An English girl in Paris, part une: street art

This weekend I took my first trip to Paris. With lots to see the majority of my trip was spent walking, and along the way I noticed some incredible examples of street art.

Some pieces of art were so small they were almost unnoticeable. This little picture was near the ground of an enormous wall, just down a side street that pretty much lead to nothing.

Other pieces were impossible not to see. I was so excited to see this wall as I’ve seen it pictured in lots of graffiti and street art books. Can you spot the supermodel toward the bottom of it?

…here’s a close up. It was Kate Moss! She turned up in a few street art pieces that I saw.

Sharing the love was this little tag across the road from the University of Paris. I noticed it about the place quite frequently.

Stickers played a large part in the street art scene. Isn’t this multi-coloured owl beautiful?

Often street art pieces were juxtaposed. I don’t know about you, but I can’t really see a connection between these two? One thing is for sure, they both look great in their own way.

This mosaic piece was quite unusual. Unfortunately it had partially broken, but luckily the writing is still legible. I only speak basic French but would be interested if anyone could tell me what this translates as?

Lots of squidgy, cartoon pieces were painted with vivid colours. I noticed similarities to the work of Lewes Herriot, a Birmingham based illustrator.

My short trip meant that I didn’t find the time to visit the museums I was hoping to see, but with sights like this around the streets, I definitely think I caught the magic of the Parisian art scene.

Would you like to see what else I did in Paris? If so, take a look at the following posts…

• An English girl in Paris, part deux: the Palace of Versailles
• COMING SOON – An English girl in Paris, part trois: cocktails, shopping and everything in between…

“Revolution is the festival of the oppressed” – Germaine Greer

Threshold Festival
Friday 11th February – Sunday 13th February
Contemporary Urban Centre, Liverpool

This weekend Liverpool will be hosting Threshold Festival, a brand new grassroots festival that will be home to a huge variety of events in music, art, photography, dance, theatre and all sorts of other genres. On top of donating every proceed toward those who have “greater needs and fewer chances”, the festival will also be sure to clad its guests in Liverpool’s favourite retro garments from Pillbox Vintage.

On Saturday 12th February, Pillbox Vintage will host a special Threshold vintage fair in the Crypt of the CUC. Visitors can be sure to grab a one off garment and can also take advantage of the company’s personal shopping assistance should they so wish. As usual, all of Pillbox’s stall holders will be independent companies who don’t have a shop or space of their own, ensuring an absolutely exclusive selection of Liverpool’s vintage sellers.

Want to come along and explore? Here’s everything you’ll need to know:

Times
Friday 11th February: 6pm – 12am
Saturday 12th February: 1pm – 4am
Sunday 13th February: 2pm – 11pm

Prices
Single Day Ticket: £5 Adv / £7
Weekend Ticket: £10 Adv / £12

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to soak up the best local talent in your city.

www.thresholdfestival.com

www.pillboxvintage.com

“Coco Chanel had a preference for black, white and gold in an age in which bright colours were all the rage” – Vincent Bouvet

 Book Review
Paris Between the Wars: Art, Glamour and Style in the Crazy Years
Vincent Bouvet and Gérard Durozoi

Filled with stories of artists, musicians, fashion designers and the city life, Paris Between the Wars uses 489 photographs and illustrations to bring to life a period that the French called “les années folles” – the crazy years. Depicting Parisian life between 1919 and 1939, this book paints a clear picture of scenes and movements that flourished in Paris at a time when the world was in a grim position.

“Packed with evocative illustrations, this book is a vibrant kaleidoscope of the incomparable City of Light at its dazzling peak.”

Mesmerising is a section entitled ‘The World of Fashion’. This time period is referred to as ‘the golden age of haute couture’ by Vincent Bouvet and speaks of the incredible significance of the fashion industry during this time – it is stated that Parisian haute couture represented as much as 15% of France’s export trade during the 1930s. Providing snippets of information about the foundations of designers such as Coco Chanel and Jeanne Lanvin, the roles of women in this society are also celebrated in an exciting and feminist twist.

