I was in New York last weekend and, as we often do when we have the time, my husband and I headed straight to the Metropolitan Museum. This gave me the chance to see the current fashion exhibit about Punk clothing. You can see most of it on line HERE. I have to say it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Somehow I though it would be filled with more actual outfits that famous and not so famous people wore during the height of Punk, which I guess was basically in the 70's. And they did have some of that, but the majority of the exhibit showed how fashion, mostly high, high runway type fashion, has been influence by the Punk scene. And I found that of interest, but not as much as the curators who set up this show must. There were rooms filled with rows of manikins wearing almost identical gowns made from unexpected materials like shredded black garbage bags. Ho Hum
WELL ... It's really impossible to have a bad time at the Metropolitan Museum because they have the most diverse collection of art and artifacts in the America.
WELL ... It's really impossible to have a bad time at the Metropolitan Museum because they have the most diverse collection of art and artifacts in the America.
I like to wander around the the Medieval and Renaissance galleries. You can see things there that you will never see in a book of art from the period, no matter how big and wonderful the prints are.
Every time I see a sculpture, I go straight to the back. I want to know what the BACK of the garment looks like and the BACK of the hair-d0.
And this visit, I decided to take one of the guided gallery talks. The one I went on was called "Fashion in Art".
No surprise I chose that one, I guess.
Every time I see a sculpture, I go straight to the back. I want to know what the BACK of the garment looks like and the BACK of the hair-d0.
And this visit, I decided to take one of the guided gallery talks. The one I went on was called "Fashion in Art".
No surprise I chose that one, I guess.
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The docent, a wonderfully knowledgable lady who had been fashion designer before she retired, first took us to an interesting 12th century walnut wood sculpture of Mary and Jesus. The focus of this talk was to discuss what the clothing tells us about the people, no so much just about the clothing. She pointed out that at this sculpture would have been in a place where everyone in a town could see it, not in a private collection of a rich family. But Mary was dressed in the garments of nobility, because that is how most people envisioned God, Mary and Jesus, even though in reality they wore the clothing the common people. We were told Jesus was sitting in the "pose of wisdom". Which is when one hand is on the Bible and the other is held straight and upright. But, alas, the two hands were missing from this poor little Jesus.
Then she took us to a large tapestry from 1450 that had been commission by the Duke of Burgundy. She talked about the clothing worn by the people in it. She told us that the men's stockings were the most fitted garment up until this time requiring patterns and close accurate cutting and sewing. And how men showed their legs off to attract the ladies. Some men even padded the calf and thighs of their tights to make their legs look more shapely ... Ha. Well, the women's beauty came from their very, very high foreheads. Now I knew that the ladies at this time would pluck their foreheads to achieve this, but what I didn't know is that it was considered perfectly acceptable to pluck stray hairs from your hairline in public, like we would re-apply our lipstick ... interesting.
Then she took us to a large tapestry from 1450 that had been commission by the Duke of Burgundy. She talked about the clothing worn by the people in it. She told us that the men's stockings were the most fitted garment up until this time requiring patterns and close accurate cutting and sewing. And how men showed their legs off to attract the ladies. Some men even padded the calf and thighs of their tights to make their legs look more shapely ... Ha. Well, the women's beauty came from their very, very high foreheads. Now I knew that the ladies at this time would pluck their foreheads to achieve this, but what I didn't know is that it was considered perfectly acceptable to pluck stray hairs from your hairline in public, like we would re-apply our lipstick ... interesting.
After showing us a sculpture from the 17th century and one from Africa, she took us to this painting of Catherine Lorillard Wolfe. She was an American philanthropist and art collector and left a large part of her collection to the Metropolitan Museum. This painting was done in 1876 by Alexander Cabanel and shows Mrs. Wolfe wearing a beautiful gown of the first bustle period. I would surely love to make a pattern for some dresses of this period!!
Hint, hint Simplicity.
Hint, hint Simplicity.
We saw a painting from the second bustle period (1880s) and ended up in front of piece of tile art in the new Islamic gallery that showed what people wore several centuries ago in the middle east, very different from now, no surprise I guess, but the women's heads were uncovered.
Going with a group around the museum is so great because you end up seeing things in a painting that you might not notice on your own. I've got to do it more often.
I encourage everyone to make a visit to your local art museum.
Going with a group around the museum is so great because you end up seeing things in a painting that you might not notice on your own. I've got to do it more often.
I encourage everyone to make a visit to your local art museum.
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