The Forgotten Women of the Surrealist Movement

The Old Maids, Leonora Carrington, 1947

She’s been dubbed the last of the great surrealists, so it’s surprising that now legendary painter Leonora Carrington was little known during the movement’s hey-day. Like most other female Surrealists, the history books relegated the British-born artist to the role of lover, or muse, partly due to her elopement with German painter Max Ernst. But Carrington’s contribution to the movement went far beyond a short-lived love affair, with Surrealist contemporary Luis Bunuel describing her work as something which “liberates us from the miserable reality of our days”. In honour of what would have been Carrington’s 98^th birthday, here is a look at the women who were cast aside for their male counterparts. A glimpse at the exciting lives of the Surrealist movement’s most talented yet forgotten ladies.

Leonora Carrington

Leonora Carrington

Despite being born in Lancashire, Carrington’s paintings are hard to find in the UK. Weary of her upper-class family’s narrow-minded beliefs and conservative attitude, the debutante longed to be an artist and in 1937 she abandoned her comfortable home to join the Surrealist movement. Sadly, her gift for art was never to be embraced by her family, with her grandmother claiming she was little more than an “artist’s model”. Known for her signature use of animals and half human-creature hybrids to depict themes of metamorphosis and mythology, she shared the Surrealist’s interest in the unconscious mind. Her work symbolised her own personal belief system, though she preferred not to share the particular meanings with others.

Google honouring Leonora Carrington with a doodle dedicated to her painting How Doth The Little Crocodile

Like many modern day examples of women in the media, Carrington was more famous for her personal life than her art work. She was well-known for her turbulent relationship with fellow Surrealist Max Ernst, a much older and married bohemian. Their liaison ended abruptly when he left her behind while fleeing the Nazi’s in World War II France, causing her to suffer a nervous break-down. A risk-taker, in the 1940s Carrington’s art world connections led her to Mexico, which became her adopted home. She spent the majority of her adult life in the country, and is still regarded as a national treasure. This year her birthday was honoured by a Google illustration, drawing more people than ever to her work.

Meret Oppenheim

Meret Oppenheim

Swiss born sculptor and painter Meret Oppenheim was a key figure in the centre of the Surrealist movement, but even she suffered much sexism. As she actively partook in the group’s meetings and exhibitions, many in the art world assumed she was male and incorrectly referred to her as “Mr Oppenheim”. The possessor of a dark sense of humour, she was well aware of how women were regarded by society and even by her male artist contemporaries. Her work explored female sexuality and exploitation long before the likes of Tracey Emin, and she became known for her “assemblages” – sculptural works in which she transformed every day and domestic objects into disturbing yet humourous groupings.

Meret Oppenheim, Breakfast in Fur, 1937

Her most famous piece is “Breakfast in Fur”, a teacup literally covered in fur of a Chinese Gazelle. The piece became renowned for its distortion of an object typically associated with feminine refinement, with Oppenheim turning it into something uncanny and erotic. Despite being considered one of the quintessential surrealist objects, Oppenheim grew to hate the piece, viewing it as insignificant in comparison to many of her other works.

Lola Alvarez Bravo

Lola Alvarez Bravo, Self-Portrait

Although she was overshadowed throughout her career by her famous photographer husband Manuel Alvarez Bravo – who was not a fan of her exploration into the art world – Lola Alvarez Bravo went on to become one of Mexico’s first accomplished female photographers. While primarily a photojournalist who documented Mexico and its people, she also experimented with photomontage, forming timeless and dream-like imagery that wouldn’t look out of place in the 21^st century. Eventually she managed to leave her troubled marriage and support her son Manuel Junior by talent alone, forming a career that lasted several decades.

Lola Alvarez Bravo, Photo-montage

Remedios Varo

Remedios Varo

Dissatisfied with the way women were portrayed primarily as sex objects in the Surrealist movement, Spanish painter Remedios Varo rotated this perception, creating strong and powerful heroines in her artwork. Whether explorer or creator, her androgynous characters were more than one-dimensional beauties, displaying a wide range of complex emotions.

Remedios Varo, Harmony, 1956

Fascinated by science and engineering – typically male-dominate disciplines – she painted women in a variety of intellectual scenarios, exploring the profound and creative moments in a scientists life. Recognisable concepts embodied in her work include the theory of evolution, the origin of life and the birth of the solar system, symbolising her belief in universality and oneness.

