Fashion and Art: Critical Overview of Oscar-Claude Monet’s Artworks
Over the years there have been more and more instances of fashion designer and artist collaborations, where fashion designers have been either charmed by or been influenced by patterns, contour or form. For many decades now, designers have been drawn towards not only artists but writers, filmmakers, musicians to be inspired by and thus fashion has also become an ideal platform for other disciplines to stay relevant coupled with its dexterity to continuously adapt, mutate and change
to accommodate the mood of contemporary times. Coaction between fashion designers and artists can bring forth amusing results. As mentioned by Adam Geczy and Jacqueline Miller in Fashionable Art that with fashion art can reach a wider audience and maintain a dialogue with the past since the embodiment of fashion is melding of the past and the future (165). As mentioned by Adam Geczy in Fashion and Art, ‘in the twentieth century, fashion became a central concern of many artists who understood the provocative power of clothing in creating an identity and establishing their work as a global brand.’ (1). Not only brands but also the art creators profit from the heightened publicity as they benefit from disseminating artistic motifs among social groups who had little exposure with high art or who feel strained about having to deal with it (Geczy & Karaminas 1).
Fashion is a discipline that has been able to keep the involvement of the audience regarding the artist and artworks done many years ago, in the popular culture. These artworks may have been unnoticed or lost by people due to the speedily changing styles and movements. In the contemporary world, we may look into Fashion and Art as two separate fields that benefit from one another in their ways. The two worlds of art and fashion go a long way into history. Art and fashion have forever been entwined but it was only in the early 20th century when the influence of art in fashion came in the public eye. From replicating Piet Mondrian’s notable composition of 1944 which was a colour-blocked print using primary colours by Yves Saint Laurent in 1965 on a shift dress, long after Mondrian had died, to the designer who applied whimsical motifs onto her designs – Elsa Schiaparelli’s Lobster dress & Tear dress which were created along with the Surrealist artist Salvator Dali.
This essay seeks to demonstrate the unification of Art and Fashion in the 21st century by analysing the works of sumptuous fashion houses Georges Hobeika, Akris and Rodarte and how they pay homage to the Impressionist-era of Claude Monet into their collections.
Oscar-Claude Monet is one of the most celebrated and supreme painters of all time. He was the founder of the 19th-century art movement – Impressionism and had soon become a household name for his iconic paintings. Monet lived in a small village in France – Giverny since he was drawn by the landscapes and overall atmosphere there. He loved the serene skies and bright blue stream that ran through his house and soon these elements became his inspiration and subjects for his admired works. The French artist could find himself closely related to nature. He not only painted his well-loved Water Lilies but also used to plant them. He concentrated solely on the pond with its elements and created a chain of paintings, altering each piece according to the time of the day and in some adding the willows on the shore or the Japanese inspired humpback bridge.
Figure 1 shows one of the paintings done by Claude Monet named – ‘Waterlilies and Japanese Bridge’, which he first painted in 1899. ‘The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration’ – Claude Monet. Made up of these slender yet overt strokes characterised Monet’s style of painting – Impressionist. The painting is simple yet there is a presence of bright and striking colours, gratifying pastel hues and patterned textures. Seamlessly blended in, the painting creates a sense of motion and depth where shadows are depicted as colours rather than degrees of light and dark, capturing the temporary movement of light as if in a snapshot photograph. Fascinated by the interplay between light and the natural and the built landscape, Monet seems to very well execute what he wants to convey through his paintings. Monet is a reputed and a time-honoured artist whose works are extremely valued and have served as an inspiration for more than ten runway collections in the past two decades. The Water Lilies series, as well as other creations of the French Impressionist artist, remain an exceptional inspiration for the world of fashion even today.
