I went to a variety of different galleries/museums over the weekend to see a wide spectrum of artists. I went to the Tate Modern, Whitechapel Gallery, the National Gallery and the V&A. I also made a list of artists I was considering, while brainstorming but not all of them are currently being displayed in London. I considered Gustav Klimt, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Degas, Charles Robinson, Alphonse Mucha, Kay Rasmus Nielsen, Fragonard, John William Walterhouse, Monet, Patricia Belli, Cecilia Vicuña and Harold Sohlberg.
During my research I learned about myself that even though I like looking at modern/contemporary art it is not necessarily something that fits my design aesthetic. I sat down and tried to define what exactly even my design aesthetic is, which is actually way harder than expected.
This is what I came up with;
– not minimal
– colourful (-ish).
– fabric, print, embellishments clash
– texture
– movement
– realised I like the semi deconstructed look
– whimsy/ fantastical/ romantic with an edge
– soft mixed with hard
– fabrics I like: Tulle, Satin, Velvet, Poplin, lace, Tweed, Brocade, Chiffon = mix of solid and sheer, heavy and light.
– I like storytelling, criticism and messages within design and collections put prefer them not to be very political, nor religious. Design is my happy place and neither politics nor religion makes me happy. There is a lot of sadness out there and I like my designs to be an escape from that. If I include criticism I like it to be sarcastic/ironic and subtle, it doesn’t have to scream in your face. I prefer criticising on a more individual personal level rather than calling out a system, or society as a whole. I think very obvious protest is not the only way to cause positive change. I believe that by doing better, taking responsibility, showing others that it is possible and not that hard (ex. Sustainability) you can encourage them to do better as well. Why would I constantly berate the thing I love studying, rather than just trying to do better? It’s probably not a popular opinion but it’s just the way I feel. I’m sad enough as is and I don’t need my work to also make me sad. (I thought way too hard about this)
Going back to the assignment. After a lot of thinking, walking through galleries, taking pictures and some sketching I decided on Claude Monet. Yes, I know, not the most unique artists choice. Spare me.
I chose him, because I wanted to make something more organic and romantic this time. Although I enjoyed the Toolbox project it actually wasn’t very much my design aesthetic. Since I wanted organic and romantic, most contemporary artists (I saw) weren’t very fitting. A painter who focused on nature seemed like a way better choice. The other artist I really really loved was Charles Robinson but his work just doesn’t work for this assignment (English watercolour illustrator of fairytales, myths, legends, plays etc.). Furthermore, while doing shop research I went to Dover street market and saw work by Elena Dawson and LOVED the way she included fabric flowers in her current collection. I’ve delved into flower making before and really enjoyed it. There are so many possibilities for size, shape, colour and texture. I think it would work very well with Monet and his love for the botanical as well as my aesthetic. On top of that, since we just started fashion history, which is a subject I very much enjoy, I thought about including historical influences from the era within which Monet lived, in my work. It would be another good inspiration for potential shapes, or garment features I believe.
I’ll include some of the pictures and sketches I made during my gallery visits (I don’t have any pictures from the V&A because my phone died)