Performance Art in the Mainstream: High Culture or Cash Cow?

Wild-child Miley Cyrus recently brought her controversial Bangerz tour to London’s O2 Arena, horrifying and wowing the confused audience in equal measure. From sexily grinding against life-sized beanie babies to riding around on a huge inflatable hotdog, it’s fair to say that the 21-year-old’s days as squeaky-clean teen Hannah Montana are far behind her.

Miley Cyrus performing as part of her Bangerz tour, dressed in her infamous marijuana body suit and cowboy boots.

Admittedly Cyrus’ crazy antics no longer have the same shock factor. Since her outrageous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards with Robin Thicke last summer – where she danced around in latex underwear and simulated masturbation with a foam finger – Cyrus has been steadily going off the rails. The majority of those at the recent O2 show were long-time fans of the former Disney child star, and the audience displayed mixed emotions at the two hour performance.

Nevertheless music critics such as the Globe and Mail’s Martha Lederman and the Guardian’s Alexis Petridis have been applauding the Bangerz tour, with the show receiving four stars across the board. Cyrus has tried to explain her attention grabbing exploits as a form of performance art, a lesson in creativity for those who are wouldn’t normally be exposed to such things: “People are taught to look at things so black and white, especially in small towns. I’m excited to take this tour to places where kids wouldn’t learn about this different kind of art,” she said earlier this year. Mature individuals educated in art history may agree, but it is unlikely that the parents of the many tweens in the arena saw it that way.

Cyrus certainly isn’t the first celebrity to use performance art to add depth to seemingly shallow publicity stunts. 28-year-old chart topper Lady Gaga’s bizarre capers – which include arriving to the Grammy’s inside a giant egg and wearing a dress composed entirely of meat to VMA’s – have made her a modern powerhouse. Since her arrival on the music scene in 2008 Gaga has effectively toed the line between high and low culture, with critics and fans calling her everything from a fashion icon to a trailblazer.

Lady Gaga at the 2010 VMA’s in her notorious meat dress created by Argentinian designer Franc Fernandez.

However, not everybody adores her. Naysayers berate her for using outsider culture such as LGBT rights to boost sales, and she is regularly rips off both contemporary art and other performers. In an interview with the Guardian in 2010 pop icon Grace Jones slammed the star for stealing her style, and despite the constant comparisons between the two vowed that she would never work with Gaga: “I’d prefer to work with someone who is more original and someone who is not copying me, actually.”

Whether you love or hate Gaga, you have to admit her carefully constructed image has helped her reach ridiculous levels of fame.  After all, how many people can say that they have both an ice cream flavour and a species of fern named in their honour?

Introducing performance art to the mainstream may have worked for Gaga, but it’s not turning out so well for Cyrus. Ticket sales have plummeted compared to her previous tours, and considering her level of stardom she only played one night at the O2, proving she can’t pull in the crowd of youngsters like she once did.

So what does Lady Gaga have that Miley Cyrus doesn’t? Whereas Cyrus’ ‘performance art’ is viewed as a child prodigy acting out, Gaga has some serious high-culture credentials. Not only is she a former student of the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts in New York, she is also the protégé of Marina Abramovic – also known as the Grandmother of performance art. Not to mention she featured on the cover of Vogue, the ultimate symbol of accomplishment in the fashion and cultural spheres, whereas editor Anna Wintour rejected Cyrus flat out.

During her time with the hugely popular Disney franchise Hannah Montana, Cyrus was equally as famous, if not more so than Gaga. However now that the former teen star is all grown up her childhood success has backfired on her. It’s hard to forget Cyrus as the innocent adolescent she once was, and any attempt to shed that image as an adult performer has just led to controversy. From the beginning it has always been clear that Gaga’s work was aimed at mature individuals, while with Miley Cyrus the boundaries are less defined.

Despite the non-stop coverage over the past year Cyrus’ record sales are at an all-time low, suggesting that the only reason she remains in the public eye is because of her erotic activities. Sam Wolfson of Vice Magazine put it best: “You can’t build a global fan base of loyal former Hannah Montanna groupies, children with extremely liberal parents, and hipster music journalists.” Her new persona is not reaching its target audience and is also sadly going straight over the heads of her long-time followers.

