COCO CHANEL + JOAN MIRO

You may wonder what these two individuals have in common; one a legendary fashion designer and icon, and the other a Surrealist artist.  Apart from their fame, both worked directly with Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev.  Founder of the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev recruited artists to work with him on all aspects of his ballets, from the set design to the choreography, to the costumes. In addition to Miró and Chanel, Diaghilev also worked with Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Jean Cocteau; this group reads like a list of who's who in the culture of late 19th and early 20th century France.  Click here to read more info about Diaghilev's artist collaborations.

The vintage skirt I'm wearing in this post features a Miró print which corresponds directly to some of his Surrealist paintings of the time period.  The Chanel shoes are a new addition to my collection and help to round out the subtle nod to Diaghilev's genius through a modern outfit that stands for more than the sum of its parts.

Skirt: Vintage, Uncommon Objects in Austin, Texas

Crop Top: Vintage, Beacon's Closet in Brooklyn, New York

Leather Block-Heel Shoes: Chanel

Clutch: Felix Rey

Bangles: Roberta Roller Rabbit

Photos by Kathy Paciello; Miró images from wikiart.org and pavlinachakarova.com.

MAGRITTE: Cloudy with a Chance of Symbolism.

It's been a few years since my last outfit post inspired by Magritte, but there is so much within the artist's oeuvre, visually and symbolically, that I often return to it for inspiration.

René François Ghislain Magritte (1898-1967) was born in Brussels and eventually traveled to Paris, where he became affiliated with the Surrealists such as André Breton.

In addition to his surrealist works, Magritte produced painted forgeries of Picassos, Braques, and Chiricos, and ultimately forged money as well.  I find this extremely intriguing, given the play between reality and alternate reality in his works, such as those depicted here.

Many people are familiar with at least a few of Magritte's works, particularly for their imagery within popular culture.  His recurring surrealist themes, evidenced symbolically, have become synonymous with the artist himself.

In Magritte's opinion, painting was "the art of putting colors side by side in such a way that their real aspect is effaced, so that familiar objects—the sky, people, trees, mountains, furniture, the stars, solid structures, graffiti—become united in a single poetically disciplined image. The poetry of this image dispenses with any symbolic significance, old or new."

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg (same print, different dress available in a limited quantity here)

Heels: C'N'C Costume National Patent Leather Pumps (available here, over 50% off!)

Photos by Kathy Paciello at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

LUNCHEON IN FUR

In my experience, many artistic triumphs come in a flash. They aren't labored over and they come together organically, with a short time span between their inception and completion.

In my opinion, truly creative individuals, though they have the skills to create masterpieces over time, also have the ability to make something meaningful, given little time or materials.

This is true of Swiss Surrealist artist Méret Oppenheim (1913-1985). At age 23, she created what is now known as the most important Surrealist object, Le Déjeuner en Fourrure (Luncheon in Fur).

According to the record of Art History, Oppenheim was dining with Picasso in Paris when she showed him the design for a bracelet lined with fur. Picasso responded that she could line anything with fur, "even this tea cup and saucer", and thus, Déjeuner came to be.

Along with artists like Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, and Andre Bréton, Oppenheim championed the Surrealist idea of psychic automatism and Freudian fetishism, covering or juxtaposing everyday objects with fur.

These works, which have been categorized as "dis/agreeable", challenge the viewer to think about what it would feel like to use them, and creates a Freudian bridge between the fetish object and the everyday object.

To evoke the Surrealist objects of Oppenheim, I centered an outfit around a vintage fur jacket and added a few tonal pieces with a bright yellow skirt reminiscent of the above work, Squirrel.

I'm wearing a vintage scarf, vintage fur, thrifted cashmere sweater, vintage leather mini bag, vintage skirt, gifted pavé cocktail ring, Betsey Johnson wool tights, Gold Toe socks, Chloe sunglasses, and leather Marni heels.

There are still a few more days left to enter my $35 CSN stores giveaway! Just follow Artfully Awear via Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin, Twitter, or Facebook and leave a comment on this post.

Also, thank you to Sara for the Most Creative blog award and Vanessa for the Newbie award!

[Oppenheim images from drawclose.com, chilloutpoint.com, welcomenotations.com, and chilloutpoint.com, respectively.]

MAGRITTE'S MYSTERY

The first warm day of the year is such a teaser. Even though I knew the mid-'70s would only last for a short time, it was difficult to imagine going back to cold weather after a balmy afternoon on the beach. At least it was a reminder that spring is on its way!

Since I wanted to take advantage of the springlike temperature and proximity of the ocean, my outfit was inspired by Belgian Surrealist, René Magritte.

Many of Magritte's (1898-1967) thought-provoking Surrealist paintings have become popular culture icons, like the one below.

He was interested in the juxtaposition of reality and fantasy, and championed a more representational style of painting than other Surrealists, like Dalí and Miró.

One of his primary artistic devices was placing ordinary objects in unexpected environments, causing the viewer to think about the object in a new way.

Though many of Magritte's works seem as though they should have a narrative explanation, he characterized them as "unknowable", like a mystery the viewer has to solve but that there exists no real answer.

"Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist." --René Magritte

My response to Magritte's work was to pair both menswear-inspired and nautical pieces with a beach setting, completed by the green apple necklace which represents a recurring theme in his work.

I'm wearing a Uniqlo tee, PRPS jeans, thrifted woven leather suspenders, Literature Noir chalkstripe boyfriend blazer, Marc bag, H&M socks and necklace, and Matiko wedges.

[Magritte images from kazucopy.wordpress.com, hubpages.com, just-take-a-boo.blogspot.com, and gipsygeek.wordpress.com, respectively.]

GIORGIO DE CHIRICO

After a winter of being bound indoors by snow and the temptation of a few too many good books, cabin fever has started to set in. Though springtime is still two months away and it's been bitterly cold on the east coast, I've been enjoying the welcome afternoon sun outdoors.

I recently discovered this location and it immediately evoked the work of pre-Surrealist artist Giorgio de Chirico.

De Chirico (1888-1978) was an Italian painter who was a proponent of the Surrealist movement. He is credited for founding the scuola metafisica, an Italian art movement which centered on representations of the unconscious mind.

De Chirico's most well-known work comes from his metaphysical period (1909-1919), in which he depicted Nietzschean architecture, eerily devoid of figures and life. He was interested in a visual poetry where the effect of the whole is equal to more than the sum of the parts.

These haunting works were seen as early Surrealism, and artists such as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and René Magritte all count De Chirico's metaphysical works as inspiration.

During De Chirico's later career, he returned to a more classical style of painting, influenced by Rubens. He even went so far as to denounce modern art, yet continued to begrudgingly create "replicas" of his famous metaphysical works in order to make a living.

Despite his mid-career change of philosophy, De Chirico was responsible for influencing Surrealism, one of the most important art movements of the 20th century.

My De Chirico-inspired look centered around the archway location and I simply added tights and a coat that were reminiscent of some of the hues of the paintings.

I'm wearing a vintage coat, vintage leather patchwork belt, H&M tights, vintage Ray-Bans, Schuler & Sons leather lace-up wedges, and a purple suede Sorial handbag.

[De Chirico images from flickr.com, suite101.com, artnet.com, arcadja.com, and artnet.com, respectively.]