Thumbnails - "Sabrina & Funny Face" by Donalee Nelson
Fashion and Film
When I was growing up, fashion
magazines like Vogue and Bazaar depicted garments in sketches as often as in
photographs. Never one for baby dolls even as a child, I always preferred
fashion and looking at those magazines early on inspired me to draw. In fact, I
drew all the time during school, after school, any time there was a piece of
paper around. I was always being reprimanded for sketching instead of paying
attention to what was transpiring around me. I also loved film as did my whole
family so we spent a lot of time in movie houses. I was always intrigued by how
film and fashion intersected. Later I learned that costuming was designing specifically
for a character and to help define the film, whereas fashion designers can
create art if they are so inclined. Most films were costumed by famous film
costumers like Walter Plunkett and Travis Banton. A few, like Adrian, branched
out and designed clothing for their own label. Oleg Cassini went from designing
wonderful outfits for his wife Jean Tierney in Laura to designing clothes for Jaqueline Kennedy. Major fashion
designers like Donald Brooks did the costumes for Darling Lilli in the 1960s, and his palette was extraordinary and
sophisticated…gray and a warm brandy tone. Hitchcock, who story boarded
everything, took control as director and had very specific ideas. There are many
stories about costuming Kim Novak in Vertigo. She apparently did not like her
wardrobe for Madeleine and asked for it to be changed. The subtle gray suit was
just a little less flattering for her taste but Hitchcock was insistent. He and
famed costumer Edith Head considered it jarring, the affect they wanted, as it
was not normally a color blonds wore. Novak acquiesced of course, but continued
to try to ditch the black heels. Her preference was for a nude shoe that was
more attractive and lengthened the look of the leg. Hitchcock had an idea in
his head as to how each of her characters should look. The costumes and makeup
were pivotal to the plot.
Above are sketches, thumbnails,
I did from memory of Funny Face, a
movie about fashion, and Sabrina, two
of my favorites. They were both filmed by Paramount and Edith Head was the
costumer in charge. She was an interesting figure. She went to Stanford but her
degree was in French. When she applied for a job in the costume department at
Paramount her portfolio consisted of drawings by various artists. She never
denied this but stated that she thought the interviewer just wanted to see a
range of styles. She rose to head of the department and won more Academy Awards
for costume than any other woman, which takes us to Sabrina. Audrey Hepburn, in her second American film and just off
of winning an Oscar, thought that after her character’s Paris adventure should
have clothing designed by a French designer. The director, Billy Wilder agreed
and set up an appointment for her to visit the atelier of Hubert Givenchy, who
had just started his own business as a couturier after being Balmain’s
assistant. When told he would be meeting with Miss Hepburn he expected
Katherine. Sabrina turned out to be
their first collaboration together and he did her clothes for many of her
future projects. Sabrina won the best
costume award but it went to Edith Head as Givenchy had no screen credit. Miss
Head always maintained that she took some of his drawings and changed them
significantly. Givenchy only designed Audrey Hepburn’s wardrobe after the character
returned from Paris. He made no comment until after Edith Head died and then
admitted that the clothes were built at Paramount from his designs. The little
black dress that I sketched above is iconic.
I ran across Miss Head a few times when I first
started working. Once was while I was in the office of one of the department
heads at Western Costume. She called and he put our conversation on hold.
Another time was when she was promoting patterns that she designed for Vogue.
She gave trunk shows at various department stores that sold the patterns. These
fashion shows were very popular and I was in charge of overseeing seating at
one of them. She always insisted that her apparel and look be understated so as
not to compete with the stars she worked with. She may have not looked
glamorous but her heavy bangs, bun and dark glasses was very distinctive. I
have a scarf given to me by a good friend that was purchased at a Hollywood
auction. A kind of small caricature likeness of her makes an all over print on
the elongated fabric. She was a terrific marketer and appeared on many talk
shows. When Funny Face became a
project, Edith Head was still in place at Paramount but by this time Audrey
Hepburn had more clout and director Stanley Donen agreed to have Givenchy do
her costumes. This time he was credited and he and Head received an Oscar
nomination. They did not win. Currently there are several exhibits at major
museums highlighting fashion. The one at the Met is titled Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology. Andre
Leon Talley has curated Oscar de la
Renta: The Retrospective which is at the de Young in San Francisco.
