arts&crafts

Arts & Crafts movement was all about the return to the handmade aesthetic and beauty. Furnishing textiles were an important offering of this movement. I love textiles, I have a folder called "Patterns&Textures" on my desktop.

left: Morris's Cabbage and Vine Tapestry right: two supercute skirts.

i love anthropologie

They just started a bridal line, BHLDN, and it is so beautiful. Everything is so whimsical, light, flowy, the prints, and the colors are gorgeous. I completely love the aesthetic.

art nouveau (asian-style)

When I first saw the ukiyo-e (Japanese wood block prints), it reminded me very much of Japanese byobus, which were Japanese folding screen paintings, which made its way to Mexico via the Manila Galleon and heavily influenced the Mexican biombos.

I was a supernerd in Latin American Art class.

All of the asian influence makes me think of these beautiful dresses:

The colors, the cut, the patterns, the butterflies (!), the very asian obi-belts. They're gorgeous.

art nouveau

Art nouveau was all about exploration in style, art, and architecture. When I think art nouveau, I think of this subway entrance gate that I saw every day of the summer at work.

This picture kinda sucks, thanks MoMA

I think it's interesting how it was something that the French didn't really care for (art nouveau) and here in the US, it's in an art museum. Although it was said to be created to visually enhance the experience of underground travel on the new subway system in Paris, I'm not sure I really care much for it either. Kat Hanna said she saw it when she was in Paris.

I think we should still take that MoMA trip.

then&now

Letterpress printing was the normal form of printing text in the mid-15th century until the 19th century and remained in wide use for books and other uses until the second half of the 20th century. Now flash to 2011, and the really cool letterpress wallpaper from Wall & Deco.

left: wallpaper from Wall&Deco right: old letterpress

very cool close up:


(glee is on right now, everyone watch it - glee post coming soon!)

photo+design

Last class, my group got the section about the introduction of design to photography. Now, there are magazines like Aperture and Shutterbug completely devoted to photography. Fashion magazines are full of editorials (high fashion clothing + styling + photography).

The composition, color, and use of space is so beautiful in these photos.