Photo By Gail
After an extended stay in Paris in 1900, Giacomo Balla (1871 – 1958) became increasingly interested in depicting the dynamism of modern life. The focus on motion, speed, and technology that characterize his subsequent work was central to the Futurist movement, whose tenets Italian poet, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti set forth in his 1909 Manifesto of Futurism.
Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Pleasing Numbers By Giacomo Balla
Photo By Gail
Construction for Noble Ladies (1919) by Kurt Schwitters is a key work in the history of modern art, particularly within the context of Dada and the rise of collage and assemblage techniques in the early 20th century. Schwitters, a German artist, is most famous for pioneering a wholly unique, visual idiom he called Merz — a term he used for the rest of his life to describe the collage and assembler works he made with scavenged and discarded materials — essentially elevating trash into aesthetic form.
Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Kurt Schwitters, Construction for Noble Ladies
Photos By Gail
In 1903, French couturier Paul Poiret made his first loose dress with hints of the kimono shape, and by 1906 he had presented his first collection to be worn without a corset. Poiret’s self-confessed lack of sewing skills pushed him to experiment  with sculpting fluid garments directly on the body. Continue reading Eye On Design: Paris Opera Coat By Paul Poiret