Week 22 - Fashion Finds

I'm in love...


Hello lovely readers.. So this post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links do not cost you anything, they just provide a way for me to finance this website and help out with running costs. In a nutshell – if you end up purchasing a product, I will receive a small commission for recommending the product to you. Rest assured though, every product that I link to is because I love the look of it, or would totally recommend it – even if affiliate links didn’t exist. Happy shopping!


American Gothic - Fashion Inspiration

I thought I might struggle to find a look to match American Gothic that still rings true of my style aesthetic.. boy, was I wrong. Turns out I’m a bit more puritanical than I originally thought.

Here are my top picks to have you looking slightly less like a “pinched, grim-faced, puritanical Bible-thumper” and a little more effortlessly chill. I think it’s a perfect look for our current Autumn weather.

I’m buying this white shirt by Hope. It’s just so perfect. And if anyone wants to buy me that Gucci brooch, i’d happily accept it too 😉

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American Gothic by Grant Wood

This American life...


American Gothic by Grant Wood
(1930)

American // Regionalism
Painted with oil paints on a 62.4 x 74.3 cm canvas
Currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, USA

American Gothic is by far Grant Wood’s most famous painting, and it’s also one of the most recognizable works of the 20th century. Wood painted it in 1930 and it wasn’t long before the parodies started to emerge – however, it wasn’t always received with such admiration. Throughout the 1900s, many made claims that Wood was mocking the intolerance and rigidity of rural lifestyle and locals of Iowa were furious at their depiction as “pinched, grim-faced, puritanical Bible-thumpers”, but in actual fact Woods had no such satirical plan for the painting. Instead, Wood was really paying homage to the Puritan ethics and virtues, which he believed gave the Midwestern character its dignity and which he admired.

The title “American Gothic” was inspired by the American Gothic style home that can be seen in the background, and it’s the house that was the first star of the painting. Woods spotted it on a visit to Iowa and sketched it on the spot – later having the house photographed so that he could reference its architecture.

Posing for the girl was Wood’s sister Nan, and their family dentist took the place on the right to model for the man. There is some ambiguity around whether it is supposed to be husband and wife or a farmer and his spinster daughter for the characters. Woods’ himself remains fairly silent on this point and its been suggested that it was his sister who earnestly pushed for the father / daughter angle after being embarrassed to be portrayed as the wife of a man who is clearly much older than her.

It wasn’t until the Great Depression that people started to take the painting a bit more seriously. It came to represent – not the satirical joke on rural life as previously proclaimed – but a celebration of American virtue and the “Pioneer spirit” that Americans felt embodied them at that time. However, it was also this seriousness of “Authentic Americans” that first gave rise to the parodies – The first instance came from a photographer in 1942 who photographed a cleaning woman holding a broom in front of an American flag and called it American Gothic. Since then, there have been countless parodies in movies, music, art and even cartoons.

The house itself still remains the star of the show with people today flocking to get their own interpretation of an American Gothic pose out the front.

All the good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.

― Grant Wood


Week 16 - Fashion Finds

I'm a believer...


Hello lovely readers.. So this post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links do not cost you anything, they just provide a way for me to finance this website and help out with running costs. In a nutshell – if you end up purchasing a product, I will receive a small commission for recommending the product to you. Rest assured though, every product that I link to is because I love the look of it, or would totally recommend it – even if affiliate links didn’t exist. Happy shopping!

Click on images below to find out more about each item..


March 2018

March
- 03/2018 -

Is it really March already?

This edition: Starting school, an Aussie Summer song, a book about money, and time flying.

Well, I seemed to have blinked and now it’s March. I can’t even fathom that. It still feels like im trying to get myself organised for the year and here we are already a quarter of the way through.

Anyways – How has your year been so far? My eldest daughter started school this year and its been a game-changer. I suddenly feel like we have some stability again after the chaos of having 2 small kids at multiple day-cares and different routines every day. Now, I cant wait for my youngest to get there too. I know it becomes a different type of busy but somehow it just feels more structured.