Yet again, if Cyrus had Marina Abramovic as a sounding board her work may be as finely tuned as Gaga’s. The Serbian-born performance artist is well-known for experimenting with the limitations of the human body and during her 40 year career the 67 year old has been stripped, stabbed, burnt and engaged in acts so bizarre they make both stars seem tame in comparison. Her best known work is Rhythm 0 (1974), where to test the boundaries between the performer and the spectator, Abramovic placed a series of objects on a table in an Italian gallery space and allowed the audience to use them on her as they pleased. Some items were tame, such as honey or an ostrich feather, others like the gun with a single bullet were more menacing, she later said of the performance: “Rhythm 0 was the only piece I was ready to die for”- Gaga’s meat dress doesn’t seem so shocking now, does it?

Marina Abramovic – Art is Beautiful, Artist Must be Beautiful, 1975.

Neverthless, even world-renowned performance artists need to keep up their image. Abramovic has a PR team constantly working to maintain her “brand” and just like Gaga has been accused of stealing the ideas of other artists. She recently crossed the boundary into pop culture, working with world famous rap star Jay Z on his latest music video Picasso Baby, showing that the cultural realms are merging from both ends of the spectrum.

Whether high-culture like Abramovic’s or mainstream like Gaga’s, what makes performance art meaningful is the concept behind it. Whatever her motives, Gaga has always championed LGBT rights and her later work focuses on embracing your sexuality. Adding depth to her music and performances is something that Cyrus desperately needs to work on. Shock value may garner attention for a while, but unless it stands for something significant it’s not going to keep her in the spotlight forever.

A look at the Ever-Changing Role of Women in Film

My first article for CultNoise Magazine. A look at the changing role of women in film. A perfect read for International Women’s Day!

Takeover: Love Festival, day two

On day two (Sunday 16th February) I had the chance to watch three different kinds of theatre production: theatre scratch, make your own play and clowning. Before the festival I had no idea what theatre scratch was, but it turns out it’s just an arty way of saying “work in progress.”

The theatre scratch turned out to be  Catnip – a modern day tragedy set in the small Yorkshire village of Swinton. Written by Ideastap script writer James Ernest, the play explores taboo subjects such as impotency, infidelity and sex addiction, and attempts to determine whether love can survive such difficult situations. James’ writing is humourous, but also sensitive, and this was definitely the best acted performance of the three.

Catnip

I managed to grab an interview with James after the show. The shy young writer seemed incredibly pleased with the reaction to his play, so pleased in fact he went around hugging the audience! I later received a lovely message from him, saying that he liked my article covering the festival – where Catnip was mentioned. This was later followed by an email from the producer Robert Keynes asking if they could quote my article to help market the completed performance at the Arts Theatre in Leicester Square (March 17^th.) I obviously said YES!!! However, this later put me in a difficult position. As I got on so well with the team behind Catnip I found it hard to write an honest appraisal in case I offended them, as in the future they could prove to be useful contacts. In the end I didn’t write a full review of the show at all just to spare any awkwardness.

This is a dilemma for contemporary journalists, who to survive in the industry have to take on multiple roles. It is virtually impossible to make a career out of reviewing the arts alone, and instead we are expected to work as copywriters, researchers and columnists, not to mention operate on various online channels as well as in print and broadcast. It’s hard to network with one contact or organisation without severing ties with another, making it difficult to balance the various types of journalism equally.

The second production I viewed was the hilarious The One Hour Plays. Billed as part improv and part design your own play, this was my favourite of all the performances. The concept is that the audience decides what they want to see, and choose everything from the setting to the character’s names – a few lucky audience members even get to design the props. The crowd at the Takeover: Love wanted to see an epic romance set in 1920’s Egypt entitled Egypt’s Revenge Volume Two (I’m assuming there is a Volume One somewhere) and the whole thing was written and performed in under 60 minutes. This performance showed me that a play doesn’t have to fit perfectly into either the high or low culture category, but can successfully blur the boundaries to make something new and exciting, and that comedy can be used to make the audience think while still entertaining them.

