Vienna: Art & Design
‘The Park’, Gustav Klimt, 1910. I really enjoyed this image, with its endless wall of leaves.
Koloman Moser’s poster for the 13th Vienna Secession exhibitionA few weeks ago I finally got around to seeing the Winter Masterpieces exhibition on the Vienna Secession artists at the National Gallery of Victoria International.
On my friend’s advice I downloaded the audioguide from the website to my own iPod (thereby saving the $8 hire fee), and consequently enjoyed the exhibition much more. Usually these exhibitions are jammed with people, so I found listening to the audioguide created an oasis of calm, and it was much easier to ignore the chatter and concentrate on the exhibit. It was great to go alone in fact, and be able to walk around at my own pace and inclination.
…listening to the audioguide created an oasis of calm…
Tea and coffee set in silver and ivory, Josef Hoffmann, 1909
Sitzmaschine Chair, Josef Hoffmann, 1908I had already been forewarned that there wasn’t much of Klimt’s oeuvre on display. As discouraging as that was, it was expected, so I was disappointed that there were far fewer paintings in general – I’d hoped to see more of Egon Schiele’s work at least. Still, I learned a lot about Josef Hoffman and Adolf Loos that I never knew (and the audioguide was a big help in that regard), and it was great to see examples of graphic design, so the experience was very enjoyable.
As for the missing Klimts … well, I’ll just have to plan a visit to Vienna in the not-too-distant future, won’t I?
The exhibition is now closed. Scroll down for more images.
Fritza Riedler, Gustav Klimt, 1906. This image was very arresting in person, the colour glowing and the patterns mesmerising.
‘Wally in Red Blouse with Raised Knees’, Egon Schiele, 1913. Not actually a part of the exhibition, this painting showcases Schiele’s delicate linework, his colour palette that is both vivid and transparent – and the directness of his subject matter.
Russian Folk Tales
Natalia Goncharova’s backcloth design for the finalé of Michel Fokine’s ballet ‘The Firebird’, for the Ballets Russes, 1926. Image from the V&A Museum.I have always loved Moscow’s fanciful Saint Basil’s Cathedral for its colourful and plump onion domes and fairytale colours. So when I stumbled across this drawing of a set for the Ballet Russes, I was immediately enchanted, both by the subject matter and the warm colour palette, already a favourite of mine.
Costume design for a peasant woman, in ‘The Golden Cockerel’. Image from National Gallery of Australia.
A multitude of domes and minarets rise out of this city, the backcloth for the finalé of Michel Fokine’s ballet The Firebird, designed and illustrated by Natalia Goncharova, for the revival in 1926 (the ballet premiered in 1910). The ballet is based upon folk tales of the magical firebird that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor, set in the magical realm of Kashchei the Immortal.
Goncharova (1881–1962) was a Russian avant-garde artist, costume- and set-designer, illustrator, and writer. She was initially inspired by Russian folk art and icon painting, and later by Futurism. Experimenting with Fauvism and Cubism, Goncharova and her husband went 
Costume for a peasant woman, in ‘The Golden Cockerel’. Image from National Gallery of Australia.on to develop Rayonism (named after the rays of light represented in their paintings), an artistic movement hugely influential on the Russian school of modern art.
As early as 1915 she was designing ballet costumes and sets in Geneva, and in 1921 she was living in Paris. There she began designing stage sets and costumes of Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, including The Wedding(1923), The Firebird (1926) and The Golden Cockerel (1937).
A Tissue Makeover
Much more the thing: tissue covers the unsightly pulp layer that had yellowed with ageMonths and months have passed since I last touched my papier maché masks. Today I finally made time to get onto the next stage. My poor masks looked like lepers after the failed pulp experiment; I’d decided to try tissue paper because I’d read it gave papier maché a porcelain-like finish. Anything to restore their complexions…
Six cups of water and one quarter cup flour boils down to thisWhile the flour and water glue was cooking (1/4 cup flour added to one cup water and mixed til smooth, then added to five cups of boiling water, and cooked for several minutes to thicken), I began tearing tissue paper into usable strips.