My daughters first day of school.

#ilovethisphoto

Listening to...

Alice Ivy - Chasing Stars feat. Bertie Blackman
This song by Alice Ivy with vocals by Bertie Blackman is the perfect blend of chilled goodness. Its been my summer anthem.

In my head

AND

on the net...


This month's photos

An afternoon watching a Summer storm roll in

HOT TIP!

Look, I’m not a guru with money or anything. In fact if there was complete opposite – that would be me. But I do respond well to practical, lead-driven advice (Do, this, don’t do that).. so I guess that’s why I liked this book so much.

If you haven’t read it and you want some really good advice for getting ahead and making a future nest-egg for yourself and your kids.. then read this.

Just do it. It can’t bloody hurt.

Buy on BookDepository

You will never 'find' time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.

- Charles Buxton


Frida Kahlo - Fashion Inspo

Frida Kahlo (1907 – 1954) is today’s fashion muse. Frida was an incredibly passionate Mexican artist who was inspired by Mexican popular culture. Today’s inspo outfit is all about bright colours with a twist of kitsch and fun.

Be sure to check out my latest Escape Into Art piece about one of her most famous artworks – The Two Fridas. The story why she painted it is incredibly heartbreaking.

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The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo

How do you mend a broken heart...


The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo
(1939)
Mexico // Naïve Art (Primitivism)
Painted with oil paints on a 173.5 x 173 cm canvas
Currently on display at Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico

Of the many self-portraits Mexican artist Frida Kahlo painted, the work entitled “The Two Fridas” remains one of purveyors’ absolute favourites. It is her largest painting, and Frida created it at the same time her husband, Diego Rivera, was divorcing her. With just that small bit of context, it becomes very apparent what Frida was feeling at the time and the overall meaning behind the piece.

On the left side of the portrait sits Frida with her dress torn open to reveal a broken and bleeding heart, signifying the pain she was experiencing from Diego rejecting her. In her hand, she holds a pair of bloody scissors. On the right side of the portrait, the viewer sees Frida before the divorce–when Rivera still loved her. Her heart is whole and her face shows no distress. In her hand, she holds a tiny portrait of Rivera.

Interestingly, the real-life tiny portrait featured in this painting was later discovered amongst Frida’s belongings and can now be seen at her art museum in Mexico called the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico.

Still looking at the painting, you can observe a lot of small details that help further tell the story of Frida’s suffering. Both versions of Frida sit on one bench, holding hands in front of a dark, stormy backdrop. The main artery runs between them, connecting both of their hearts together. On the left, it can be seen running down in front of Frida to the scissors in her hand where she has cut it off, and is now in danger of bleeding out.

When Frida first painted this piece, she initially wrote in her diary that it was inspired by an imaginary friend she had as a child. It was only much later on, perhaps after she had somewhat recovered from the emotional struggle of the divorce, that she admitted her divorce is what inspired her to create it. While it is now a highly acclaimed work, she only received about $1,000 for it (4,000 Pesos) while she was alive. It was sold to Mexico City’s National Institute of Fine Arts.

This painting marked the most expensive painting she ever sold during her lifetime, but since then, many of her works have went on to become well-loved within the art community. Her paintings explore topics such as gender, race, class, and identity, and since she used naïve folk art style while drawing on Mexican popular culture of the time, her style remains highly admired to this day.

“I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.”

― Frida Kahlo


Week 08 - Fashion Finds

It's time for some fun...


Hello lovely readers.. So this post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links do not cost you anything, they just provide a way for me to finance this website and help out with running costs. In a nutshell – if you end up purchasing a product, I will receive a small commission for recommending the product to you. Rest assured though, every product that I link to is because I love the look of it, or would totally recommend it – even if affiliate links didn’t exist. Happy shopping!

Click on images below to find out more about each item..