Aristocratic Inspiration

Via F Yeah Lolita

I've just started a tumblr, mainly to serve as a resource for storing all the inspirational images I find online. Since Bois de Merveilles is a little slow right now, take a look here if you happen to be wandering by:

http://aristocraticelegance.tumblr.com/

Since D is currently drowning in Japanese homework, I'll try to get some posts up soon.


~Zed.

Madness and Messerschmidt

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. A Hypochondriac. After 1770. Austria. Lead. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
http://www.mfa.org/

Austrian sculptor Franz Xaver Messersmidt (1736-1783) seems to be one of the few artists whose potential insanity overshadows his work. Maybe this is because most of his early work is lost, or simply because of the sixty-nine portraits found in his house after his death that exhibit various extreme facial contortions and expressions. Additional claims that he saw ghosts because of his chaste lifestyle, and had upset the spirit of proportion through his discoveries of proportion understandably led some to question his mental health. At some point, Dr. Ernst Kris, art historian and psychoanalyst, wrote an article discussing both his art and its relation to Messerscmidt's mental condition.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. 1770-83. Ill Humored Man. Lead. Private Collection. Image via Web Gallery of Art.
http://www.wga.hu/index.html

However, having been left with a crippling inability to speak German, I have not yet managed to read this. Strangely enough, all my academic resources seem to have dried up in the two weeks I have been out on vacation. And all the online versions I have managed to find have been both fragmentary and in foreign languages.

Margot and Rudolf Wittkower in their fascinating book Born Under Saturn: the character and conduct of artists suggest that Messerschmidt's insanity should at least be questioned considering the relatively normal works he produced in his later years, as well as his various illustrious patrons at the time. His social position and lack of education coupled with the occult beliefs of the 18th Century suggest that he was simply a unique product of his times that became misinterpreted by intellectuals for generations.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. The Beaked. 1770. Alabaster. Österreichische Galerie, Vienna. Image via Web Gallery of Art.
http://www.wga.hu/index.html

Regardless, these portraits have a certain modern aesthetic. While they're not something I would want to come across in a lonely room at night, (as more benign sculptures have been known to send me into cardiac arrest) they would definitely look nice on some brooding intellectual's mantelpiece.

Maria Potzl-Malikova. "Messerschmidt, Franz Xaver."In Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/t057357

Margot and Rudolf Wittkower. Born Under Saturn: the character and conduct of artists. New York: New York Review of Books: 1963.

Polyvore Madness

I had heard of the illustrious polyvore, but sensing that it would consume hours of my life if I gave into it, I avoided it at all costs. Until today.

And I was right.

I decided to give it a try to enter the Sugarpill contest at Gala Darling, because I've been eyeing their eyeshadows for a bit . . .

Yeah, this is addictive. It reminds me of paper dolls- I loved paper dolls as a child so I can understand why I like polyvore so much.

Lady Bug by Lizzard_Z

I showed this one to D. and he laughed and told me this is how I dress everyday. Well, I think this might be more of what I'd like to wear everyday rather than anything I actually own (especially those shoes). I can't seem to get away from the black/white/red combo though.

Dragon Lady by Lizzard_Z

Wherever this party is, I want to be at it.

Spy by Lizzard_Z

I doubt spies wear purple shorts, but they definitely wear leather gloves and fedoras . . .

Ice Blue by Lizzard_Z

This was actually the first one I made. D. also made fun of the cat eye glasses. It's hard to say no to cat eye glasses . . .

Spring Blue by Lizzard_Z

This was really just an attempt to match colors, since my formula is pretty much always black+white+color. I think it turned out ok, that blue isn't an easy one . . .

Now I should really go back to working on an essay >.> Ah finals. The end is near!

~Zed

Edit: I have no idea what's up with the font size, but it refuses to change no matter what I do to it.

Kunstkammer

Spring has been here so long that for those of you who haven't started your annual cleaning, you may as well blame it on the neighbors, dig out a bottle of Perrier-Jouet and relax in an old-fashioned Bohemian-poseur way. It's going to be a long time before you see that floor again. And for good reason.
For those with guests and events to worry about (and by guests, we mean those pesky things that dislike seeing small furry things scuttling about darkened corners of the room) we suggest taking your collection of oddities off the dining room table, and arrange them in some meaningful way.

Both Zed and I have taken the art of arranging clutter to heights previously unknown. Zed's collection of peculiarities from the East may rival a small museum's collection, while I have amassed a rather amusing assortment of dust-covered books and photographs of members of this planet long deceased that serve to delight the eye, and amuse your three year old cousin. (We are fairly certain that he will end up as interesting as Zed and myself, and most likely you dear reader, as taking the time to peruse these postings ensures an intelligent mind as well a unique perspective on the world.)In the off chance you have no interests, and read this in a desperate attempt to find something to delight the eye and amuse the mind, or simply have not had time to Colonialisticlly pillage the goods of foreign nations for your schedule is too full with Dionysian delights or fin-de-siècle melancholia, this is the post for you. In short, a collection of the strange and the bizarre, yet somehow aesthetically pleasing.

