Fashion and Surrealism free essay sample

Fashion and Surrealism: Why Not? Imagining a world where your dreams and subconscious co-exist with the general happenings of life is surreal however extremely alluring. Surrealist artists and fashion designers have a steady belief in this fantasy and have attempted to achieve this through the work of art and fashion. Throughout this essay, the bewildering topic of fashion and Surrealism will be taken into an in depth analysis. Topical questions will be undertaken to ensure a clear understanding of fashion and surrealism. With defining the concepts behind Surrealist fashion the essay will be able to progress into additional subjects within the topic. Relevant fashion designers and artists will be observed and from this, the essay will continue to mention the results of Surrealist fashion. With covering historic and present relations in the subject matter, the penultimate question will identify whether with the present day market, politics, commercial awareness and fame, does Surrealist fashion uphold its place in fashion. We will write a custom essay sample on Fashion and Surrealism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However before commencing with these questions, first an understanding of Surrealism in art is to be found. Surrealism : Pure Psychic automatism by which it is intended to express, either verbally or in writing, or otherwise the true function of thought. Thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason and outside all aesthetic or moral preoccupations. [1] Opposed to the customary art expressions of the conscious mind, surrealism welcomes the concept that the unconscious mind could also be utilized. Reality is isolated by the human unconscious which creates unfeasible sights and inconsistent arrangements. These concepts clarify the art movement. Juxtaposed orders also have an important component within a surrealist artist creativity. With profound use of the interpretation of dreams, artists allow this to unlock their mind and obtain an everlasting structure of their work. They believe that ‘surreality’ is achievable, in which we live in a world of dream and fantasy integrated into our standard everyday life. [2] Surrealism is the descendant from such avant-garde movements as Dadaism, Cubism, expressionism and futurism. Before Dadaism and Surrealism, artists followed the customary form of nature in painting. Due to the World War one, Dadaism was formed into ‘anti-art’, when artists began incorporating politics from the war and social life into their art. (See Illustration 1. 1) Dada redefined how art was looked at and what it stood for. [3] Subsequently the Dada artists who evolved into surrealist artists carried this through. In 1924, Andre Breton, a French poet of the early 1900’s, published his surrealist manifesto featuring paintings and from this, Surrealism had begun its impact in art and literacy. Surrealism’s beginning main contributors to the victorious movement were, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Joan Miro, Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. Dali has become one of the most recognizable names in art. Not only is he notorious for his subconscious masterpieces, but also for delving into the notion that fashion and surrealism not only co-exist, but could work together simultaneously. Before Dali’s realised thoughts of surrealist fashion, artists of preceding art movements such as, Dadaism and Futurism had comprehended the potential of wearable art. Jean Arp, one of the founders of Dadaism, constructed costumes as part of his display of non conformism. The Futurism art movement saw the creation of playful dresses, conflicting to the traditional way of dress. Futuristic artists/designers were to add modifiers to clothing. These modifiers were intricate detailing such as vivid colouring and asymmetrical cuts. The intention was to modify the wearers’ mood through these details. Another futurist example of art in fashion was Ernesto Michahelles, otherwise known as Thayaht. Thayaht combined the art concepts and created the Tuta. The Tuta was an all–in–one garment. It had similar connotations to the overall. When Thayaht created the garment in 1919, it was deemed as an elegant, practical, versatile, easy to make and economical garment; a great success and revolution in the combining world of art and fashion. [5] (See Illustration 1. 3 and 1. 4) By the 1930’s surrealism had entered the discovery of artistry fashion. ‘Two words have always been banned from my house – the word â€Å"creation†, which strikes me as the height of pretentiousness, and the word â€Å"impossible†. ’[6] Elsa Schiaparelli, Shocking life Among many fashion designers, Elsa Schiaparelli fell victim to the bewildering ways of surrealist fashion. Schiaparelli was not afraid to undertake new and innovative fashions. Her designs would commonly align shock and chic and her continuous effort to shock and entertain her audience, has seen succeeding fashion designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent be inspired by the same ambition. After Schiaparelli’s career had taken flight in Paris, 1934, her use of Surrealism into her Haute Couture collections was becoming ever more noticeable. Aside from her X-ray Skeleton dress, (See Illustration 1. 