Promotional poster for The One Hour Plays

The final performance was the clowning of duo Tall and Earnest. I had the opportunity to talk to performer John before the show started- after I mistook him for a promo guy- and discovered that their main inspirations are surrealism, character comedians such as Janice Connolly as her middle-aged housewife Barbara Nice, and the great clowns of comedy history. Despite how sweet John is I was sadly disappointed with this production. They have performed this routine in various forms twice before, so it was surprising that they were unprepared and out of time. And although there were funny moments, generally the majority of the performance was cringe-worthy, with some very 80s costumes and ideas. Not really suited to their target audience of “hip young Londoners.”

Tall (left) Earnest (right)

This was the first review I have ever written that I felt was truly negative. As a writer I try to be fair and usually give credit where it is due, but unfortunately there weren’t many positives to find in this performance. However, this taught me that bad productions can also help me to appreciate good shows on another level, and this has given me a more well-rounded view of the theatre and the cultural sphere in general.

As someone who has studied visual art for years, I’ll admit I’m not much of a theatre-buff. But this weekend introduced me to a whole new aspect of culture that I had not previously given much thought to. There different aspects to take into consideration when reviewing theatre, such as timing, lighting and set design, and I enjoyed exploring new areas.

Another benefit of covering this festival was that I left to work on my own initiative, while still having set deadlines to meet. This meant that I was in charge of my own success, and if I failed there was no else to blame. As a result I forced myself to step out of my comfort zone and work harder, and using my journalistic skills in a real world situation has helped me to grow as a writer.

For a more in depth round-up of the festival, you can read my full weekend report on the Ideastap site: http://www.ideastap.com/ideasmag/all-articles/takeover-rich-mix-weekend-report

Takeover: Love Festival: day one

Last weekend I covered the Takeover: Love festival  for arts charity and online magazine Ideastap. The aim of the association is to help young creatives into their dream careers, and by hosting the festival they were giving fledging artists of all disciplines the chance to shine.

Takeover: Love Festival (credit Roseanna Hanson, Ideastap photographer)

After spending Friday night wandering aimlessly around London, first trying to find my Hostel and then trying to navigate the tube to Oxford Street (I gave up and stayed in my room in a bad mood), it was a relief to discover the Takeover: Love Festival was more than worth the 143 mile journey. My first paying job as a journalist, the weekend was certainly an exciting experience. However, it did make me realise that with my awful sense of direction I should probably spend more time planning how to get around unfamiliar areas in advance.

With the aid of an idiot-proof map my boyfriend emailed to me, the next day I managed to make it unscathed to Shoreditch and to the Rich Mix building where the festival was being held. A converted garment factory, Rich Mix is an amazing social enterprise that offers five floors full of film, dance, theatre, spoken word and live music performances. Like Ideastap their prerogative is to help struggling young talent, so the two groups form an ideal partnership. As you may have already assumed, the festival’s theme was love, and all the shows portrayed different ideas of what love is.

First up was Sparks, a series of short films by director and screen writer Martin Stirling that explore the science of Love. Funny and sad with relate-able characters, they will make you reconsider your attachment to technology from a whole new angle. The festival was actually the premiere of Sparks, and the viewing was also supposed to include a Q&A where I planned to find out more about Stirling’s films in more depth, but annoyingly and unprofessionally he didn’t show up!  However, it wasn’t a total loss. Imagine my surprise when I turned around and saw the two lead stars sitting behind me! This taught me that there are always other options if your planned story doesn’t come to fruition, and to be prepared to grasp opportunities when they arise. If a journalist is prepared in advance they are more likely to leave with more useful information, even if it was not necessarily what they were aiming to get.

Secret Sessions did an all-day behind the scenes screening. The online music channel has over 3 million hits, and is responsible for launching the careers of folk artist Ben Howard and Grammy award winner Katie Musgrove. I was given the opportunity to interview the show’s presenter Georgie Rogers, 28, who informed me the bands to watch are Lily and Madelyn, sisters from Minneapolis, USA, and folk group the Rails, who she believes “have massive potential”. I was initially nervous about talking to her, as she is a well-known figure in the independent music scene. However, I relaxed when I realised she didn’t like being interviewed, as it shows that even confident people who have being doing this job for a while can also find these situations stressful.