I’d been squirreling away white tissue paper all these months, having discovered that the tissue paper used for wrapping in stores is softer and easier to tear than giftwrap tissue – maybe it is recycled? Tearing the paper using just my hands proved too laborious, and I quickly subverted the use of a steel ruler.
Four or five sheets of tissue paper are more than enough for the job – there’s plenty left over for next timeI found that once the tissue paper was dipped in the flour paste, it became very delicate, which meant I had to work at a fast clip. The tissue took on the consistency of cellophane rice noodles and their recalcitrant slippery nature, and the protective dropcloth soon became slopped with paste.
The tissue took on the consistency of cellophane rice noodles and their recalcitrant slippery nature…
It was a fun, tactile experience however, and I’m really pleased with the end result. Now that the bumpy pulp has been covered up in many layers of tissue, you can see the sweet expressions of my bearded gentleman and his lady once more. A couple more rounds of tissue and then they’ll be ready for some gesso!
The Bitter Half
Walking through South Melbourne at lunchtime today, I passed The Clarendon hotel and chuckled when this advertising poster caught my eye: that’s just clever copy-writing. I do love how this 40s-style pin-up is hefting a broken heart in her hand too, ready to smash it over someone’s head.
Burnt By the Sun
[Fig 1] Solarised image, created in Photoshop using a Curves adjustment layer
A CAPSULE HISTORY
Solarisation is one of the oldest effects applied to photographic film or prints. The simplest description is an image that ‘is wholly or partially reversed in tone. Dark areas appear light or light areas appear dark.’ [Wikipedia] This means much more than a simple inversion of an image.
On a negative, solarisation was the result of extreme overexposure in the camera: in scenic photographs, for example, the sun turns grey or black (hence solarisation, from ‘sol’, sun). An additional, distinctive effect is the white line that is laid down along sharply contrasting edges – this is called the Sabatier line.
Although the effect was seen as early as the 1840s, it is Man Ray’s photographs that are most often called to mind. He applied the effect in the darkroom rather than in-camera, and it was his assistant Lee Miller who in fact accidentally discovered the effect, when she turned on the light in the darkroom while a print was being developed.
Portraits of Lee Miller by Man Ray, c 1930
[Fig 2] Curve graph (used to create the solarised effect in Fig 1)
DIGITAL METHODS
While I remember experimenting with this technique many moons ago (pardon the pun) as a high school photography student, today it is much easier to apply the effect digitally, and with far more control. There are various approaches, starting with the default Solarisation filter in Photoshop, where you might look first. This gives you zero control. Another simple method is to set the mode of a layer to Difference or Exclusion, but a far more useful technique is to use a Curves adjustment layer, which is entirely customisable (see Fig 2). The various examples here show the differing results of the two methods.
I much prefer the look of black and white or duotone images, finding the colour images far too gaudy and brash for my liking. However, I did manage to create a subtle version (Fig 4) using a normal colour photo at the base, duplicating that layer, and then setting it on Exclusion mode at 85%. (Check out the original image here.)
[Fig 3] This image was created using the Solarisation filter in Photoshop CS4, with a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer on top to create the dark sepia tone. Click image for larger version.
[Fig 4] This image was created using a normal colour image that was duplicated, with the top layer set to Exclusion, on an opacity of 85%. Click image for larger version.
Since I always love to make ‘new’ photos look ‘old’, I’ve added an antique viewfinder complete with dust and scratches in black, using onOne’s software PhotoFrame 4.0.
Here is another example below, showing the great dissimilarities between solarisation using Curves (Fig 5) and Photoshop’s default solariastion filter (Fig 6).
Scroll to the bottom for resources.
[Fig 5] This image was solarised using adjustment layers: Black & White and Curves, with tonal values adjusted until the desired result was achieved. A sepia tone was applied over the top using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
[Fig 6] This image was solarised using the default filter in Photoshop CS4, with a sepia tone applied using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
RESOURCES
Read a bit about the history on Wikipedia or the University of Washington’s helpful article; view a gallery, and check out a step-by-step tutorial. (I used a single Curves adjustment layer, and did not use such a severe curve; nor did I do any dodging or burning – it is a completely subjective decision.)