5) Schiaparelli’s Surrealism blossomed from the intricate detailing within her collections. With scores of hats whose those details contained some of a human brain, a shoe, a telescope, a lamb cutlet, a pointed clowns hat, She was realising her forte within fashion. [7] The list was infinite with, novelty buttons in the shape of padlocks, acrobatic dancers, paperweights, lips, animals, feathers and glass eyes. (See Illustration 1. 6) However, Schiaparelli did continue on with her Haute Couture collections, absent Surrealism. One Surrealist artist that she became accustom to was, Salvador Dali. Dali had been an admirer of Schiaparelli’s work and requested to design for and alongside her. [8] This quickly became a reality, and the outcomes are most likely the most recognizable of Schiaparelli’s career, for instance the Lobster Dress of 1937. (See Illustration 1. 7) Evidently, Schiaparelli was not the sole designer, publication or photographer of this era to take advantage of Surrealism. The majority of publications in the 1930’s and 1940’s had observed the potential of Surrealist art, photography and fashion. Vogue and Harper Bazaar were at the forefront of this and with their expectation; Surrealism became an unremitting factor within the pages. The editor and contributors would create a distressed but beautiful surrounding, in which the text and image would some how unite and be integrated into a work of art. [9] (See Illustration 1. 8) Man Ray, a fashion photographer was display countless Surrealist visions through the lens. He, among others such as Schiaparelli, Dali, Jean – Michael Frank and Jean Cocteau were granted messengers of Surrealist art in all forms. In 1937, Man Ray, Oscar Dominguez (Artist) and Madeleine Vionnet fashioned an advertisement. The advertisement featured, a model dressed elegantly in a Madeleine Vionnet gown sitting in a red satin wheelbarrow with luxury. Man Ray had photographed the image and amplified the value and the certainty of awkwardness and agitation between the juxtapositions of the women and the wheelbarrow. He was able to signify hidden messages within a shoot and let them be exploited. [10] (See Illustration 1. ) With Surrealism being discovered by various fashion designers, photographers and publications, there became an ability to free the restrictions of fashion, enabling boundaries to break. Conventional, traditional, wearable and practical are considered the primary characteristics for clothing. With the release of surrealism in fashion, these notions are allowed to be over shadowed. Art on the runway is formed and designers are not afraid to change the basics of fashion. The question which drives surrealist fashion designers is, why not? Many functional garments have been reversed into a work of art with broken boundaries in abundance. A Bodice and two-piece panelled dress, princess line seaming, A-line and circular skirt construction are all basic and practical methods of garment construction. However, if you adapt the panelling to any line of the body you like, add an eccentric amount of flounce to one half of the A-line skirt or disfigure and add irregular pleating to the bodice, these are seen as breaking the boundaries of conventional fashion. The detailing f garments can be manipulated to alter the use of functionality to simply be an addition to the garment to be admired. Designers realise that a zip doesn’t have to be at the centre front and why not use many zips to detach and alter the length or width of a garment. Nor do buttons need to be circular and have the use as a fastening. Fashion designers such as, Elsa Schiaparelli took this example of button use and created fantastic buttons to complement her designs. Schiaparelli use of misplacements and avant-garde surrealism in her designs were a common factor. In 1936, the eccentric designer designed the Desk Suit. (See Illustration 2. 1) The Desk Suit was profoundly inspired by Dali’s 1936, The City of Drawers. The garment featured surreal drawers in the use of pockets, where few are functional, however others are decoration. [11] Almost fifty years later, Doline Dritsas, a French fashion designer drove the Dali inspiration of The City of Drawers artwork to her own version and produced the Painted Silk Drawer dress in 1984. Dritsas designed the dress with half painted drawers attached and jewellery pouring out of them. 12] (See Illustration 2. 2) This work of art in fashion produced another resource which should be tapped, and many designers’ pre and post Dritsas had and would benefit from this. Furthermore, designers have not only used construction methods and fabrics to break boundaries in fashion, but objects of no fashion identity such as wooden drawers, have been moulded to produce a work of fashion. Musical instruments have been an inspiration for many fashion designers throughout the past and present. Paul Colin, a French fashion designer of the 1900’s, designed the collection, L’Orchestre en Liberte (Costume for the violin). This collection contained musical instruments such as the harp, the flute and trumpet as an accessory to be worn as a hat. (See Illustration 2. 