I have long been a fan of odd bottles. We had a lovely collection of prohibition-era bottles (alas, empty! prohibition was a difficult time for us all, and the preservation of good vintages of embalming fluid was simply not on our minds. How our values declined then!) however, they simply vanished one morning. So a friendly bottle of Bayer Heroin will have to do. Mind the Surgeon General's warning: pregnant or nursing women, (or even talentless sods who think they can play bass guitar) should avoid using this at all times. Be warned that this product's side effects are much greater than the friendly stomach ulcer.

Big Fish Eat Little Fish byPieter Bruegel the Elder, and Pieter van der Heyden. Etching. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.) 53.601.14 (58).
http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp

I have a thing for prints and drawings. And this is probably my favorite. Its all the glory of a Sixteenth Century Netherlandish seaside outing withhalf the effort. And without the pesky sunbathers.

Self Portrait, Salvator Rosa. Oils on Canvas. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.) 21.105.
Bequest of Mary L. Harrison, 1921
http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp

Why send a greeting card when you can send a portrait of yourself writing in foreign tongues on a skull? Unlike those horribly tacky Christmas Cards you get every year, you wont ever mourn the day you received it with no check inserted between the sugary-sparkling cardboard folds. No, this is the perfect gift to send by post that will remind the recipient of your feelings for years to come. Additionally, it will liven up any guest room with its charmingly bleak landscape, and mournful figure.

Alas, dear reader, I ramble. Until next time.

D.

Purses

I have of late (but wherefore I know not), begun a search for a suitable purse. Mostly this was prompted by my inability to understand the obsession some people have with purses . . . they all look kind of alike to me. Also, I'd like to get a purse that actually matches with my clothes, rather than random ones I've acquired up to now.

Starting with the expensive ones I'll never own:

Vivienne Westwood
I like that it's black and shiny. I dislike the gold.

Artherapie
I really like this one, shape and style wise. I like the color a lot too, even though it isn't black I think it would still match with my wardrobe. However, even if I didn't have to pay shipping from Japan, and even if I hadn't just spent all my money on unexpected doctor's visits, it's still too much for me to pay for something that will get kicked around and filled with pens and placed upon surfaces of dubious cleanliness.

Having figured out what style I like, more or less, I ventured to Etsy, figuring I could probably find something I wouldn't mind actually using. For example:

link

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There are tons of really nifty vintage ones- I definitely know where to look once I have any money to put in one.

~Z

In the Mood for Love

I saw In the Mood for Love a few months ago, and was really struck by the fashion, especially the dresses. I love the idea of having one basic style and making it look so different through fabric and trim.

credit

It would probably be pretty easy to get a Cheongsam pattern and find some nifty fabric, but if you look you can find some interesting vintage ones on ebay or etsy. I prefer etsy because I consistently lose autions on ebay . . .

link

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~Zed

Les Vacances

It's spring break, meaning Zed and I are trapped indoors with a severe case of bloggers block. How unfortunate.

However to ease your boredom, I suggest you listen to some Joe Hisaishi. He's a Japanese musician who has done the soundtracks to many movies, and is excellent to listen to on rainy days. If you've seen any of Kitano's films, you're probably already familiar with Joe Hisaishi's work.




And while your listening to contemporary Japanese pianists, I'd also recommend Yoshiki.



Yoshiki's fame stems from his band X Japan, but his solo project and his classical compositions and covers of his previous works should be noted for their excellence as well.

D.

Hot Water

Eugenio Recuenco via Lace & Tea

The lack of a bathtub at my disposal is saddening . . . even a modern one, without drippy candles along the edges would be lovely. I am making do with some very nice soap from Villainess Soaps, however, which makes enduring dorm showers all that much more bearable.

~Zed

Real men wear . . .

Antique heels. They don't make men's shoes like they used to.

(Man's shoe c. 1650-60. Leather, Silk Cord, Tassles. 15x8x22 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. www.mfa.org )

(Man's tie shoe late 19th Century. Kid leather and Silk, 14.1x19x25.5 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. www.mfa.org )

The day I discovered these beauties was clearly a good one. I've been sorely tempted to start designing my own shoes based off these and other antique ones, however, my lack of shoe lasts (the form you shape the exterior of the shoe on) has slowed the process. Perhaps I will make my own.

The process of making shoes seems interesting, and strangely straightforward. I have no intention of following any of the articles I've read on it, as I refuse to believe there is only one way of doing things. Most cultures have some sort of footwear, and they can't all make them the same way.

Granted, after I try to make a pair, I'll probably go back and follow each step of someone's tutorial and be left with a rather bland pair of useless slippers.

D.

Welcome

Albrect Durer, Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle

(c) Musee de Louvre/A. Dequier- M. Bard link

Welcome to Bois de Merveilles. We plan to use this blog as a place to talk about art, fashion, aesthetics, music, and whatever else may chance to catch our attention. We hope you will stop to wander through once there is . . . something to wander through.

D & Zed