An example of perfect Art Deco' was the Crysler Building (1928-1930)
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
The Flappers
The term flapper in the 1920s referred to a "new breed" of young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to what was then considered unconventional music and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered "decent" behaviour.
The flappers were seen as brash in their time for wearing excessive makeup, drinking hard liquor, treating sex in a more casual manner, smoking cigarettes, driving automobiles, and otherwise flouting conventional social and sexual norms.
The term flapper first appears in Britain, though the etymology is disputed. It may be in reference to a young bird flapping its wings while learning to fly, or it may derive from an earlier use in northern England of flapper to mean "teenage girl" (whose hair is not yet put up), or "prostitute".
While many in the United States assumed at the time that the term flapper derived from a fashion of wearing galoshes unbuckled so that they could show people their bodies as they walked, the term was already documented as in use in the United Kingdom as early as 1912.
From the 1910s into the 1920s, flapper was a term for any impetuous teenage girl, often including women under 30.
Only in the 1920s did the term take on the meaning of the flapper generation style and attitudes, while people continued to use the word to mean immature.
Flappers went to jazz clubs at night where they danced provocatively, smoked cigarettes through long holders, and dated.
They rode bicycles and drove cars.
They drank alcohol openly, a defiant act in the period of Prohibition.
Flappers also wore "kissproof" lipstick and a lot of heavy makeup with beaded necklaces and bracelets.
They liked to cut their hair into "boyish" bobs, often dyeing it jet-black.
Despite its popularity, the flapper lifestyle and look could not survive the Great Depression. The high-spirited attitude and hedonism simply could not find a place amid the economic hardships of the 1930s. More specifically, this decade brought out a conservative reaction and a religious revival which set out to eradicate the liberal lifestyles and fashions of the 1920s.
In many ways, though, the self-reliant flapper had allowed the modern woman to make herself an integral and lasting part of the Western World.
F.S. Fitzgerald's house...
In October 1922 the Fitzgeralds moved to a house in Great Neck. Long Island.
Their house was a relatively modest one compared with the opulent summer homes of the seriously rich old American families - the Guggenheim, the astors, the Pulitzers - on another peninsular across the bay.
This, of course, provided Fitzgeralg with the basic topography for his novel and the distinction into a fashinable side - the Est Egg - and the unfashionable one - the West Egg.
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
THE DANDY
WHAT IS A DANDY?
A Dandy is a man whose trade, office and existence consist in wearing clothes. Every part of his soul, spirit and person is referred to wear dresses wisely and well. In fact as the others dress to live, he live to dress. Everything he does is designed to make his social presentation more elegant, as great care has to be taken not to appear too extravagant in his dress and never slovenly. The Dandy, through his life and dress style, enjoyed to surprise public with provocative attitude and motion. His whole life is dominated by a strong beauty desire. Refusing utilitarianism, he loves luxury and everything that is referred to it like chinese porcelains, antique furniture, silver plate, paintings collections, immense garden. But also perfumes, flowers, beautiful dresses, elegance, comfort, good manners, poetry and melodic music. His posture is royal, showing an apparent seriousness and a good boy look.
ETYMOLOGY
The term Dandy was used for the first time in the song “Yankee Daddle Dandy”, sang during the American revolution in 1770. The words of the song joked about the tawdry uniforms of American soldiers. The term Dandy was referred to a man that bragged of his appearance, in spite of he wore ordinary dresses.