3) Colin also designed the Costume for Two Woodwinds collection in 1931. These designs featured flutes being transformed into garments for individuals to wear. [13] Post Paul Colin’s surreal instrumental practice, Christian Dior also tapped the use of music by designing sheet music as a hat in 1979. The result being that, the exposure of music then becomes a physical part of the garment. [14] (See Illustration 2. 4) The inspiration of music continued onto Karl Lagerfeld, now head of house at Chanel, when he designed the Guitar Dress for Chloe in 1983. The design features a side cut out bodice dress, with the guitar being the connector to the bodice and skirt. With the use of drapery, Lagerfeld designed a guitar pin to secure the dress with an asymmetric hem. [15] (See Illustration 2. 5) This use of unpredictable placements of objects would be considered as mild Surrealist Fashion. When observing recent designers collections in the notion of Surrealist Fashion, there have been a select few who have been triumphant over past designers and with that have the shock factor to bewilder and amaze audiences with what they can achieve and how well it works. One extremely successful fashion designer and designer in many other products, who has fully embraced Surrealism in fashion is Spanish designer, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. From 1981, Agatha burst onto the scene in great success. Her first collection in Madrid was well praised and from her accomplishment she opened her own studio. Agatha was heavily endorsed in the cultural and artistic scene in Spain and was steadily conquering her country. By 1991, Agatha had expanded her brand into a multi-product company. Aside from women’s fashion, she had branched out to men’s, children’s wear, shoes, towels, make-up, ceramics and linens. [16] Agatha fashion collections are not be shunned from conventional fashion, but to be admired at the abilities and uses of Surrealism. She demonstrated this with her 2009/10 fall collection. Throughout the show were explosions of vivid surreal fashions. There displayed a fuchsia silk suit with an upside down structured umbrella with artificial drops of rain sprinkling aside. Also captured was a keyboard dress which stretched the body, much to the inspiration from the everlasting Dali. [17] (See Illustrations 2. 6 and 2. 7) Agatha’s assurance to Surrealist Fashion is showcased on the runway and from her collections she has been one of the uncontrollable leaders of Surrealist fashion. From the full invasion of surrealist fashion in the 1930’s to the present day, the general basics of garment construction have been given a new breath of life. It has become an innovative and unique way of fashion, where Avant-Garde fashion is the art exhibition of a catwalk. However, with designers delving into the surroundings of surrealism, has the overall reason to produce these misplaced garments adapted through time? The younger days of Surrealist fashion saw designers and artists bring their disciplines together to achieve something wonderful. They desired to produce new and undiscovered methods to fashion, where the integration of Surrealism and fashion had a personal meaning to up hold. Nevertheless, with commercial awareness, fame and money being at the forefront for many designers, it seems that the reasoning behind these ‘shocking’ collections has changed. With fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier, all being no stranger to Avant-Garde Surrealist fashion, who is to say those designers and others, are attempting to ‘top’ one another to gain more awareness and coverage. It seems that the originality of being inspired by the great works of Surrealist artists may have become overlooked by the temptation of money, fame and at times ego. Surrealism in fashion is a way to express the subconscious and dream like fantasies and with the overshadowing of unsettled events in the present day; there is an increasing purpose to produce such work. If current designers are aiming to gain popularity with their audience, then producing a collection that can escort them from the monotonous happenings of life is surely a positive and effective approach to achieve this. Nevertheless, taking into account the economic issues we are facing today has the audiences’ views on producing catwalk restricted clothing altered. From this, the question has to be asked whether Surrealist fashion continues to have a place in the market of selling, or is it just a pleasantry to the eye; a work of art to be admired. Naturally, with the use of Surrealist fashion on the catwalk, there are benefits to retail chains within the high street and students studying fashion. Inspiration is leaking from Surrealist designer collections such as, Agatha and some high street chains and students can exploit this to their advantages. However, despite these two examples which may favour the art on the catwalk, there are still economic issues to determine, not only