History and art are two subjects that are taken very seriously. Perhaps too seriously. If you’ve read any of my posts for WornThrough.com, you’ll know that my teaching philosophy includes lots of entertainment and humor. This week, I was lucky to come across lots of funny material that makes art and history fun. It’s just too good not to share.
A Concise History of Art. Image courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/Shahram.Design
This concise history of art summarizes the change in aesthetic values, while poking fun at the art world. Be sure to read the captions. My favorite? The title under Impressionism: Homicide des Mouches a la Gare de Saint Marie-sur-la-Seine un Dimanche Matin de Printemps. A title doesn’t get more Impressionist than that!
Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style by Nina Katchadourian. Image courtesy of http://laughingsquid.com
As a fashion historian, I absolutely LOVE this series of self-portraits by artist Nina Katchadourian. To pass the time during long flights, the artist goes to the lavatory, adorns herself in tissue paper costume, and creates hilarious self-portrait photos in the style of Flemish Renaissance paintings. She calls the series Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style. Katchadourian said:
While in the lavatory on a domestic flight in March 2010, I spontaneously put a tissue paper toilet cover seat cover over my head and took a picture in the mirror. The image evoked 15th-century Flemish portraiture. I decided to add more images made in this mode and planned to take advantage of a long-haul flight from San Francisco to Auckland, guessing that there were likely to be long periods of time when no one was using the lavatory on the 14-hour flight. I made several forays to the bathroom from my aisle seat, and by the time we landed I had a large group of new photographs entitled Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style.
Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style by Nina Katchadourian. Image courtesy of http://laughingsquid.com
Margaret, the Artist's Wife by Jan van Eyck c. 1439.
Portrait of a Young Woman by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1445
Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style by Nina Katchadourian. Image courtesy of http://laughingsquid.com
Self-portrait by Rembrandt, c. 1669
Self-portrait by Rembrandt.
Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style by Nina Katchadourian. Image courtesy of http://laughingsquid.com
Self-portrait by Katharina van Hemessen, c. 1542
Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style by Nina Katchadourian. Image courtesy of http://laughingsquid.com
Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style by Nina Katchadourian. Image courtesy of http://laughingsquid.com
Follower of Antoon van Dyck (Antwerp 1599-London 1641) Portrait of a Lady. Image courtesy of http://www.musees-strasbourg.org
"Amsterdam has a half-seedy/half-glam, but utterly awesome, underworld. You can get a tattoo and get fondled at the same time. It's the most magical place on earth." Image and caption courtesy of TheFashionSpot.com
And in the spirit of fun, you MUST read TheFashionSpot.com Writer Nika Mavrody has become my favorite writer of all time. She not only reports on the latest fashion news, but her editorial copy is witty and brilliant. Her article, Dutch Vogue’s First Editorial Honors Amsterdam had me laughing so hard tears streamed down my face. Other articles I’ve enjoyed by Mavrody are the “deliciously humiliating” Flour-Bombing of Kim Kardashian:
"On the other hand, I've never more enjoyed a news story about Kim Kardashian. It turns out flour-bombing, while fundamentally harmless, is deliciously humiliating: I can only imagine the scene backstage post-incident, the star's entourage falling all over themselves trying to wash the clumpy wet flour out of her over-processed hair." Image and caption courtesy of TheFashionSpot.com
and Charlotte Free’s philosophy on body hair:
When a reporter asked if her recent shoot for Terry Richardson, which included a close-up photo of Free licking her unshaven armpit, was "a feminist statement," the model responded in the affirmitive. Image and caption courtesy of TheFashionSpot.com
I will never be able to dissociate Charlotte Free from the infamous photo she took for Terry Richardson, which showed her licking her unshaven armpit and smiling lasciviously into the camera. A small portion of my brain is just scar tissue imprinted with the image, and Terry and Charlotte are welcome to take that as some kind of compliment.
In some comments to The Guardian, Free said the picture was a feminist statement, and mentioned that she only shaves her body hair “once in a blue moon for a really big job.”
I wish Katchadourian and Mavrody were my friends!
GHTime Code(s): nc
