What art works are not on paper?
Last Friday’s post was about selecting “hot” colors and the Friday before was about Carnival colors which made me think about costumes , which led to the subject of paper costumes. I admit it. I am fascinated with paper from origami to Casart Coverings and everything about it!
Artists draw on paper, right? But, how many exhibit a body of their works of paper?
A snippet in Elle Decor mentioned just such an artist. Not to be missed if you live in San Francisco or will be there between now and June, is a wonderful exhibit at the Legion of Honor titled Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. It is comprised of more than 60 trompe l’oeil life-size historical costumes made entirely from paper.
Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave produces original art that is easy to explain but difficult to categorize.
Taking her inspiration from painting, sketches, costumes in museum collections, even literary descriptions, she has crumpled, pleated, braided, feathered and painted to create life-size historical costumes entirely from paper. The collection, includes, but is not limited to costumes of the Medici family and gowns of Marie Antoinette and Elizabeth I.
Also represented are couturiers such as Christian Dior and Coco Chanel. Recreations of Mariano Fortuny was a major source of inspiration for de Borchgrave and his famed pleated and draped gowns are represented under a light paper tent.
Trained as a painter but with vast knowledge of textiles, Isabelle de Borchgrave works in collaboration with costume historians and fashion designers to interpret, not duplicate the original piece, encouraging the viewer to create their own interpretations.
Photo courtesy Creations Isabelle de BorchgraveAs de Borchgrave explains, “Although my inspiration springs from the period dresses in the great museum collections, this is just a wink at history. My work is a confluence of influences—paper, painting, sculptor, textiles, costume, illusion and trompe l’oeil.”
– Lorre Lei
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