Tuesday, 1 February 2011

Dress Up 2011 - February

The Dress Up 2011 theme for February is Gustav Klimt, the painter.  Now those in the know will probably be saying 'ah, The Kiss' but as I had no idea who he was or what he had painted it was all a mystery, so I did what I always do when faced with a mystery... I Googled it!!  What on earth we all did before Google is another mystery - either hoped we had an intelligent friend or a set of Encyclopedia Britannica handy, I guess! ;)  Oh and if anyone out there wants a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, with updates to about 2001, just let me know??? which would leave people to presume that I have no intelligent friends, but you would be wrong, the Britannica's are immaculate!! LOL
Then I was in the local thrift shop perusing the book section and I found a book on Klimt!!  It must have been preordained... I swiftly purchased it at a ridiculous price and took it home in the hope that it would give me inspiration for my dress this month!
Completed in 1907, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a painting by Gustav Klimt. It was painted in Vienna after being commissioned by Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy industrialist.  It took Klimt three years to complete the painting.
Adele Bloch-Bauer was the only model who was ever painted by Klimt twice, being also the model for the painting Adele Bloch-Bauer II, which was painted by Klimt in 1912.


Adele Bloch-Bauer II was painted in 1912 by Gustav Klimt.  Her husband was a big sponsor of the arts, including of Klimt, which probably had some influence on her sitting for Klimt twice. Both portraits of Adele Bloch-Bauer were part of a protracted court battle in the United States and in Austria which resulted in five Gustav Klimt paintings being returned to Maria Altmann, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, in January 2006. 

So these were the two paintings that caught my eye, the first because of the colours and the eyes on the centre   panel of her dress and the second for the lines of the dress and the way the fur around her shoulders draped.
So here is my mannequin in her Klimt inspired outfit! As you can see, I have taken inspiration from both paintings to arrive at my one piece. I used Basic Grey papers and lots of bling plus a piece of fur from my lace bag.  If you want to see all the other dresses pop over to Angela or click on the Dress Up 2011 picture on the right hand side of my blog.
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

17 comments:

  1. Jaluza Scrap1 February 2011 at 12:05

    Parabéns querida pelo vestido lindo.
    Adorável!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bleubeard and Elizabeth1 February 2011 at 13:15

    This, my dear friend, is over the TOP. I love it. I think you are now in a groove. This will be a big hit with the other dress makers.

    Yep, I was thinking about you all day yesterday and this morning when I wrote my tea post. I thought your weather is so much worse than ours. I almost said something on my blog, but decided not to add too many links. I've seen that boiling water technique on the weather channel and was duly impressed. Unlike you, I don't really dress like an Eskimo.

    BTW, when I was making my house for OWOH, I was thinking of you. SERIOUSLY. It was ironic that you would zero in on the piece I made with you in mind.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Angela1 February 2011 at 13:46

    How awesome you found a book about Klimt just before starting this project! I could stand in the book area of a thrift store for hours perusing!
    Your dress is fabulous! I love how you achieved the colors...simply gorgeous. I also love the fur!
    Great work!
    Angela

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ana Cristina Caldatto1 February 2011 at 13:47

    Vixen querida,
    UAUU Belo belo...
    inspiração maravilhosa!

    ReplyDelete
  5. DeeDee1 February 2011 at 15:27

    wowsers..... this is lovely.....great job

    ReplyDelete
  6. Claire1 February 2011 at 15:42

    that's stunning Annette
    C
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anne Jagger1 February 2011 at 18:51

    Wow! Stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jeanie Callaghan1 February 2011 at 19:54

    Spectacular gown! These dresses are so impressive! I think Klimt brings out the best in us!

    ReplyDelete
  9. misteejay1 February 2011 at 21:55

    What a fab creation Annette - you have captured the style perfectly. Wasn't it lucky finding that book.

    Toni xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Asas à imaginação2 February 2011 at 01:33

    Vixen...I loved your dress!!!...is so,so wonderful!!!Realy a great work!!!
    Hugs
    Marlei

    ReplyDelete
  11. Margaret2 February 2011 at 18:54

    Stunning dress!! love your interpretation of Klimt! M

    ReplyDelete
  12. Rosemary2 February 2011 at 19:12

    The ensemble you created really shows the influence of both paintings you selected - I love this; I love the coloring, the rich feeling of it, and that fur is the perfect touch for this! I want to wear this IRL!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Liza MacKinnon3 February 2011 at 03:13

    Fantastic detailing and great contrast in materials... this inspiration was just perfect for you!
    Liza

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dandelion Dreams7 February 2011 at 13:13

    So awesome!!! The combination of the two turned into something spectacular and the fur flitting about the shoulders is just perfect! I love the halo of that collar too! The paper you chose was as if it was made for this dress. Fantabulous!

    Faith, trust, and faerie dust!
    ~Dandelion Dreams

    ReplyDelete
  15. Holly18 February 2011 at 01:31

    I love that you pulled from two of Klimt's works to arrive at your own piece. It is a beautiful creation!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Selma26 February 2011 at 10:05

    Exceedingly fine style! Stunning design and implementation.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sandy Ang1 March 2011 at 19:26

    Stunning from the fur trim to that elaborate neck piece ! Perfect for any Klimt divas

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment, it is truly appreciated - sort of confirms that it is more than my Mum and husband that read this thing! :)

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)