I spent the majority of the time between shows collecting vox pops for my first article. The purpose of vox pops is to gain the perspective of the audience, and the interaction with the crowd can result in a well-rounded view of an event. Readers find articles more intriguing if there are multiple opinions from a variety of sources, rather than just what is fed to the public via PR and marketing. I learned the least awkward way to approach strangers was to inform them of my role straight away, as it was quicker and easier to workout who would be up for answering my questions. I didn’t push anyone who seemed nervous, as I knew even if they did speak they  probably wouldn’t give me very useful answers and vox pops rely on interesting responses to attract a reader or listener.

I found the appointed question of “how has love creatively inspired you?” rather cheesy, and an odd choice for such a noncommercial organisation like Ideastap. You’d be surprised the amount of people who said love has never influenced them, but there were also some truly heartfelt responses, which you can read fully at Ideasmag: http://www.ideastap.com/ideasmag/all-articles/ideastap-takeover-love-how-has-love-inspired-you-creatively

In between all the excitement I also got the chance to explore Shoreditch, which with it’s amazing vintage, antique and clothing boutiques is definitely my new favourite location in the UK.

Street Art in Shoreditch

More Street Art in Shoreditch

Local Shoreditch grafitti

More local Shoreditch grafitti

Are Selfies the New Self-Portrait?

Selfie was the most overused word of 2013, so it’s no surprise that it’s just been named Oxford Dictionary’s ‘word of the year’. In the very unlikely event that you don’t know what a Selfie is, its official new dictionary definition describes it as a ‘photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.’

Other popular buzz words that have made their way into the dictionary this year are the internet sensation ‘twerk’ and ‘hashtag’, but despite many competitors for word of the year Selfie reigned supreme. Everyone from President Obama to the Pope got in on the action, but it was championed mainly by world famous celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

 

As the year went on digital self-portraits were taken to a new level with the invention of the ‘Belfie’, in other words the Back Selfie, tweeted by the likes of booti-licious pop sensation Rhianna, and the ‘Lelfie’, or Leg Selfie, kickstarted by the Made in Chelsea bunch.

Even though slang words often quickly become outdated, some popular phrases have maintained their usage such as ‘webisode’ and ‘nom.’ A word’s durability depends on its usefulness, and if we don’t call it a Selfie other options are there?  Winning Word of the Year makes it an even more accepted part of popular culture, so it looks like the Selfie is here to stay.

However, a deeper look into the Selfie phenomenon shows it as both a worrying trend and a potential beacon for creativity.

2013 may have been the year that the Selfie accomplished worldwide domination, but it’s not exactly a new internet trend. The birth of the Selfie coincided with the popularity of MySpace, one of the first big social networking sites that started up in 2003. Although MySpace has long since been dumped for Facebook, social media and the Selfie still go hand in hand. Young people would snap self-portraits with webcams or digital cameras for their profile pictures, usually cropped to hide their flaws. Smart phones may be the preferred choice for Selfies these days, but the principal is still the same.

Thanks to the lead of reality stars such as Kim Kardashian and Kelly Brook, whose careers are based mainly on their appearance, Selfies have gradually grown to be substantially vainer. New Mum Kim recently posted a picture of her famous derriere- Belfie style in a very revealing swim suit on Twitter- the current homeland of the celeb Selfie and celeb Selfie lovers alike.  This kind of image is worthy of a Page 3 model, and it makes you wonder if Miss Kardashian has far too much time on her hands. A millionaire, mother, and fiancée of the hugely successful rapper Kanye West, her self-portrait sums up the public’s perception of her.

Selfies are representative of a person’s self-image. Your online persona is how you want the world to view you, and is therefore a form of self-expression. Through Photoshop, Instagram filters, and photography, self-exploration has become common place like never before.

Until recently self-portraiture was only for those who were artistically inclined. Many famous painters have rendered their own likeness upon a canvas, whether as the main subject or as a part of a larger piece. Humans may have created personal portraits since the dawn of time, but it was during the Renaissance period that artists really began to experiment. This was mainly due to the invention of cheaper and better mirrors, but also because a surge in wealth caused increased interest in the individual as a subject.

The smart phone is the 21^st century version of the cheaper and better mirror, with a make and model for all price ranges. The ever progressing camera quality and easy to use technology in smart phones has also made photography more accessible, allowing anyone to be a contemporary Andy Warhol or Lee Friedlander.