Coming up this fall is Yves Saint
Laurent at the Seattle Art Museum. I hope many of you will take the
time to revisit these movies and view them from a different perspective. For me
sketching fashion years ago as a child was my entry into art.
Highlights
The upcoming exhibit, Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of
Technology, opens May 5 – August 14 at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
It features over 150 ensembles from 1900 through the present. Historically there
has been a lack of appreciation for fashion as an art form. In this exhibit
each garment was tested to see whether it was handmade or machine-
made…contrary to popular belief some of the machine-made garments took longer
to make. This promises to be an exciting as well as important exhibit. More
information can be had at www.metmuseum.org
so be sure and read up on this special exhibition.
Where
you can see my artwork
My artwork
is available at Rons. Calling
the shop at 805.489.4747 will allow you to talk to a person and get the latest
facts. Rons is located at 850
W. Grand in Grover Beach a few blocks from the train station, a golf course and
the beautiful Pacific Ocean. For more information go to Rons website at www.ronsingroverbeach.com or find
him on facebook.
Not To
Be Missed –Museum Exhibits
A Passionate Eye: The Weiner Family Collection is at The Palm Springs Museum through
December 11, 2016. Featured are over 60 sculptures, paintings and prints by an
impressive array of artists including Picasso, Moore, Marini and Lipchitz. The
list continues with works by Arp, Modigliani and Isamu Noguchi making this a
must see installation. The museum also has a subsidiary museum in Palm Desert
known as the Galen. It is surrounded by the four acre Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden that features over ten
significant sculptures surrounded by landscaped gardens. A visit to these two
venues make it worth the drive. Google the museum or go to www.psmuseum.org for current information.
The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana,
California is hosting Popol Vuh: The
Watercolors of Diego Rivera through May 29, 2016. The well-known
Mexican muralist did a series of watercolors in 1931 to illustrate the sacred
history of the Quiche-Mayan people. This
is the first time the 17 paintings have been shown in the United States. What a
special treat! No one will want to miss this so go to www.bowers.org for all the pertinent
information.
Highlights of the
Permanent Collection celebrates the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 75th
anniversary. The exhibit features some of the museum's most well-known pieces. The
Armand Hammer Foundation has loaned some amazing Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist paintings to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art for an ongoing
exhibit. Degas to Chagall: Important
Loans from the Armand Hammer Foundation supplements the museum’s
already wonderful collection of these works. Artists also included in this
exhibit are Bonnard, Corot, Renoir, Pissaro and Morisot. Check online at www.sbmuseart.org/ for more details.
Morris Graves: The Nature of Things can be
seen now through July 4 at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Graves was a
native of the Pacific Northwest and deliberately removed himself from the New
York scene. His exhibit at MoMA in 1942 brought him attention but he preferred
to draw his inspiration from nature and continued to live in remote areas. This
exhibit focuses on his works from the 1930s to the 1950s. His lovely works on
paper are shown in tandem with certain objects from the museum’s collection of
Chinese, Japanese and Nepalese holdings. More information can be found at www.lacma.org on this exhibit.
The Art of Our Time at MOCA Grand Avenue in Los
Angeles features post-1945 art from the museum’s large collection. The impetus
for this installation is an interesting one in that it attempts to shed light
on the relationships between the artists, the interest they had in each other’s
work, the history of art schools and their friendships. The artworks were
chosen from close to 7000 objects. These wonderful works are on display through
September 12, 2016. You can see paintings by Rothko, Kline, Pollock, Krasner, Frankenthaler
and Mitchell among others. This is a must see so go to www.moca.com for a taste of this show. There is
a very nice video about abstract expressionism online that is worth the time.
If you hurry you can still
catch Leap before You Look: Black
Mountain College 1933-1957 at the Armand Hammer Museum at UCLA. This
incredible exhibit, which focuses on the short lived experimental college in
North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, will end May 15. Founded in 1933, the
experimental liberal arts college became a place to study and teach for artists
like Josef and Anni Albers, Robert Rauchenberg, the de Koonings and Merc
Cunningham among others. It became the seminal meeting place for those artists,
musicians and poets who became influential in the postwar period. Find more
information at www.info@hammer.ucla.edu
as this exhibit features examples of paintings, sculpture, weaving and pottery.