Not only was the fashion itself spoken of in meticulous detail, from colours that designers preferred to types of models that different houses would employ, the influence of fashion on other Parisian elements is explored beautifully.  A memoir relived is the grand tradition of the ball, allowing for photographs of the likes of Picasso and his wife Olga in their finest attires. References such as this are frequent throughout the book; creative worlds such as art, fashion and music are all entwined and feed into one another as different aspects of Paris are explored. This style of writing accurately mirrors Parisian life of this time; the overlapping of these worlds was an enormous source of inspiration for lots of people in war time Paris.

An informative book, what I loved about it the most was its clear and concise photographs. Illustrations throughout the book were explained and contextualised in great detail; this enables the words to jump to life and allows the reader to truly feel as though they are in a Parisian past world. If you are intrigued by old glamour, fashion designers, artists, musicians, the world wars or indeed the city of Paris itself, I guarantee you will adore this book. An absolute must have.

Rosaleen’s rating: 10/10

Paris Between the Wars is published by Thames and Hudson and is cheaper than a trip to Paris, costing £28.00.

“A knowledge of architecture requires an equally strong knowledge of art techniques to bring your imagination to life” – Rob Alexander

 Book Review
How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture
Rob Alexander

Architecture; everyone is fascinated by it. Would the towering walls of Hogwarts in Harry Potter be quite so enchanting if they weren’t so full of crevices, concealing mysteries and magic? Would Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette be anywhere near as beautiful had it not been filmed in the intricately embellished Palace of Versailles? Can architecture explain copious amounts about a story or situation without even an ounce of additional context?

I would argue so. When reading, watching or exploring, it is inevitable that to truly engage in a story you need to be lost in its world. For this reason, architecture is fundamental in creating an atmosphere and contributes heavily to our perceptions of a new place. Rob Alexander is a fellow that would undoubtedly agree with my opinion, and has dedicated a book to the art of creating fantasy architecture as a stand-alone feature that can enrich a tale.

In How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture, Rob Alexander attempts both to enlighten his readers about some of his favourite styles of architecture, such as Gothic, Romanesque and Modern and Futurist architecture, and proceeds to tell them how to achieve these visuals within their art. Not only does he outline what the features of great architecture are but he also ponders why they exist and therefore invites artists to consider the reason behind their drawings. In explaining conventions of other architectural styles he also gives additional insight to those who are familiar of other components of the periods; for example, his Gothic explanation helped me to further understand the Victorian Gothic novels that I study in my English Literature degree.

Rob Alexander is an illustrator and conceptual artist and has received awards such as the Chelsey Award from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. At the beginning of the book, he says that it is one for the fantasy and science fiction artist in particular. As someone that isn’t a science fiction artist, I enjoyed it because it didn’t assume that I had levels of knowledge in any area of its expertise; everything suggested is explained in a way that encompasses all questions without sounding patronising. A particular notion that I took with me was one that he made about colour and time. Colour, he says, sets the tone of a piece, but not because the colour is significant, because the time of day that it signifies is significant. It’s true – a haunted house is going to seem spookier at night, isn’t it? Things so simple as these are spelled out in order to ensure that attention to detail is fine, and after telling you what is best to do he even gives his own opinions on which products on the market – from paint brushes to computers – will serve you best in achieving your goals.

If you are an artist, an architect, or merely someone who likes to observe either of the aforementioned, this book is definitely for you.

Rosaleen’s rating: 8/10

How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture is published by Search Press and available for £12.99. They’ve also got lots of similar titles for those who are creative or artistic – click here to view their latest catalogue. Their other authors include the likes of Cath Kidston.

“If you want to see the girl next door, go next door” – Joan Crawford

Book Review
Vintage Jewellery
Caroline Cox

Following the success of books such as Vintage Shoes, Lingerie: a Lexicon of Style and Stiletto, Caroline Cox has returned with Vintage Jewellery, a book that explores jewellery from times gone by and how it has related to beauty and culture accordingly.