for the consumer, but the designer also. Producing these Surrealist Avant-Garde pieces, that are highly unlikely to be worn by your everyday person, can have a profit loss effect on the designer and their business. Fashion designers invest a considerable amount of money in ensuring these pieces are to perfect standard and fit for royalty. However, the monetary return can be very little if not any. 18] With this taken into consideration, there is a produced thought of whether creating the masterpieces of Surrealist Avant-Garde fashion is a waste of time, money and effort. Off course you can argue that with celebrity culture being a massive participant to fashion these days, designers can find hope of producing money from these garments from our rich and famous. Furthermore, due to these figures being in the public eye, inspiration and trends can be set fr om these garments. For Example, Lady Gaga has become one of the most recognizable celebrity figures. Her devotion to wearing Alexander McQueen’s sometimes shocking Avant-Garde collections has exposed his work to those of a world not surrounded by fashion. (See Illustration 2. 8) To settle with, it seems that despite the economic issues and shrinking markets in the current day, these concerns have not ceased designers from desiring to produce such garments. To conclude, fashion and Surrealism have had a promising bond since the early stages of the 20th Century. Despite the ever changing trends and movements in fashion, Surrealism has been able to persist its way through and keep its place. The collaboration has enticed many fashion designers, artists, photographers and publications and with this, unique and revolutionary artwork has been produced. Furthermore, despite the economic and politic issues seen since Andre Breton’s 1924 manifesto, these creative minds have continued their serge for the wonderful, continuously shocking and at times bizarre nature that Surrealism brings to fashion. With boundaries broken in ways never thought, Surrealist fashion has been able to bring the much fantasied ‘Surreality’, a little closer to reality. Not only has surrealism had an impact in fashion but art in general from past and present has shaped up the fashion world in design and the fields of advertisement and marketing.

I heard a Fly buzz-when I died Essays

I heard a Fly buzz-when I died Essays I heard a Fly buzz-when I died Paper I heard a Fly buzz-when I died Paper The death in Emily Dickinsons poem I heard a Fly buzz-when I died is painless but striking. The appearance of the fly is startling at first because it is unexpected. The setting of the poem is the speakers death bed, what is an ordinary fly doing there? Obviously the speaker is waiting to die, she (if I may give the speaker a gender) has willed my Keepsakes-Signed away What portion of me be Assignable-. [lines 9-11] She appears to have accepted her death but is waiting for something amazing to happen.The room is quiet but with a sense of anticipation The Stillness in the Room Was like the Stillness in the Air-Between the Heaves of Storm-. There is a peaceful atmosphere yet death is the storm to come. The reader senses that the speaker and mourners are expecting some spectacular event at the moment of her death. The Eyes around-had wrung them dry-And Breaths were gathering firm For that last Onset-when the King Be witnessed-in the Room-. [lines 5-8] This stanza suggests that the mourn ers have ceased crying and were now waiting to witness something incredible when the speaker dies. Last onset is an oxymoron; onset means a beginning, and last means an end.For Christians, death is the beginning of eternal life, death brings revelation, when God or the nature of eternity becomes known. The King could be a reference to God, perhaps they are expecting the hand of God to reach down and spirit her away to Heaven. This suspense filled moment is interrupted by a buzzing fly who seems to be unaware of the grim situation. The fly is doing what a fly does, unaffected by the speakers death. We consider the fly to be inconsequential, while the fly does not think about us at all. Its life does not stop because the speaker was dying, in fact the fly does not even notice. The speaker and mourners see the fly and believe that it has caused them to miss the moment of her death when in actuality there was nothing to see. There is no large flash of light or supernatural event, just t he simple buzzing of a fly.The speaker says There interposed a fly-With Blue-uncertain, stumbling Buzz-Between the light-and me-And then the Windows failed-and then I could not see to see. [lines 12-16] While she and the mourners were waiting for some miraculous occurrence this fly distracted them and they missed the moment of her death. But they didnt realize that in the end there was nothing to see. Our death is natural, we die just like every other living being on the planet. It is the one moment where we return to nature and are no better or worse than the rest of the animals. This reinforces that death, even the death of a human, is a simple passing. Nature accepts the dead and continues, as it has done from