The first profolic self-portraitist was Albrecht Durer (1471-1528), an artist who was tremendously conscious of his public image and reputation, just like celebrities today. His main income was his master prints, inscribed with his famous monogram which were popular in Europe during the 16^th century. Not unlike many teenage girls, Durer discovered Selfie’s at a young age. He completed his first self-portrait at the age of thirteen using the silverpoint method, a traditional drawing technique where a piece of silver rod or wire is dragged across a surfaced primed with gesso.

Like a present day celebrity Selfie, Durer’s later self-portraits symbolised his wealth and success. His 1493 oil paint self-portrait, at the age of 22, shows him dressed in affluent Italian fashion, reflecting his reputation as an internationally renowned artist.

Contemporary Selfies are both popular amongst men and women, and this is not really surprising since self-portraiture in art has always interested both genders. Many historical female painters have left their mark with self-portraits, the most famous perhaps being the Mexican surrealist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).

Kahlo began painting self-portraits after a traffic accident that left her temporarily immobilised. Although she was only bed ridden for three months, the accident had a devastating effect on Kahlo, causing relapses of pain throughout the remainder of her life. Her art work was drawn from her personal experiences, including numerous operations, three miscarriages, and her tumultuous marriage, she is quoted as saying: “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”

Selfies and traditional self-portraiture both have the ability to uncover a subject’s state of mind. After a falling out with close friend and fellow artist Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh reportedly cut off his own ear using a razor. Van Gogh suffered from mental problems and depression, and his painting Self Portrait with bandaged ear (1889), is one of his most famous works.

Former child star Amanda Byrnes, best known for 90’s Nickelodeon classic The Amanda Show, has very publically gone off the rails over the past year. A characteristic tale of good girl gone bad, Byrnes has been arrested for multiple drug and alcohol driving offences, been placed under involuntary psychiatric hold for setting a fire in a strangers driveway, and has undergone massive amounts of cosmetic surgery. All of this has been documented through Selfies and her Twitter account, and despite being horribly entertaining, it is the 21^st century version of Van Gogh’s ear incident.

So are Selfies a good or a bad thing? On the one hand it has encouraged a deeper interest in photography, and a way for us mere mortals to connect with the celebrities we so idolise. On the other hand, Selfies encourage vanity, shallowness, and have given the world a platform to watch mentally unhinged young people humiliate themselves.

Traditional self-portraiture techniques required skill to create, whereas to take a Selfie you just need a semi decent smartphone and knowledge of which angle hides a double chin. It may have encouraged more people to attempt photography, but most of the time the techniques used are pretty generic. Rather than inspiring individuality, Selfies only produce more of the same.

It may be hypocritical to say this, as I also take the occasional Selfie, but the true originals in contemporary life are those that avoid the Selfie altogether and find other more innovative ways to express their personality.

 

Women Wear the Trousers

As a woman in the 21^st century, whether you wear a skirt or trousers can be dependent on many things. It could be the occasion, or the weather, but I bet one thing you aren’t considering while rummaging through your wardrobe is the politics of your fashion choices.

In France it is technically illegal for women to wear trousers. A 200 year old police ruling has never been repealed, meaning that Mademoiselles should only wear trousers with special authorisation. These days it’s highly unlikely the police will hand cuff you for wearing skinny jeans, (at least in the Western Hemisphere) but old laws like this one show us how fashion has changed for women over the last century.

Marlene Dietrich in 1930s Morocco

In the West during the first half of the 20^th century a woman wearing trousers meant one of three things: She was either a part of the war movement, working in a factory or in the fields where skirts were impracticable. She enjoyed gardening, or liked to wear them for comfort during other ladylike household tasks. Or, she was strong willed and ‘difficult’. A woman wearing trousers in public was the equivalent of a cross dresser, and was considered socially unacceptable until the 1970s. Trousers were strictly for men, women were expected to wear dresses and skirts.

When legendary German actress Marlene Dietrich wore a suit in public in 1933 it caused an uproar. In her personal life Dietrich was unconventional in many ways and enjoyed challenging gender roles, whether she was boxing for fun or embracing the newfound gay and drag scene of the 1920s. Of course all of this was kept out of the public eye, but her alternative lifestyle was reflected in her fashion choices.

