1960's YSL Mondrian Dress

Piet Mondrian "Composition with Yellow, Red and Blue" 1927

YSL "Mondrian Day Dress" Fall/Winter 1965-1966

Piet Mondrian was part of the pure abstraction movement. His "Composition with Yellow, Red and Blue" was created in 1927 and is one of the most famous pure abstract works of the time period. The painting uses strictly primary colors mixed with black and white. He reduced the painting to the most simple of elements to make the extremely balance composition. Today, we consider to see references to this extremely basic but important work of art.

In the mid 1960's YSL took Mondrian's work and turned it into a collection of iconic mod dresses. He actually referred to the dresses themselves as the "Mondrian Day Dress". These dresses utilized all the same colors as Mondrian used in the original piece. These dresses exemplified what we now refer to as color blocking. The use of the primary colors with the black and white made a huge fashion statement in the 1960's with the inspiration of Mondrian. 

The Scream Dress

Edvard Munch "The Scream" 1893 

The Deconstructionist "The Scream Dress"

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" is yet another painting everyone is generally familiar with. It was made using water based paint on cardboard. This painting is extremely expressive using intense brush strokes and an imaginative color palette. Munch's painting is categorized as part of the post impressionism movement, particular using expressionism. This painting portrays a specific moment in time that Munch wanted to capture and express a feeling. 

"The Scream Dress" was found on an Etsy website by a women who goes by The Deconstructionist. This dress shows a direct similarity to "The Scream" painting by Munch. The sky is utilized as the bodice of the dress with the same exact color palette seen in the original work. The face, bridge and water makes up the skirt of the dress. Even though it is obviously fabric, it is nearly an exact replica of Munch's original painting. 

The Starry Night Parody

 Vincent Van Gogh, "The Starry Night"

James Hance "Starry Night Parody" 

Although there are many iconic pieces of art, Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" is one of the most recognizable. Van Gogh uses expressionism to paint his feelings or a reaction he had to a fleeting moment in time. He utilized his own personal expression in his work. The painting itself is extremely painterly with very free flowing brush strokes. Van Gogh also utilizes the technique of impasto where he paints directly out of the tube. This results in thick pigment.

Jame Hance's parody of "The Starry Night" is very must relatable. You can see how he tried to imitate Van Gogh's brush strokes and texture. However, he incorporates fictional characters such as Batman in his work. The placement of the town is similar and the placement of a strong image on the left hand side of the canvas is similar as well. However, his brush strokes used in the background do not seem to capture the painterly look Van Gogh had perfected. Hance's version looks much more cartoonish and uses more saturated colors. 

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte Parody

 Georges Seurat "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" 

NBC's "The Office" Poster 

Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" was part of the post impressionism movement. The work was done between the year 1884-1886. Seurat uses the technique of pointillism which consists of painting using small dots instead of brush strokes. He was innovative and ahead of his time. He also used lots of symbolism in his work and depicted the wealthier class. 

Looking at the poster for the upcoming season of NBC's "The Office" it is fairly obvious it is a parody of Seurat's work. Even though the poster does not feature as much symbolism, such as the monkey, it still depicts an almost exact setting. The way the people are portrayed, their umbrellas and even the way their are sitting all resemble "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte". Although the major difference in these two would be that Seurat's is created using pointillism where "The Office" poster is not.

Monet Impression Sunrise Comparison

 Monet "Impression Sunrise"

Bridal Shoe by B. Gall Designs 

Monet's "Impression Sunrise" painted in 1872, is one of the most iconic impressionism works. He painted this using the technique of plein air which consisted of painting outside very quickly to capture an instant impression of light and color. The painting is done in a very painterly way. The viewer can see the texture and the brush strokes utilized.

B. Gall Designs took inspiration for a bridal shoe collection directly from the impressionist movement. The dreamy color palette of the shoe as well as painterly look is directly pulled from the playbook of the impressionists. The top left of the shoe in particular reminds me of Monet's "Impression Sunrise". Not only do the brush strokes represent the sky in Monet's work, but also the colors are extremely similar. 

This is just another example of how a movement in art history has inspired a designer.

Hokusai, The Great Wave T-Shirt

Katsushika Hokusai, "The Great Wave" c. 1831

Urban Outfitters Men's T-shirt Shop 

"The Great Wave" by Katsushika Hokusai is one of the most iconic Japanese works of art. It follows the theme recently used in Asian art of simplicity and a love of nature. The small boats in a big sea show the fear of nature but also the beauty of it. There is also a strong connection between their calligraphy and their art work. Most of Asian Art features writing. 