the beginning of time. The central image in this poem is not the speaker, whose death we are witnessing, but the fly. The presence of the fly symbolizes nature and affirms that each death is of equal significance in the eyes of the earth.Emily Dickinsons portrayal of Death in Because I could not stop for Death is that of a gentleman caller. She personifies Death as a guide, leading her on a journey through life, each passing scene represents a different stage. We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess-in the Ring [lines 9-12] depicts childhood, We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- portrays maturity, and We passed the Setting Sun-Or rather-He passed Us- represents the grave. The ride reflects the natural progression of the speakers life in an un-threatening manner. The speaker does not seem to fear Death, she accepts his invitation with no dismay or trepidation.Because I could not stop for Death-He kindly stopped for me- shows how Death appears to have done the speaker a favor. It also describes Death as kind instead of ghastly or hideous, the way we normally think of him. The Carriage held but just Ourselves And Immortality is a telling line. The capitalization of immortality and the fact that it has its own line in the first stanza empha sizes the importance of the third passenger. It indicates the immortality of death, that death is the one thing that is eternal. The carriage ride is slow, giving the speaker ample time to adjust to her death. After passing the children, the fields of grain, and the setting sun, the carriage passes a house. We slowly drove-He knew no hasteAnd I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility-. [lines 5-8] The speaker envisions Death as a person she trusted or believed that she could trust. Clearly there has been no deception on his part. They drive in a leisurely manner, and she feels completely at ease. She is therefore quite willing to put aside her work. We paused before a House that seemed A swelling of the Ground-The Roof was scarcely visible-The Cornice-in the Ground- [lines 17-20] The description of the house that seemed to protrude out of the ground, the roof scarcely visible, brings to mind a grave sinking into the earth. The last stanza suggests the speaker is r emembering the ride centuries later. Since then-t is centuries-and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses Heads Were toward Eternity. [lines 21-24] She recalls the drive in vivid detail although it occurred long ago.The moment she realized the horses were carrying her toward eternity is fresh in her mind as if it happened yesterday. This stanza displays an atmosphere of timelessness, the eternity of death. There is a supernatural quality to the fourth stanza, especially the last three lines. The Dews drew quivering and chill-For only Gossamer, my Gown-My Tippet-only Tulle-. [lines 16-18] The speaker shivers as she is chilled by the Dew, her Gown and Tippet (a cape) are made of Gossamer (a cobweb) and Tulle. Tulle is a fine net usually used for veils and is transparent, which conveys an ethereal quality. In this stanza it begins to get cold, reflecting the passing from life into death. This poem portrays death as something not to fear, as another journey.I felt a Funeral, in my Brain is about another kind of death, the death of the mind or soul. Its a record of a mental collapse, told after its happened, it traces the speakers descent into madness. The speaker uses a funeral as a metaphor for the part of her that is dying. And Mourners to and fro Kept treading-treading-till it seemed That Sense was breaking through-. [lines 2-4] The mourners represent the agitation the speaker feels, the constant pacing of thoughts back and forth in her mind. The last line makes it possible to think that the frenzied thoughts in her head were eventually beginning to make sense. In the second stanza the drum replaces the monotonous tone of the mourners, driving the speaker further toward the edge of insanity.And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum-Kept beating-beating-till I thought My Mind was going numb-. [lines 5-8] The speaker has begun to feel deadened here by the repetitive beat of the drum. But as we move into the third stanza something r evives her mind into action again. And then I heard them lift a Box And creak across my Soul With those same Boots of Lead, again, Then Space-began to toll,. [lines 9-12] Perhaps the sound of her minds coffin being lifted to be put in the grave woke the speaker out of her trance. She begins to return to the frantic desperation of ideas racing around her head, which along with the Boots of Lead appear to be weighing her down.The fourth stanza continues the poems building of tension, As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange Race Wrecked, solitary, here-. [lines 13-16] Whatever the speaker means by Being, she does not include herself in that category, for she ; Silence, some strange Race are Wrecked, solitary, here. That line suggests a shipwreck, making one think of 2 sailors lost on a deserted isle. Through stanzas one to 4 the speaker has moved from the