Although an actress who sustained her popularity through reinvention, Dietrich’s signature touch was to bring masculine undertones to her outfits. On and off screen she often wore full men’s attire. Films such as Morocco, where Dietrich played a cabaret singer who performs in a man’s dinner suit, showed that an androgynous look could be sexy. It helped to solidify her image as a femme fatale and an early Fashionista.

Today she is remembered in the fashion world via the Marlene trousers. High waisted with a flagging cut that tapers in at the ankles, the trousers are both stylish and practical and is usually paired with a shirt and blazer.

A modern day fashionista sporting a pair of Marlene trousers

The spirited and independent Katharine Hepburn was another pioneer of trousers for women. Like Dietrich she was considered an unconventional dresser in the 30s and 40s and her fashion sense is still widely admired in the 21^st century.

In 2012 the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts honoured her innovative approach to fashion with an exhibition entitled Dressed for Stage and Screen. The exhibition included everything from the actress’s false eyelashes and make up trays, to her sensible shoes.

The secret to Hepburn’s effortlessly glamorous style are the same foundations required in men’s tailoring, good fabric and good construction. Hepburn is quoted as saying: “Anytime I hear a man say he prefers a woman in a skirt, I say, ‘Try one. Try a skirt.”  She loved to be comfortable but she also wanted to be fashionable, everything she owned was couture.

Although a feminist icon who is now respected for her strong personality, Hepburn was resented in her own time. Alongside Dietrich, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, her individuality made her ‘box office poison’ as she fought against the public image the studio heads tried to craft for her.

Despite the efforts of these Hollywood leading ladies the 1950s saw a resurgence of ladylike styles. Post war fashion embraced Haute Couture after the penny pinching of the war years. Christian Dior unveiled his famous ‘New Look’ silhouette. With a fitted waist, a long sweeping skirt and soft feminine shoulders, Dior’s latest creation emphasized the female form.

It was also time to say goodbye to designers such as Italy’s Elsa Schiaparelli, who incorporated typically male dominated materials and styles into her clothing and had styled Katherine Hepburn. She found it difficult to adapt to the feminine styles of the Post War scene, and her business closed in 1954.

As well as changes to the economic climate Post War culture also included many social changes, the most significant perhaps being the rise of the teenager. Many young people who would have become independent wage earners were now staying at home for longer, forming a new stage of life development. Previously young people had dressed in the same styles as their parents, but after World War Two the American fashion industry began to target teenagers as a separate market segment. The birth of the ‘Greasers’ in America and the ‘Teddy Boys’ in the UK symbolised a bold new generation of men’s style. However, there wasn’t an edgy equivalent for the girls, who wore the typical ‘co-ed’ uniform of a short sleeve sweater and a pencil skirt, until the arrival of the Beat generation.

A group of artists, poets, and intellectuals against the conservative ideals of the day, female Beatniks kept their hair natural, did not use make up, and wore all black attire. Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s classic Funny Face represents the Beatnik stereotype: a quirky woman with strong opinions who is slightly out of touch with the real world, and this type of woman liked to wear trousers.

The 1960s was the era of worldwide revolution, and this included changes in women’s rights. This liberation of women was reflected in fashion, and when British designer Mary Quant introduced the mini skirt in 1964 the fashion world was changed forever.

Even though it wasn’t until the 1970s that women in trousers became common place, the counter culture of the Sixties set the precedent. Beginning at the start of the decade with the drainpipes worn by rockers, and finishing the era with hippy bell bottoms, throughout the decade both men and women who wanted to make a statement wore trousers.

The unisex hippy look continued throughout the early seventies and gave way to more androgynous trends. Thanks to Glam Rock stars like David Bowie and Marc Bolan, men and women’s fashion began to blend. Men started to embrace typically female styles and accessories. Glitter was everywhere and make up for both sexes was sparkly and over the top. The invention of platforms meant that even the shoes were agamous, with both sexes wearing heels that were at least four inches high.

This man needs no caption!

What is most important about the clothing trends of the 70s is that women in trousers became mainstream, and it is no coincidence that it overlapped with further progression of women’s rights. Most efforts of the feminist movement, especially those aimed at social equality were successful, and Margaret Thatcher became the first British Prime Minister.