HIS PERSONALITY
The Dandy wants to catch the eye of the false moralist with his attitude. He isn’t interested in everything that doesn’t concern his beauty ideal; for example money that is only seen as a way to obtain beauty, that is more precious. He wants to make himself a piece of art in every meaning. But in spite of his unusual attitude he doesn’t want to get himself noticed because he thinks that the real elegance has to make people pass unobserved. From the excessive care of his aspect we can note that the Dandy is the perfect narcissist. He is often homosexual; because of his exaggerated narcissism that pushes him to love himself so much to fall in love with everything that is identical to him, that is the other men. But it doesn’t mean that a Dandy couldn’t love a woman, that often arouses in him only sexual desire or is seen as a decorative object. Besides the Dandy dawdles places of vice, passions and frenzy as brothel and places where is played gambler. His connection with drugs is conflicting; in fact on one hand he shelters in it, on the other he doesn’t tolerate to be slaves of something; so he tend to eliminate every dependence. However this lifestyle has some limits. Dandy’s drama is to become old and lose the prestige and the consideration acquired in the youthful age. Besides Dandy is victim of a world that doesn’t understand him. This can lead Dandy to a depression that he will try to hide with a well-being attitude.
WEARING STYLE
Dandy’s wearing style is very refined and full of particulars. He wear coloured silk and velvet dresses, with stiff collars, velvet brands and coats, true or false waistcoats, peg-top trousers, yellow and pink gloves, turned-down collars, gilded sticks and violet boutonnières. And also tiny bowler, bright tweeds and comfortable trousers, waistcoats and jacket and often a drooping lily. Another frequent element in Dandy’s wearing is the following tie. Among the different types of necktie these are the most frequent. From the point of view of the colours he abhors extreme use of colours and, so, he chooses soft dyes like tan, pink, light blue and duck (that is a light yellow) but he dressed above all in black, grey and white. His habits of dress and fashion were much imitated, especially in France where became a trend, especially in bohemians quarters.
THE DANDY AND THE BOHEMIENNE
The Dandy was often associated to the bohémienne but this two figures are different between them. In Fact while the Bohemian allies himself to the masses, is a poor and is interested in society; the Dandy is a bourgeois man who lives outside the society and isn’t interested on its problems.
DANDYISM
Brummell, the first British Dandy, created the phenomenon of Dandyism during the 18th century as a lifestyle. This trend arrived in France where it was linked to the aestheticism and then it appeared again in England during the 19th century, with the figure of Oscar Wilde. This phenomenon exists also nowadays.
THE DANDY AND THE AESTHETE
This two figure, although they seem similar, are very much different. An aesthete is an artist who uses fashion to promote himself and his art; instead the Dandy is a man of society who uses fashions, manners and conversation to please, seduce and amuse everybody to permit him the access to the higher rungs of society.
THE MOST FAMOUS DANDIES
Among the famous dandies we observe Oscar Wilde who became a fashionable man for his way of dressing. He expressed his individuality with green and large boutonnieres, bright red waistcoats, diamond stud, exaggerated collar, thick tie knot, lots of shirt-cuffs, square handkerchiefs, and loud pin-stripe slacks. His clothes were anti-Victorian; in fact he didn’t bear the middle class hypocrisy that didn’t allow vice.
A Dandy is a man whose trade, office and existence consist in wearing clothes. Every part of his soul, spirit and person is referred to wear dresses wisely and well. In fact as the others dress to live, he live to dress. Everything he does is designed to make his social presentation more elegant, as great care has to be taken not to appear too extravagant in his dress and never slovenly. The Dandy, through his life and dress style, enjoyed to surprise public with provocative attitude and motion. His whole life is dominated by a strong beauty desire. Refusing utilitarianism, he loves luxury and everything that is referred to it like chinese porcelains, antique furniture, silver plate, paintings collections, immense garden. But also perfumes, flowers, beautiful dresses, elegance, comfort, good manners, poetry and melodic music. His posture is royal, showing an apparent seriousness and a good boy look.
ETYMOLOGY
The term Dandy was used for the first time in the song “Yankee Daddle Dandy”, sang during the American revolution in 1770. The words of the song joked about the tawdry uniforms of American soldiers. The term Dandy was referred to a man that bragged of his appearance, in spite of he wore ordinary dresses.