Noir: The Romance of Black in 19th Century French Drawings
and Prints is at the Getty Center in Los Angeles but you will
have to be quick as it is only there until May 15. During the Industrial
Revolution there was an increase in the number and range of black materials.
Artists began exploring night and twilight scenes as well as new subject matter
such as dream states and less idealized contemporary themes. The exhibit looks
at the innovative way these artists were inspired by their materials. The place
for information is at www.getty.edu with a
sneak peek at what is in store.
Currently at the Norton Simon
Museum in Pasadena is Duchamp to Pop.
Running through August 29, 2016, this exhibition focuses on the French
surrealists' influence on many Pop artists such as Warhol, Dine and Ruscha.
More information is available at www.nortonsimon.org
so be sure to take a look.
At
the de Young Museum in San Francisco an exhibit of 120 African sculptures from
the Richard H. Scheller collection is featured. Embodiments: Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture
runs through July 5. Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective
is at the de Young through May 30. The exhibit which is curated by Andre Leon
Talley, long time editor-at-large for Vogue Magazine, celebrates the career of
the designer. His family and the house of de la Renta have cooperated in this
show, which contains more than 130 examples of his work. Fabulous! What a
treat! Check www.deyoung.famsf.org
which will have all pertinent information. At the Legion of Honor in San
Francisco Pierre Bonnard: Painting
Arcadia is ending its run on May 15. It features more than 70 of
Bonnard’s artworks so if you can make the time to see it, do. The de Young
prides itself in making its exhibits accessible and has instituted a plan for
people who are unable to come to the museum whether for medical reasons,
distance or finances. They have two
robots that will take visitors on a tour via the internet. Rebecca Bradley is
the Accessibility Curator. You can email her office at access@famsf.org if this great idea is of
interest.
I
am looking forward to Graphic
Masters: Durer, Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso, Matisse, R. Crumb coming
on June 9 to the Seattle Art Museum. The exhibit will feature over 400 works
and represents the Museum’s first large exhibit dedicated to the graphic arts.
Then in October 2016 the museum will debut Yves
Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style which celebrates the iconic
designer’s magnificent clothing and jewelry. It will be an important exhibit as
Saint Laurent was such an influential designer! Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org to obtain
more information.
Currently at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado,
is Spotlight I: Newly Discovered
Early Works. This small exhibit which ends May 15, 2016 is the first in
a series to examine the artist’s early works. This exhibit focuses on two of
his earliest, one dating from 1920. Both shed light on the evolution of his
style. Then on May 20 Clyfford Still and the San Francisco
Scene, 1946-1950 opens. This exhibit works in conjunction with the
Denver Art Museum’s The Women of
Abstract Expressionism and focuses on Still’s time teaching in San Francisco.
The exhibit closes October 2, 2016. Check out www.clyffordstillmuseum.org for all the
details.
The groundbreaking exhibit, Women of Abstract Expressionism opens at the Denver Art
Museum June 12 – September 25, 2016. This will be the first time this artwork
has been shown together. This very exciting exhibit features work by Helen
Frankenthaler, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell and Grace Hartigan
as well as other female artists, many lesser known. Information is available at
www.denverartmuseum.org where you will find a particularly informative
video and slide show. It is about time for an exhibit of this kind and it is
wonderful that these women that I have admired over the years are finally being
recognized. I can’t wait for this show! Lucky for us on the West Coast in that
this exhibit will travel to the Palm Springs Museum in February 2017.
Make Room for
Color Field includes
paintings by three of the foremost color field painters, Helen Frankenthaler,
Jules Olitski and Morris Louis. There is still ongoing discussions on just how
Louis created his paintings and how he got the look he did. The exhibit is on
view at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in St. Louis through November 27. Reflecting Class in the Age of Rembrandt
and Vermeer is at the Museum through May 29. The exhibit which features
71 paintings explores how class distinctions were represented in 17th
Century Dutch painting. The museum’s website at www.nelson-atkins.org
will provide more information.
Catch them if you can. Two exhibits featuring Van Gogh
opened in February at The Arts Institute of Chicago. Van Gogh’s Bedrooms is ending May 10, 2016 so there is still
time to catch this interesting exhibit. The artist painted three versions of
his bedroom in Arles and they are presented together for the first time in
North America. All versions are uniquely distinct. Van Gogh was well into his
twenties when he decided to become an artist and had already lived in 16 cities
and had gone through 5 professions unsuccessfully. As a companion exhibit Van Gogh: In Search Of opened a
couple of days later and travels through photographs to the many cities and
places he visited during his career as an artist. He never found the permanent
home he sought and remained a wanderer until his death. More details are at www.artic.edu for this fascinating exhibit.
