according to Cathy Horyn Alexander' McQueen's last collection just shown in Paris holds Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights captive in his dresses of jacquard and embroidery. The nude revelers (above) represent one of three panels painted by Bosch from the late 15th century to early 16th century. The image below shows the center panel- see the triptych here. The link also provides an in depth analysis of the Bosch creation.
Captured digitally and then woven into jacquard or embroidered, McQueen cut each of the patterns himself. Elaborate draping distorts the Bosch Garden-folds and undulations obscuring the figures, hidden imagery- All contained within a bodice or skirt. Whispering of intimacy and voyeurism- no doubt McQueen's layering and cutting-hid and revealed just what He wanted us to see.
McQueen images from style.com here
Bosch image from here
What a wonderful coming together of art and fashion, past and present.
ReplyDeleteBosch is becoming a brand in his own right: Apparently one can buy figurines of individual figures from his paintings. Also, I was reading Don DeLillo's excellent novel Underworld recently, in which J. Edgar Hoover develops an intense fascination with Bosch - not sure if that is a historical fact or DeLillo's embroidering.
Did you read the article in the Wall Street Journal?
ReplyDeleteFascinating.
pve
I love whan art and fashion meet in such a delightful way (it is not always so). I am dying for someone to do a Bosch exhibition in this country.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, indeed.
ReplyDeleteNow I must run off to find the WSJ ...
Jjj
Emile- I could see Hoover's fascination and his distaste for Bosch definitely.
ReplyDeleteJanet- I think the best of them have to be referencing from art and history-what else is there?!
Patricia-did read that and the style.com as well, there are many McQueen posts running about the blogs now-and well deserved I think.
Judith- it is a good one. I have a new post referencing some of the art and a selection of my own. pgt
as an aside, I have had several readers say they have no interest in fashion anymore. though I always have, I continue to find the cultural, historical and art references seen in them stimulating! pgt
ReplyDeleteFlemish monsters? I'm totally in
ReplyDeleteGood call la
Emile is definitely on to something there, we do seem to be living through a Bosch revival right now, with all the books and posters and figurines. I dig it though... Schongauer, Grunewald, (and H.B. of course), any of those guys who took a crack at St. Anthony, will always have a certain lasting appeal for me. The little monsters and demons are just too bizarre not to love :)
Never saw them coming on a dress though - that's pretty clever. I wonder how far he might have taken the idea if the line really took off?
Fascinating blog! Will have to follow:)
ReplyDelete