HIS PERSONALITY
The Dandy wants to catch the eye of the false moralist with his attitude. He isn’t interested in everything that doesn’t concern his beauty ideal; for example money that is only seen as a way to obtain beauty, that is more precious. He wants to make himself a piece of art in every meaning. But in spite of his unusual attitude he doesn’t want to get himself noticed because he thinks that the real elegance has to make people pass unobserved. From the excessive care of his aspect we can note that the Dandy is the perfect narcissist. He is often homosexual; because of his exaggerated narcissism that pushes him to love himself so much to fall in love with everything that is identical to him, that is the other men. But it doesn’t mean that a Dandy couldn’t love a woman, that often arouses in him only sexual desire or is seen as a decorative object. Besides the Dandy dawdles places of vice, passions and frenzy as brothel and places where is played gambler. His connection with drugs is conflicting; in fact on one hand he shelters in it, on the other he doesn’t tolerate to be slaves of something; so he tend to eliminate every dependence. However this lifestyle has some limits. Dandy’s drama is to become old and lose the prestige and the consideration acquired in the youthful age. Besides Dandy is victim of a world that doesn’t understand him. This can lead Dandy to a depression that he will try to hide with a well-being attitude.
WEARING STYLE
Dandy’s wearing style is very refined and full of particulars. He wear coloured silk and velvet dresses, with stiff collars, velvet brands and coats, true or false waistcoats, peg-top trousers, yellow and pink gloves, turned-down collars, gilded sticks and violet boutonnières. And also tiny bowler, bright tweeds and comfortable trousers, waistcoats and jacket and often a drooping lily. Another frequent element in Dandy’s wearing is the following tie. Among the different types of necktie these are the most frequent. From the point of view of the colours he abhors extreme use of colours and, so, he chooses soft dyes like tan, pink, light blue and duck (that is a light yellow) but he dressed above all in black, grey and white. His habits of dress and fashion were much imitated, especially in France where became a trend, especially in bohemians quarters.
THE DANDY AND THE BOHEMIENNE
The Dandy was often associated to the bohémienne but this two figures are different between them. In Fact while the Bohemian allies himself to the masses, is a poor and is interested in society; the Dandy is a bourgeois man who lives outside the society and isn’t interested on its problems.
DANDYISM
Brummell, the first British Dandy, created the phenomenon of Dandyism during the 18th century as a lifestyle. This trend arrived in France where it was linked to the aestheticism and then it appeared again in England during the 19th century, with the figure of Oscar Wilde. This phenomenon exists also nowadays.
THE DANDY AND THE AESTHETE
This two figure, although they seem similar, are very much different. An aesthete is an artist who uses fashion to promote himself and his art; instead the Dandy is a man of society who uses fashions, manners and conversation to please, seduce and amuse everybody to permit him the access to the higher rungs of society.
THE MOST FAMOUS DANDIES
Among the famous dandies we observe Oscar Wilde who became a fashionable man for his way of dressing. He expressed his individuality with green and large boutonnieres, bright red waistcoats, diamond stud, exaggerated collar, thick tie knot, lots of shirt-cuffs, square handkerchiefs, and loud pin-stripe slacks. His clothes were anti-Victorian; in fact he didn’t bear the middle class hypocrisy that didn’t allow vice.
Monday, 16 February 2009
Art vs Life
The novel presents a contrast between ART and LIFE.
Art is the expression of BEAUTY and FORM, while the main characteristics of Life are UGLINESS and SHAPELESSNESS.
Lord Henry encourages Dorian to treat his own life as if it were a WORK OF ART and to live fully and completely but at the same time to remain detached from it.
Here's a paradox: he must be involved and uninvolved, take part and remain a spectator of the event of life in order to comìntemplate beauty.
This contrast is particularly evident when Dorian walks to the theatre where Sybil Vane performs (chapter 4)
According to Wilde the purpose of Art is to show BEAUTY and to have no purpose (look at the epigrams in the Preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray) and he stated that in a period when art was used as a tool for social education and moral enlightment by the victorian writers such as Dickens.
Instead, the Aesthetic movement sought to free art from this responsability.
Art is the expression of BEAUTY and FORM, while the main characteristics of Life are UGLINESS and SHAPELESSNESS.