Caroline is a visiting professor at the London College of Fashion and also works as a cultural trends advisor at Vidal Sassoon. She uses her fashion expertise in Vintage Jewellery to give context and life to the wonderful photographs and illustrations in the book.

Discussing over 100 years of history, this book divides periods of time into decades and explores each 10 year period in terms of how jewellery looked and was celebrated. Here are a few of the highlights:

1940s: F for Fake
Featuring ‘Cocktail Hour’, a piece that divulges all about the all American fashions that prevailed in jewellery, saying of pieces that the general rule was “the more exuberant, the better”.

1950s: Mid-Century Sparkle
Featuring ‘French Figurative Jewellery’, spilling all of the secrets about how coveted French accessories were and those that looked even remotely French; Eiffel Tower pieces abounded by all accounts.

1960s: POP Goes the Future
Featuring ‘Hippie-Chic’, a section that talks about the significance of the Vietnam War and how jewellery was often used as a statement to represent free love.

More than just a photo album or collection of eye candy, this is a book that reminds you not to judge things at face value. Although celebrating the aesthetic qualities of jewellery (and including photographs of the likes of Twiggy and Cher to flaunt them with flair) it gives historical context as to how and why design has evolved in such ways. As well as providing elaborate and varied information about each period, chapters also conclude with a ‘Key looks of the decade’ page to summarise in a few simple words what each jewellery revolution entailed.

All in all, this book would be wonderful for ladies of all ages. From jewellery lovers to design admirers; older ladies wanting to reminisce about the 20s or young souls hoping to explore times gone by; this exquisite accessory timeline would be a luxurious and enjoyable addition to any girl’s bookshelf.

Rosaleen’s rating: 9/10

Vintage Jewellery is published by Carlton Books and can provide you with endless accessory inspiration for £25.00.

“Everything you can imagine is real”- Pablo Picasso

I truly love art. When I was little I loved nothing more than to paint or draw, in particular, and still turn to doing so if I feel stressed or as though I want to channel my energy into something special for a few quiet hours. For this reason I was estatic to recieve an invite to the press day for Liverpool Biennial 2010, the International Festival of Contemporary Art that will sweep the city of Liverpool like wildfire for the next ten weeks.  The theme of Biennial 2010 is Touched, interpreted however one wishes to do so and hopefully exploring the transaction between art and those who experience it.

www.biennial.com

Prior to the opening of Touched today, I was lucky enough to preview the exhibitions on Thursday and my day was one of the most whimsical and fast paced to date. Unable to conceal my excitement, I have decided to quickly spill the beans on the artist that left the strongest impression on me.

Biennial

Tate Liverpool
Jamie Isenstein
Empire of Fire, 2010

No words could explain the impact that Jamie Isenstein’s mixed media piece had on me. Knowing that one of her pieces contained a certain body part, I trotted upstairs in search of what this would be, somehow having developed a preconception that her involvement would be of an obscene nature. The reality was probably one of the most striking pieces of art I have ever been so fortunate as to see. I laughed, was repulsed, was in awe of such an original concept, and of course playfully interacted with said body part. Can you spot it?

The Pablo Picasso quote I have used as the title of this entry seems to represent how I felt about this animate hosepipe, and more importantly it’s creator. I couldn’t actually comprehend that someone could have an imagination wild enough to come up with something so outlandish that was also so ridiculously simple. It is easy for you to accept that Picasso was wise in his words when you stumble across works such as this one.

Isenstein is known for habiting her art works in order to challenge the inanimate nature of sculptures, often provoking a comical reaction. In lots of her pieces, although she has happily acted as part of the installation to contribute her own ‘endurance performance art’, the entirety of her body is never revealed and instead her body part is merely one part of many in her piece. She literally touches her art in order to sentimentally touch her onlookers. Creating miniature miracles in an exhibition where things may flame but are not on fire, it is stated in the Biennial Guide that this could be an attempt to invoke a sense of eternity.

www.tate.org.uk/liverpool

Incidently, this reminded me of a quote I read the other day.

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle”- Saint Francis of Assisi.