In 2014, The Lebanese fashion designer, Georges Hobeika displayed his Fall collection. The striking line drew inspiration from the paintings of Oscar-Claude Monet and paying tribute and showing great admiration towards the artist the collection was titled ‘The Monet’s Midnight Stroll’. A large part of the collection expressed feminity, sensuality and elegance. It was evident that the colours and the scene of the painting itself inspired Georges. Figure 1 shows a gown with a boat neckline and three-quarter sleeves. The upper portion of the dress is fitted and has almost a see-through effect since it is made of net fabric, whereas the bottom made of organza has frills and falls beautifully. It features hand-sewn three-dimensional flowers of red colour stitched along with laser-cut tulle petals, which begins from the upper portion of the dress and diminish towards the bottom, sitting onto a peacock blue background making it look as though it’s blooming right on the model. The eye for the colour and design has been well interpreted and looks just like the painting by Monet seen in figure 3. Figure 4 shows another feathery organza gown swelling with tulle which is subtle and sweet without any clashing colours. It has violet flowers that blossom from the waist and starts to diminish as it extends towards different directions on the waterly blue gown. Inspired from another of Monet’s water lilies painting seen in figure 5, the gown it embodies a sensuality of movement and youthfulness similar to the fresh and lyrical movement of Monet’s strokes across the canvas, Hobeika’s creation is stunning in motion and well blended. Figure 6 is another look from the same collection, shows a model donned in a dark mulberry coloured silk jumpsuit with a trailed cape that ascends from the shoulders effortlessly. It has an ultralow risqué neckline and a camouflaged thin bow at the waist making it a formal yet voluptuous look. The crystal embellishments on the shoulders go from being heavy to light which creates a movement of the eye just how Monet’s plays with creating a movement in his paintings. Georges Hobeika’s Fall 2014 collection sees all the feminity and sensuality which come out of every gown. He used a slightly different approach as he didn’t transfer paintings on the fabric directly but was inspired by the artist and the paintings. Paying tribute to Monet, Hobeika graced this collection with an eye for perfection. and a painterly eye for the creative details. For this collection, he featured Monet’s profoundly robust styled palette of peacock blues and watery cobalt and the add-on of the sunset plums and subtle elements of cooler hued violets for an accent colour, turning dresses into a bouquet. He illumined the collection with the pearlescent whites of a Waterlily and the high contrast pop of bright coral. With the eye of a painter and the skills of an expert couturier, Georges Hobeika paints a lady of dandified grace from a fantasy of dreams.
Many of history’s groundbreaking artists continue to influence designers, with an entire collection dedicated or inspired by the paintings of painters long gone. Claude Monet’s painting was once again the muse for luxury fashion label – Rodarte’s Spring-Summer 2015 collection. Laura and Kate Mulleavy, the sisters behind Rodarte seemed to have been inspired by the subtlety, intensity and depth of colour and texture in Monet’s paintings. Rodarte is a brand that has always had art as a part of the conversation in their garments and also delves into art for an assortment of novel ideas. ‘For as long as time, individuals have used clothing as a means of non-verbal communication. It is a language of signs and symbols and iconography’ (Jonas,2002). Fashion designers who are inspired by art and transfer them onto the garments they create, says a lot about the designer and the way they perceive things and make it their own so that it blends with their aesthetic. The fact that the Mulleavys’ have majored in art history, it has given them the exposure, tools and language required to germinate their original ideas, teaching them to decode things from a non-verbal but more tactile and physical perspective. Figure 7 shows another of Monet’s water lily painting which has also served as an inspiration for garments seen in figure 8 and 9. Both the looks consist of one piece each but a lot is going on in them in terms of materials and contrasting fabrics but the looks have force. Monet’s painting seen in figure 7 seems very natural, organic and as if the water lilies were floating in the pond and the colours that stand out are eclectic, nonchalant, refreshing and very British. It seems that the Mulleavy sisters were inspired by this whole underwater natural and beautiful world that grows and exists and is very free-flowing and organic. In figure 8 the model can be seen wearing an asymmetrical maxi dress that follows the contours of the body but has a little mermaid inspired bottom to it, where the fabric is slung off to one side, the draped look instead of tailored was the key to this wispiness. Similar to this dress is the dress in figure 9, except that it doesn’t have 3d protruding embroidery but a fishnet kind of texture overlapped on top of the shimmery chiffon fabric which rolls over and flows in the air like the fins of a fish. The split design in the garment makes one part very calm and one past very striking. The accent of the black net on this dress accentuates and gives a break to the dress. The net fabric below the turtle neck is translucent with intricate coral design patterns mimicked onto it. It was an artful madness with the use of unconditional and iridescent fabrics like fishnet and lace which were ethereal and subtly transparent, making a part of the dress look dandy and a part of it look vamp. The hem and the seams were left unfinished making them look organic. The monochrome palette following the tone of the water makes everything very aquatic. The use of materials such as sequence to give the effect of water flowing and shimmering and feathers to make the flowers, looked like the models had been living underwater for some time and grew things on them making it very elemental and like a direct translation from Monet’s artwork. The setting of the runway and the whole collection seemed like a crystal-covered one with greased tiles that looked like shimmering water, playing with the aquatic-themed texture this collection was truly a delicate and captivating one.