Lord Henry encourages Dorian to treat his own life as if it were a WORK OF ART and to live fully and completely but at the same time to remain detached from it.
Here's a paradox: he must be involved and uninvolved, take part and remain a spectator of the event of life in order to comìntemplate beauty.
This contrast is particularly evident when Dorian walks to the theatre where Sybil Vane performs (chapter 4)
According to Wilde the purpose of Art is to show BEAUTY and to have no purpose (look at the epigrams in the Preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray) and he stated that in a period when art was used as a tool for social education and moral enlightment by the victorian writers such as Dickens.
Instead, the Aesthetic movement sought to free art from this responsability.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
The Trial of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was involved in a homosexual relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas.
Douglas was the son of the Marquess of Queensbury – the man who provided the rules for professional boxing. The Marquess was outraged that Wilde would lead his son ‘astray’ and became determined to ruin the world famous playwright. He had originally planned to ruin the opening of The Importance of Being Earnest but Wilde got to hear of this and Queensbury was banned from attending. Instead he decided to leave a calling card on the notice board at Wilde’s gentleman’s club. It read, “ To Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite.” Wilde swore out a warrant for arrest of the Marquess of Queensbury on the charge of libel.
The result of all of this was a trial. The Marquess of Queensbury was represented by Edward Carson. Carson set out to prove that Oscar Wilde was, in fact, a homosexual and therefore that his client was not guilty of libel. Carson soon came up with the names of ten boys who Wilde had allegedly solicited for sex. He also obtained letters that Wilde had written to Douglas, revealing his feelings towards the Marquess’ son.
On the first day of the trial, Wilde attempted to have the proceedings overshadowed by his quick wit. But, over time, the dogged attacks by Carson wore him down. His humour was wearing thin. At one point the forty year old Wilde remarked to Carson, “You sting me and insult me and try to unnerve me; and at times one says things flippantly when one ought to speak more seriously.” When the trial concluded it was obvious that Queensbury had not committed an act of libel – Oscar Wilde was a homosexual. And so it was. The judge completely exonerated Queensbury, going further to actually state that he had been justified in calling Wilde a sodomite in public. Wilde’s friends urged him to get out of the country to avoid arrest on what was then the crime of homosexuality. Wilde’s pride, however, would not allow him to flee. He awaited arrest at the Cadogen hotel, confident that he could win. Yet, on the 5th of April the police did, indeed, arrive to arrest the world’s most famous playwright.
Wilde now faced a second trial to prove the charge of homosexuality. Now the truly lurid stuff started to come out. Despite the evidence the jury could not reach a decision. A second trial was ordered. Wilde was released on 5000 pounds bail on May 7th.
The second trial began on May 22. This time the jury was unanimous. Oscar Wilde was found guilty and sentenced to two years of hard labor at Pentonville Prison. At Pentonville Wilde found the going tough, almost unbearable. He was required to walk a treadmill for six hours each day. He became increasingly morose and unkempt. Jail officials feared that he was suicidal. Finally he was moved to Reading Jail. On May 18, 1897 he was released. But he was a broken man. Two and a half years after his release, on November 30, 1900 Oscar Wilde died while exiled in France. He was 46 years of age.
Famous words from Wilde’s discourse: "'The Love that dare not speak its name' in this century is such a great affection of an elder for a younger man as there was between David and Jonathan, such as Plato made the very basis of his philosophy, and such as you find in the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare. It is that deep, spiritual affection that is as pure as it is perfect. It dictates and pervades great works of art like those of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and those two letters of mine, such as they are. It is in this century misunderstood, so much misunderstood that it may be described as the "Love that dare not speak its name," and on account of it I am placed where I am now. It is beautiful, it is fine, it is the noblest form of affection. There is nothing unnatural about it. It is intellectual, and it repeatedly exists between an elder and a younger man, when the elder man has intellect, and the younger man has all the joy, hope and glamour of life before him.”
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