claustrophobic environment of the funeral to the immeasurable environment of sound.A nd then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down-And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing-then-. [lines 17-20] In the fifth stanza the speaker uses the metaphor of standing on a plank or board over a precipice, to describe the her descent into insanity. She falls past worlds, losing her connections to reality. This is the final stop on the speakers road to madness, her mind has completely snapped. This poem describes a persons journey through a mental breakdown. The speaker is both observer of the funeral and participant, indicating that the Self is divided, by the end of the poem, the Self has shattered into pieces.These three poems have one obvious theme in common, death. I heard a Fly buzz-when I died examines the nature of death, what people expect to encounter when they die. Human beings believe we are special, superior to the other animals and that our deaths should be treated with more reverence. We forget that humans are animals and we are all a p art of the same family. Our deaths are no more or less significant than the other animals.Death is natural. Because I could not stop for Death teaches us that death is not to be feared, it is not an end to life but the beginning of a new journey. Death should not be sought after but neither should it be something to afraid of. In I felt a Funeral, in my Brain is a little different. While it portrays a persons mental collapse, it also shows that the death of the mind or sanity is nothing to fear. Once you pass that breakdown, get through the madness, your mind is free. Only by giving in to it can you truly be sane.

Development of a publishable paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development of a publishable paper - Essay Example Methods A qualitative research methodology is employed for the purpose of the study. The common themes in the literature on the therapeutic relationships between the nurses and clients are identified. The study was administered on a sample target group (who were screened based on their experiences of having worked in mental healthcare) of nurses who work in the psychiatric and mental health care hospitals in and around Melbourne in Victoria Australia. A preliminary mailed questionnaire was used to eliminate nurses with no prior experiences in mental healthcare. A telephonic interview was also administered on these respondents to know their willingness to take part in the sample survey. Thus, the participants for the survey consisted of 40 nurses who worked in and around Melbourne in Victoria Australia with at least two years of working in mental healthcare. The questionnaire comprised of 8 interrelated questions most of which were open ended. Results and Conclusions The results of th e study confirmed the common themes identified in the literature review. While therapeutic relationships have been identified as very much significant by the participant nurses they expressed their concern over the inadequacy of ongoing staff training, the heavy work schedule and the problems associated with maintaining professional boundaries. The respondents regarded mutual trust, empathy, confidentiality and non-judgment, feelings of reciprocity and connectedness, and acceptance and understanding as the key factors of effective therapeutic alliance whereas respect, communication and interpersonal skills, and professional knowledge were complementary. On the other hand, the major crippling factors (that prevent effective therapeutic alliance with patients) identified by the respondents consisted of mistrust, breach of confidentiality, ego, lack of communication and interpersonal skills, and lack of professional knowledge. Introduction and Background The therapeutic alliance betwee n the nurse and the client assumes utmost significance in the mental healthcare setting as the patients are greatly in need of personal counseling, guidance and care. Nurses need to have professional knowledge and skills to establish effective therapeutic relationships with the clients and they should be specially trained in displaying caring attitudes and behaviors towards the clients. The ultimate aim of the therapeutic alliance is the physical and mental well-being of the clients and as such the therapeutic relationship should be â€Å"based on trust, respect, empathy and professional intimacy, and requires appropriate use of the power inherent in the care provider’s role† (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2009, p. 3). The five components of effective nurse-client relationships have been identified as â€Å"trust, respect, professional intimacy, empathy and power† (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2009, p. 3). Nurses who work as catalytic agents of change needs to have good communication as well as interpersonal skills and a thorough knowledge regarding the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship (McQueen 2000). It is also significant that the nurses are able to build rapport and trust with the patients (McQueen 2000), show trust and commitment (Morse