SOL LeWITT SUPERFAN

It's astonishing how many Sol LeWitt wall drawings are sprinkled throughout New England.  This one (Wall Drawing #947) was originally installed at the Biennale in Lyon, France, in 2000, and now resides on the campus of Yale University.  Thankfully, I was dressed for the occasion.

Shirt: SPRZ at Uniqlo

Shorts: J. Crew

Photos by William Sealy.

TIMES OF THE DAY

Blinky Palermo, Times of the Day I–VI (1974–76)

I found this photo while rummaging through old files on my laptop, and realized how much I want to revisit Dia:Beacon.  This particular work by Blinky Palermo is on long-term installation there, and includes 25 different canvases that represent the various lightness or darkness of the times of the day, from sunrise to sunset.

Have you been to Dia:Beacon?  I'd love to hear about your experience there.

Dress: Alexandre Herchcovitch

Sandals: Sam Edelman

Photo by Meri Feir.

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.

  

WHO'S AFRAID OF RED, YELLOW, AND BLUE?

Color in its purest form--unmixed, straight out of the tube--is very powerful. The primary colors, red, yellow, and blue (of which all other colors are made), are highly saturated and contrast beautifully with one another.

For this reason, many artists have relied on the primaries to make bold statements and/or illicit responses. From Fauve landscapes to the Suprematist compositions of Kasimir Malevich to Barnett Newman's zip paintings, the color triumvirate has become an important artistic motif.

Newman (1905-1970) is technically considered an Abstract Expressionist because of his relationship with the group, but he also ushered in an era of post-painterly abstraction and eventually Minimalism.

His most famous works consist of a solid ground with thin vertical strips of color or noncolor--called zips--which simultaneously divide and unite the canvas.

He relied on the use of red, yellow, and blue in a number of these works, both for their vibrance and impact, and art historical importance.

By championing boldness of color and simplicity of form, Newman challenged the viewer to confront his large-scale works, which are enveloping in size.

The canvas above, entitled Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue? (1966), encapsulates the challenge implicit in these works.

I took Newman's challenge to prove that I am not afraid of red, yellow, and blue, and styled and outfit with the sole purpose of combining the primaries (and an excuse to wear this cape).

Are you afraid of red, yellow, and blue?

If you feel inspired by Newman's challenge (as I was), and document a primary-colored outfit of your own, send me a link or a photo--I would love to see it and be more than happy to share it!

I'm wearing a vintage cape, vintage silk blouse and pants, vintage snakeskin clutch, J. Crew beaded belt, and Jeffrey Campbell suede and mesh heels.

[Newman images from artupdate.nl, americanwiki.pbworks.com, safran-arts.com, and friendsofart.net, respectively.]

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.]