Art Explorer: Kees van Dongen

 Woman on a Sofa by Kees Van Dongen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

I confess that I stopped doing my art explorer posts (see here and here) because I haven't actually been to an art museum or purchased a major piece of art in quite awhile.  On my last excursion to Montreal, the art museum was closed for some reason or another and I haven't taken another trip up since.

I'm starting to get edgy, what with all the snow and all, so I've been making a list of places I want to go and things I want to do. In looking around the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts website, I came across Kees van Dongen's work.  I can't recall coming across his work in my museum adventures before by there's a gorgeous lush quality to his work but with an edge of darkness I can't resist.

Today's Art Explorer uses van Dongen's Fille-mere as inspiration. I don't always intend to copy an outfit from the subject in the piece of art, but I couldn't resist in this case.

Outfit consists of:

Shirt: 1980s white blouse found at Simple Vintage

Brooch: vintage rhinestone pin found at Moon Dog Cottage

Skirt: 1980s black peplum skirt found at my shop, Vint Condition

Purse: 1930s/1940s floral quilted purse found at Magicmuti

Shoes: burgundy Kona Blend heels from Indigo by Clarks found at Zappos

Art Explorer: James Angel

Two years ago I was at a silent auction and celebratory dinner for the Arizona-based organization Child's Play. The auction was full of good stuff like trips, gift certificates, and leather chairs that my friend Charlie over at kinemapoetics purchased. I wasn't planning on going for anything given that I was a poor grad student, but then I spotted James Angel's painting "Fernwood Tonight" and I realized I had to have it. The colors are amazing, the subjects whimsical looking as though they were taken out of a 1940s picture book. I placed my bid and hovered around the painting for most of the night until they announced the close of the auction. A few hours later I was driving home with the painting taking up the entirety of my back seat. As you can see from the picture above, the painting is quite large and hangs happily in my apartment above my couch.

James Angel is a local Phoenix artist who works primarily with iconic images from popular culture, juxtaposing the old with the new. His work uses color to call attention to certain portions of his work. For example in "Fernwood Tonight" the red bird stands out strongly in a painting constructed mostly of muted tones. Also behind the tree is a shot of light blue that is equally out of place. Since I showed my love for Philip Curtis before by constructing an outfit from one of his paintings, I thought I should do the same for Angel. With Curtis I used not only the colors but the women in the painting to guide the outfit, for Angel I primarily used the colors and the suggestion of a 1970s era. The title of the piece I used is "Nature Preserve."

Outfit consists of:

Brown boots from Forever 21. Currently sold out.

Brown zip front cotton hoodie. Available at Wet Seal for $7.99.

1970s tan wool A-line skirt by Young Pendelton. Measurements: 24" waist, 40" hips. Available
at Vintage Trends for $46.

Feather earrings from Miss Selfridge. Currently sold out.

Orange leather clutch. Available at piperlime for $69.99.

Wood bead necklace by Nathalie Costes. Available at La Garconne for $206.50.

Yellow 3/4 sleeve 100% cotton shirt. Available at Dorothy Perkins for 7 GBP.

Art Explorer: Philip Curtis

In moving from a small rural community to a huge metropolitan city like Phoenix, I expected to be overwhelmed with museum and cultural options. That didn't really happen. The metro Phoenix area is still young in some ways, still finding its feet and deciding what sort of identity it wants to adopt. Given that, the museum options are sometimes lacking. The Phoenix Museum of Art has all sorts of interesting pieces that I adore, but it takes no time at all to make it through the exhibits. The are two things that really keep me going back to the museum: their fashion exhibits (closed this last time) and their Philip Curtis room. Curtis was an American surrealist artist who founded the Phoenix Art Center, what is today the museum. He worked on his art out of a studio in Scottsdale until his death in 2000. His work is simply gorgeous and often depicts American sideshow circuses and barren desert landscapes.

I could spend all day in that room at the Art Museum so I wanted to create a look based on a painting by Curtis. The title of the piece that inspired this look is "Parasols by the Shore."

Outfit consists of:

Chocolate and cream Italian style umbrella. Available at Umbrella Heaven for 18.99 pounds.

1980s 14k gold leaf and frond engraved bracelet. Available at The Marlene Harris Collection for $250.

Brown wool felt floppy hat. Available at Forever 21 for $13.80.

1980s brown wool Escada skirt with a 29" waist. Available at vintagetrends.com for $75.

White cotton blouse from Marc by Marc Jacobs 2007 collection.

1880s coral cameo mounted on 10k gold. Available at The Marlene Harris Collection for $375.

Linen colored leather Jennica pump by RSVP. Available at zappos.com for $65.

Aqua blue leatherette oversized bag. Available at fashion junkee for $58.