to interpretation, and I love the fact that each AbEx artist had such a distinct style.

I also enjoy the backstory of the rowdy group of artists convening nightly at the Cedar Tavern in the 1950s, sharing artistic criticism, more than a few disagreements, and undeniable camaraderie.

There is an overwhelming aura of male bravado surrounding the Abstract Expressionists; however, a few women are included in the movement as well: namely Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, and Lee Krasner (1908-1984), wife of Jackson Pollock.

Krasner worked in the style of neo-Cubist abstraction, and often cut apart her own work to reassemble it as a collage.

She studied painting under famed artist-instructor Hans Hoffman, who said of her work: "This is so good you would not know it was painted by a woman."

Though his tumultuous life was cut short, Pollock and Krasner shared an intimate critical relationship that benefited their separate bodies of work immensely. In some works, Pollock's influence is not as visible, and in others (like the one above) you can clearly see the the influence of action painting.

For me, Krasner's work bears a unique color sense that really sets her paintings apart from the other AbEx works.

I was particularly inspired by her use of fuchsia, viridian green, and yellow ochre, which I worked into an ensemble inspired by her palette.

I'm wearing a vintage silk blouse, vintage sweater, Forever 21 leather and suede skirt (who knew they sold real leather pieces?), Hue tights, Frye wedges, vintage necklace, and Sorial suede handbag.

Thank you to Shey of Modesty is Pretty for featuring me on her blog!

[Krasner images from clicks.robertgenn.com, spanierman-at-easthampton.com, radaris.com, casacara.wordpress.com, and artezine.com, respectively.]

ACTION PAINTING

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe start to 2011. I'm so excited for this year--I have a sneaking suspicion its going to be a great one!

To start off the new year, I wanted to wear something festive that wasn't traditional NYE glitter and sequins. I ended up going with a Jackson Pollock-inspired look--what could be more spirited than action painting?

I had Pollock in mind when I bought this dress. Set against the backdrop of the barren trees, I though the setting evoked the beautifully haphazard layering of the paintings.

The beauty of Pollock's action paintings comes from the many layers of dripped paint and the open composition. The way the paint was applied to the canvas has a rhythmic quality that could not be achieved by easel painting.

Pollock's method of flinging paint onto a horizontal canvas changed painting forever (and signified the highest level of art to critics like Clement Greenberg).

Argued to be the earliest action painter, Pollock's notorious hard living cut his career short, but not before he created some of the most well-known and recognizable artworks of the 20th century.

I've been inspired by the Abstract Expressionists a lot recently, possibly due to the current blockbuster AbEx New York exhibition at the MoMA.

AbEx not only inspired my New Year's Eve outfit, but also my New Year's Resolution: to let go and live my life like a giant action painting--making what could seem like accidental drips or unplanned instances into a multilayered masterpiece.

I'm wearing an H&M dress, DKNY leather motorcycle jacket, Madewell necklace, Dannijo ring, and Christian Siriano x Payless "talon" shoes.

[Pollock images from felixbowker.wordpress.com, blog.cleveland.com, abstract-art.com, and blog.case.edu, respectively.]