When we look at the t-shirt from Urban Outfitters, you can directly see a relation. Looking at the shirt you can see the Asian calligraphy on the bottom right, where are the actual piece features writing on the top left. Also, the back ground features more of a sun shape rather than a mountain top and a stormy sky. Even with these differences, it is noticeable that this t-shirt is in direct correlation to Katsushika Hokusai's "The Great Wave"

Baroque; A Contrast of Lightness and Darkness

(Caravaggio "The Calling of St. Matthew" 1599-1600)

(Beyonce in a Baroque inspired Givenchy gown MET Gala 2011)

When thinking about the artistic period of Baroque one of the first things that come to mind is the obvious contrast between lightness and darkness. The Baroque period also utilized the color scheme of rich golds, reds, yellows and black. 

Over the years, many designers have drawn inspiration from this time period. One of the most famously worn Baroque inspired gowns was worn to the MET Gala in 2011 by none other than Beyonce. 

When you look at Caravaggio's "The Calling of St. Matthew" you can tell by first glance it is from the Baroque period. The use of natural lighting streaming in contrasting with the darkness of the painting. The people are beginning to look more natural and realistic. The color palette shows golden reds and yellows with dark hazy colors. 

When you look at the Givenchy gown, it has no direct relation to the oil on canvas Caravaggio painting. However, the colors used in the dress and the contrast between the black and gold is a direct relation to the Baroque time period. 

Last Supper Parody

(Leonardo Da Vinci, Last Supper)

(The Expendables 2 movie poster)

Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper was painted between 1405-1496. The painting is in Milan Italy at a monastery. The Last Super is another recognizable work of Da Vinci's that has been copied numerous times. 

One of the latest parodies of Da Vinci's Last Supper is a movie poster for The Expendables 2 coming out in August. The photo depicts one person in the center and twelve people surrounding him. The man in the center would represent "Jesus" in the painting and the other twelve would represent the "12 disciples". 

Even though the movie poster is a photoshopped photograph and Da Vinci's Last Supper is oil on plaster, it is pretty self explanatory why the two are directly related. 

Mona Lisa Inspired

(Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa) 

(Lady Gaga in a Mona Lisa inspired tapestry dress)

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is one of the most recognizable pieces of art in the world. It is not difficult to find a parody of the Mona Lisa on t-shirts or home accessories at Urban Outfitters. However, this unique tapestry dress worn by Lady Gaga puts the Mona Lisa in a new light. 

The Mona Lisa by Da Vinci utilizes chiaroscuro with the contrast of Mona Lisa's face to her wardrobe. He also utilized the technique of sfumato making his piece have a hazy appeal. Even with the use of these two techniques, Leonardo's Mona Lisa seams to have emotion and a realistic feeling. 

On the contrary, even though it is obvious that Lady Gaga's dress is a knock off of Mona Lisa, there are differences. The Mona Lisa dress is more abstract. Her face is not as full of emotion as the actual painting. The use of chiaroscuro is not as prominent, the shades used blend together more with less of a contrast. 

Prehistoric Comparison

(Without Title by Josef Winkler)

(Wall Painting with Horses, Aurochs & Rhinoceroses by Unknown)

When I first began learning about "Wall Painting with Horses, Aurochs & Rhinoceroses" I instantly was drawn to the color scheme of the painting. The muddy browns, rust and creams were very appealing to my eyes. When I stumbled upon the more abstract piece by Josef Winkler, I immediately thought back to the cave painting from 30,000 BCE. The colors, lines and values of the paintings are extremely similar.

The untitled work of Josef Winkler was done in the year 2008 making it a contemporary piece. However, you can see the relation to the cave painting from over 32,000 years ago. The form of each painting consists of very organic lines. As you can imagine, the cave painting found in Southern France probably has a very rough and grainy texture. Even though Winkler's painting was done on a canvas, one could imagine the feeling of roughness when looking at the brush strokes. Another obvious similarity would be the colors used. Both paintings feature a rustic and natural color scheme. Even the values of both paintings stand out as similar. Each features an obvious contrast between light creams and darker brown/blacks.

A major difference between these two pieces would be the representational versus abstraction of both the works. For example, even though it fails to look like a photograph, you can clearly tell that the cave painting is representing animals. If you look at Winkler's painting, it is clearly abstract with no intended subject matter.