Despite this, in the 1980s it was still considered a ‘faux pas’ for women to wear trousers to work, and even in the 21^st century some schools still ban girls from wearing trousers as part of their uniform.

So next time you put on that fabulous pair of palazzo pants, the ones that are super slimming and fill you with self-confidence, remember that once upon a time you might not have been so lucky.

REVIEW: Lady Gaga, Art Pop

Eccentric songstress Lady Gaga describes her newest release Art Pop as “a celebration and a poetic musical journey”. Whether or not you agree depends on your definition of poetry. For her fourth studio album, Gaga has abandoned the darker club tunes of her previous release, Born This Way, for an EDM based sound filled with her trademark raunchy lyrics and some rather muddled art history references.

When Gaga’s first album The Fame was released five years ago, we all marvelled at the way she managed to produce catchy pop tunes and still maintain her originality. Her second album The Fame Monster released a year later was even better, and included iconic party anthems Bad Romance and Telephone with Beyonce.

Since then her outfits have got wilder, but her songs just don’t have the same Gaga spirit we all fell in love with. Instead of quirky lyrics and unforgettable beats, 2011’s Born this way was a compilation of boring club hits. Right before our eyes, our beloved Miss G seemed to transform into just another generic female pop star, and unfortunately despite the amazing Jeff Koons inspired album cover Art Pop is more of the same.

Although there are moments of genius, like the lyrics “you’re just a pig inside a human body” (Swine), and stand out tracks like Donatella, Art Pop is just not as well written as previous albums. Most of the songs are wretchedly mainstream – the techno themed club tracks blur into one, and the repetitive lyrics belie sloppiness. The pop goddess may be known for her bawdy lyrics, but over time they’ve gone from controversial to cringey. If The Fame was a tasteful nude, then Art Pop is musical porn.

Fortunately, there are a few gems on the tracklist. Jewels and Drugs is reminiscent of Gaga’s early brilliance, and her version of Fashion is classic Bowie for the 21^st century.

When it comes to the historical art references, Gaga claims that she is exploring a “reverse Warholian” phenomena in pop culture. Despite many pretentious cultural buzz words scattered erratically throughout the lyrics, you can’t help but notice the hypocrisy in this statement. No matter how you look at it, she is using alternative means to make herself a pop culture fixture, and so far it’s been working in her favour.

Creativity and convention don’t blend as flawlessly in Gaga’s music as they once did, but despite not being as fun and likeable as she once was Art Pop is still a must listen for her Little Monsters.

REVIEW: Colour Love Exhibition

The Collection, Lincoln. 

Colour is the centre of all art. It has the uncanny power to sway our emotions, whether it delights, repulses or entices. In Colour Love four artists explore the meaning of colour in a variety of different techniques and processes.

The highlight of the exhibition is the multimedia triptychs of Terry Shave. Merging paint and photography he distorts everyday objects and imagery, making colour the focus.

Shave is interested in ‘the dilemma of high art versus the decorative and crafted’, and it’s true that these paintings fall somewhere between the two realms. Abstract enough to be conceptually interesting but also ornamental, they appeal to a wide audience. As the Collection is a small conservative gallery making this the centre of the show was an excellent choice.

Garry Fabian Miller’s Burning series is reminiscent of a glowing sunset. Made from photographic processes but without the camera or film, Fabian Miller passes light through objects and filters to create prints that evoke the natural splendour of nature.

The experimentation of colour extends to the gallery itself. The walls are black rather than the traditional white cube gallery space, which combined with dim lighting enhances the tonality of the pieces.

However, it is hard to tell if this is the effort of the curator or the art of Décosterd et Rahm. Rahm has supposedly filled the exhibition space with colour in unexpected ways, with the aim to show how different shades can covertly influence us, but clear evidence of his work is nowhere to be seen. Whether this is the point is debateable.

The contribution from filmmaker Joe McKay is also disappointing. Using a projector and live feeds to display the setting of the sun in real time, McKay’s video piece Sunset Solitaire didn’t actually appear to be working. Fabian Miller’s luminous prints are a better representation of the awe inspiring power of nature.

Colour is the main form of communication in the works, so in this sense the show is successful. Despite a few technical hiccups, this selection will make you appreciate colour for its elemental properties and untamed beauty.