NEW CUT. DON'T KNOW WHAT I LIKE!

The Art Of A Lifetime

2011-01-25T02:24:00.000-08:00

To my fashionsta-wannabe status' shame I must confess that 4 years ago I had no idea what Harper's Bazaar was. Then, in late 2007, I changed my job and I allowed my outlook to do the same. Fashion was now what interested me and with it came the art part. Bazaar was one of the first magazines I started to learn about.
I didn't know to much of the magazine's history, just that it was first published sometime in the 19th century (later found out the year: 1867) and that it gave to the world and contributed to the consolidation of big names in fashion like Diana Vreeland and Richard Avedon (future posts about them). The names brought awe and curiosity to my heart and in order to satisfy these feelings i began googling like crazy for people selling vintage issues of the treasured magazine. With little surprise, I was half expecting something like this it would happen, I stumbled across the works of the Russian born artist Erté (Romain de Tritoff).
He was one of the illustrators of the magazine covers from the 1910s to the 1930s but he was also much more. The 200+ covers he designed for the HB over the years opened a lot of doors for him. He achieved his dream of becoming a respected designer and also created costumes and sets for Folies Bergère and Ziegfeld Follies, went on to work for Vogue, Cosmopolitan and even Hollywood titles like Ben Hur.
All through his career he stayed true to the style that made him famous and to which he brought new life: Art Deco.
Below images from Folies Bergère years, covers of Bazaar and other works.

Art Deco

2011-01-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

Always a fan! Always finding some inspiration in the typefaces used, or the colors, the angles. Everything about this wonderful movement in culture screams class! The Art Deco current began it's life in the 1920s and ended after WW2. Its influences can be found in everything linked with the visual arts from painting and fashion to product design and architecture. Below some photos that illustrate the movement: Covers from the 1920s of magazines Vogue (by Bonnie Cashin) and Harper's Bazaar (the latter by the fabulous Erté
-a post about him later this week), a painting by Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka and two movie posters: the cult classic Metropolis and Ex Lady (pay close attention to the typeface).

I Love Horses, Don't I?

2011-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Chollima is a mythological horse in the Korean folklore. Below a totally gratuitous photo of the graphical representation of such a being found in the Cheonmachong tomb in southern Korea. Btw, the horse has eight legs.

Photo Of The Day

2011-01-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

Jamie Livingston was a magical person. At least for me. Somehow, he found the power and perseverance to take a photo every day for 18 years, starting in 1979 and ending on October 25 1997, the day he died.
For me that is amazing! 18 years is a whole lifetime, granted, a short one, but a lifetime nonetheless. During this time he documented through his Polaroids the passing of time in the mundane life, bringing value to it at the same time.
Below, the picture of his wedding day, two weeks before he died. Of all his photos this is my favorite and I don't know why. You can see all his pictures here.

Inspiration's Inspiration

2011-01-21T04:28:00.000-08:00

I thought that inspiration is a good place to start the blog. Since I haven't decided what I really like I'll show something that inspired someone I admired, Alexander Mcqueen. Below are two beautiful drawings by London based artist Wolfe von Lenkiewicz. They are part of the his book The Descent of Man.
What links the now dead designer and von Lenkiewicz? Well...death! His suicide note was written on the back of the before mentioned book. That's how I found the drawings.
I loved what McQueen did, pure fashion and creation. To me it's fascinating how McQueen, even in death gave me something new to admire.