MR. MONDRIAN

It is not important to make many pictures but that I have one picture right.  --Piet Mondrian

Please meet Jason Anfinsen, or Mr. Mondrian (from now on!).  I can't think of a better caption for this photo, captured at Tate Modern, than Mondrian's own words.  I'm not sure how many takes he needed to get this shot, but it is certainly working!

Thanks for Jason Anfinsen for sharing this wonderful photo.

ART TO WEAR: Mondrian Loafers

Piet Mondrian, Composition of Red, Blue, Yellow, and White: Nom II, 1939

A proponent of the De Stijl movement in the early 20th century, Piet Mondrian loved simplification, both in his painting composition and in his life.  Perpendicular lines were his vice, and rumor has it that his easel was rendered unusable since it was positioned at a 90 degree angle from the floor.

I could use some simplification in my life.

See my previous Mondrian post here.

Loafers: City Snappers

Silk pants: vintage Diane von Furstenberg

Mondrian image from moca.org; shoe photo by me.

  

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.

MOD MONDRIAN

Clutter is something that has been a constant in my wardrobe (and my life!) for as long as I can remember. Dueling patterns, multiple colors, and interesting details all find their way into most outfits (and you should just see my bedroom). However, every once in a while, it's good to simplify things.

This was the aesthetic opinion of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944). He believed that everything in nature could be broken down into simple, empirical forms.

His early work consists of representational landscape paintings, but over time, they became more and more simplified until his mature style emerged, called Neo-Plasticism.

Mondrian still looked to nature and other representational sources as inspiration for his work, but broke them down into the most pertinent forms.

Mondrian was a member of De Stijl, along with Theo van Doesburg and Bart van der Leck, who championed aesthetic simplicity.

In Mondrian's case, his work truly mirrored his lifestyle--everything in his apartment was arranged perpendicularly, even his easel (which didn't function as well when oriented straight up and down). He even loved to dance the Boogie Woogie specifically because the dance moves in a square!

"I construct lines and color combinations on a flat surface, in order to express general beauty with the utmost awareness." --Piet Mondrian

Though the dress definitely reflects Mondrian's simplicity, my cluttered aesthetic could not be completely suppressed, and I added the necklace and purse to liven things up a bit. I'm not sure Mondrian would have approved!

I was delighted to find this dress, which reminded me of Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian dress of 1965--a true mod masterpiece and lovely example of the marriage of art and fashion.

I'm wearing a vintage pieced silk dress that I altered to fit, a vintage eel skin purse, DKNY tights, Dolce Vita studded suede over-the-knee boots, and a vintage kitty pen necklace.

[Mondrian images from abcgallery.com, karenwebb, wordpress.com, leftcoastmini.blogspot.com, janubaba.com, and doobybrain.com, respectively.]