Upcoming are more interesting exhibits. The first, Invisible Man: Gordon Parks and Ralph Ellison in Harlem
opens May 21 – August 28, 2016. Its focus is on the two projects on which these
major figures in art and literature collaborated. This exhibit reunites the
photos and texts from these collaborations. Many photographs as well as
unpublished manuscripts will be seen for the first time. Another new exhibit
opens shortly after. America After
the Fall: Painting in the 1930s runs from June 5 – September 18, 2016
and brings together 50 works by artists working through the depression era.
Represented are Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keefe, Thomas Hart Benton and Grant
Wood. The exhibit runs the gamut in styles and political perspective.
Frank Stella Prints : A Retrospective is at
the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibit follows his fifty plus year
career as a printmaker and features more than 100 prints by the artist. To get
more information on the show, which ends May 22, 2016, go to www.mmoca.org where you will also find
information on the revised and expanded second edition of The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonne, 1967 – 1982.
Stuart Davis: In Full Swing opens in June at the Whitney
in New York so there is time to anticipate what should be an exciting show. One
of my favorite modernists, his work is so colorful and whimsical. In this
exhibit his early works will hang next to later works as they made reference to
each other throughout his career. Later in the fall Carmen Herrera will debut. The Cuban – American artist is
still working in her 100th year. A contemporary of Ellsworth Kelly
and Barnett Newman, her hard edged style continues intact. The exhibit will
contain work from her years in Paris as well as selections from her Blanco y Verde series, current work and
some rare three dimensional pieces. Be sure to check www.whitney.org for all the details. You
will be delighted.
Shade: Clyfford Still/Mark Bradford opens
at the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo, New York on May 26 and ends October 2,
2016. Bradford, a young artist, will choose paintings from the gallery’s
collection of Still’s work to display. Then his paintings done just for this
exhibit and inspired by Still will go up in an adjacent space. It is not often
that a living artist gets this opportunity. If you are in the area be sure and
check it out. Love this gallery. All the details are at the website www.albrightknox.org so be sure and
take a peek.
Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty inhabits New York’s
Museum of Modern Art through July 24, 2016. Every little girl knows Degas
paintings of ballerinas as they are printed on notecards galore. Degas, a
curmudgeon, was also very precise. He disdained plein air painting even though
he did landscapes. He felt that making art required a little distance from the
subject. In fact, he thought that it was better to paint from memory. He
experimented with monotypes, often drawing over them with pastels and painted a
series of nudes that were more caricature. This exhibit focuses on his
experimental side and over 100 of his monotypes are on display. Go to www.moma.org for more information and a fresh
view of this iconic artist...
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston plays
host to Visiting Masterpieces:
Pairing Picasso which will run through June 26, 2016. The exhibit includes paintings and sculptures on
loan from private collectors and other museums and looks at Picasso’s exploration
of form at different stages in his career. The museum’s website, www.mfa.org will provide more information.
Francis Bacon: Invisible Rooms opens at the Tate
Liverpool on May 18 and is open through September 2016. The artist is known for
painting a ghost like figure in many of his portraits. This device not only
draws attention to the figure but gives the viewer a glimpse of the emotional content
of the work. This exhibit examines his recurring use of this device. You can make plans by going to www.tate.org.uk for more information.
The exhibit is over but there
is a wonderful video that came out of the exhibit, Monet and the Post Impressionists. So many artists found
inspiration in their gardens. Now there is a video available, Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse.
Find out more by visiting www.royalacademy.org.uk
and get the whole scoop.
Botticelli Reimagined is at the Victoria and Albert
in London from March 5-July 3, 2016. The artist’s work has influenced art,
design, fashion and film through the ages. Fifty of his original works are on
display along with art by Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Morris, Magritte, Elsa
Schiaparelli, Warhol and Cindy Sherman. Coming up in September at the Victoria
and Albert is You Say You Want a
Revolution? Records & Rebels 1966-70. Examining the upheaval in all
areas of society, the exhibit will bring together objects relating to music,
fashion, film, design and politics. Sex, drugs and rock and roll will be the
mantra of this major exhibition which runs from September 10, 2016-February 26,
2017. For more information on both exhibits www.vam.ac.uk
will have everything you need to know.