Monet’s works have served to inspire another fashion house – Akris. The creative director of Akris – Albert Kriemler enjoys drawing inspiration from the world of art and had been inspired by the water lily series by Monet and that propelled him to propose the Spring-Summer 2009 collection. This Swiss brand uses a lot of nudes, blacks, whites and certain striking colours popping out in the garments such as odd red or brown, but the SS2009 collection was the first time it used colours in abundance which was very soothing to the eyes and the Monet inspired garments turned out beautifully. Akris manages to be new every time keeping their handwriting intact. Albert Kriemler says that ‘our lives are complicated enough that our clothes have to be easy’. The SS2009 collection was inspired by the simplicity of nature and well communicated through their innovative and eye-catching textiles as they mix the classic lace and silhouette with modern fabrics in their garments making it an article of simple elegant clothing. Figure 10 shows a model wearing a tube maxi dress in silk georgette. The dress has suspended step-pleats on the sides and in the bottom which fosters the easy movement of the body as Akris is a brand that believes in the functionality of clothing the most. Figure 12 shows a model wearing a shift dress with a décolleté neckline. The step-pleated dress is made in silk chiffon and the colour palette of this printed dress is very monochromatic and gives the feel of a garden. The dresses in figure 10 and 12 have a very simple yet elegant silhouette and the focus is completely on the prints which enhance the look of the one-piece outfits and is inspired by the drawings of Monet seen in figure 11 and 13 respectively. The prints on the garments have a pixelated effect to them which is to mimic the paintings of Monet, since the paintings, when looked at closely seem like someone has enlarged them although it’s the effect of the lines of the brush stroke. The dress in figure 10 has blobby patches which seem to resemble the blobs of leaf in Monet’s painting, in figure 11 on which the water lily stands. The colour palette of brown, yellow, peach and grey, taken from the painting has been well translated onto the dress. The dress in figure 12 suffuses with the colour green as a gleam of light from dark to pale. The warm hues of the scene in figure 13 are translated onto the garment with toning it up a little. This whole collection of silks and chiffons were digitally painted using the vivid colour mix and effect of some of Monet’s most famous works bringing in creativity and refinement. The exquisite and expensive fabrics gave a very natural and organic flow, redefining modernity in the garments. The backdrop of the whole set too was inspired by the garden and looked sensational. The impressionist results of the collection called to mind Monet at Giverny in a very unfussy manner, becoming a perfect choice for fashion-forward women.
In conclusion, art and fashion often play off of one another today and have done so in the past. While artists are fascinated by clothing as an essential tool for bringing realism to their creations, tailors have often taken inspiration from the world of art and acted like artists themselves.
Rebecca Arnold says ‘fashion’s ability to connect more directly with the wider community has made it an ideal medium for artists who want to connect their work to the popular sphere’ (Art, 43). Since the start of the 21st century, the lines between art and fashion have become hazier and they have been intrinsically linked more so than ever. ‘Arts commercial side is revelled by it’s closeness to fashion, and fashion can seem to provide it with gravitas’ (Rebecca Arnold, Art, 47). The similarities and mutual fascination add an interesting tension to the relationship between the two disciplines and opens up and ensures a fertile relationship of how art, design and commerce connect and overlap, collaborate and create a dialogue. This symbiotic relationship which has come into existence between art and fashion looks to only be growing stronger by the day. Designers rely on this mutability of taste with the objects the artists create that transcend into a trend. The world today remains intoxicated by Monet’s paintings. There can be observed limitless interpretations of his masterpieces on amazing garments created by contemporary designers, in a way paying tribute to the great talent. Designers have always worked with artists, long before the commercial pressure to create lucrative, must-have lines and that shows, fashion and the fine arts have, and always will, go hand-in-hand.