Black Chronicles: Photographic Portraits 1862 – 1948 is at
the National Portrait Gallery, London, May 18 – December 11, 2016. This
interesting exhibit which intends to comment on Pre-World War II life in
Britain taps its own resources as well as those of Les Ballets Négres. The
portraits all have interesting stories associated with them. For example there
is a portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta who was born into a Yoruba royal family
but was captured in a slave hunt where her parents were murdered. A Royal Naval
Captain named Forbes convinced her captors to gift her to Queen Victoria. Sarah
was fostered and the Queen payed for her education. She later married a wealthy
merchant and lived in Laos. Her eldest daughter became Victoria’s god-child.
Information on this exhibit can be found at www.npg.org.uk
so you can plan your trip.
Currently at the Louvre in
Paris, Delacroix as a Model
is holding court. The Romantic painter influenced many later artists such as
Matisse, Picasso, Monet and Degas. This exhibit explores his contribution to
the work of many of the impressionist painters. The centerpiece of this show is
Women of Algiers in their Apartment
by Henri Fantin-Latour. Newly acquired by the museum it is representative of
works for which Eugene Delacoix served as inspiration. The museum’s website at www.louvre.fr will give you information on this
show as well as many others currently at the museum.
Simply the Best
The best place to find books on
the arts, Arcana, is a very
special book store located in the Helms Bakery complex in Los Angeles…it's
wonderful! I have known owner Lee Kaplan for decades and his selection of books
is as superb as his taste is impeccable.
Arcana: Books on the Arts is at 8675
Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232. For information go
to http://www.arcanabooks.com or call 310.458.1499.
Michiko Jewelry Design is an
incredible jewelry store in downtown Seal Beach, CA, featuring excellent
one-of-a-kind gifts. The shop owner and artist, Carol Matsumoto, custom designs
beautiful pieces. Michiko is
at 228 Main Street. Call 563.431.3237 for more information or check www.michikojewelrydesign.com
Places
to go, People to meet
I don’t know if this is based
on an actual event but this sounds like fun. A new play, Dinner with Marlene, will be in Coronado through the end of
May. It is set in Paris in 1938 at a dinner party given by Marlene Dietrich.
With the star at the center, the party hosts an assortment of writers, artists
and socialites. Information is available at www.lambsplayers.org on this event.
Through the month of May visit
Palm Desert for a look at master works by Picasso.
The Heather James gallery in Palm Desert has a selection of the painter’s
artwork on display. Information is available at www.heatherjames.com so be sure and
check it out.
Just
a Thought
Just a thought about
kids and art. I was lucky in that even though I was reprimanded for drawing and
not paying attention to other lessons, I was encouraged to become an artist. I
was always the kid that drew the billboards and illustrated the year book. I
didn’t think I was good enough (I didn’t live up to Picasso and Matisse at the
age of 10) and I didn’t think I could earn a living with my art so it took me a
long time to sell my work. In fact, parents and teachers tried to find an art
teacher for me early on by the age of 7. I was lucky because no one would
endeavor to teach me. I was too young. If you have an artistic kid encourage
him/her, expose them to as much art as possible, including music, dance,
literature, poetry and sculpture. The creative process is similar in each discipline
and each informs the others. Encourage your kid to experiment, follow their own
beat, not to compare themselves with anyone and by all means make it fun.
I probably would
have been more optimistic about art as my career if I had seen more prominent
female artists. It is so encouraging to see all of the wonderful women artists
being recognized this year with so many exhibits. Most of us really don’t like
to be singled out as a female artist and prefer to have our art stand on its
own merits. No doubt some idiot down the line as these museum exhibits open will
refer to this as “The Year of the Woman”(especially if Hillary gets elected). I
am happy to see more art by women come to the fore so more people get a chance
to see some amazing work, but I applaud the impetus that puts the arts front
and center. It is so terribly important in our daily lives, making our lives
richer and more pleasurable. Ultimately the arts define our civilization.
Continue to check back
as we will be posting upcoming shows here and on the
exhibits page of my website…and again,
there is always Facebook. 
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