Road Trip: Fashioning Art From Paper -- the Ballet Russes

A few posts back, we visited the Isabelle De Borchgrave "Fashioning Art from Paper" exhibit at Flint Institute of Arts and focused on the gowns and historical interpretations she designed and fashioned out of paper that she had painted.

But the exhibit also includes a large room with her interpretations of costumes from Les Ballet Russes.

Most of the costumes were suspended in mid-air by an almost invisible wire. Consequently, they gently turned with passing movement or the gentle movement of air from the air conditioning. It made for a magical effect.

The Ballets Russes costumes were inspired by the Russian impressario Serge Diaghilev's ballet company that ran from 1909 to 1929.  The company was based in Paris but toured worldwide and was considered by many as the most influential ballet company of the 20th century because of its artistic collaborations which were sometimes controversial and a step beyond the traditional ballets like "Swan Lake." (Although the company did indeed perform classics including "Swan Lake.") Other popular ballets were based on Russian folktales.

The piece below is a costume from "The Blue Gold," after a costume by Leon Baskt in 1912. Baskt had been inspired by Cambodian motifs for the costumes and the ballet was considered a failure.

Composers working with Les Ballets Russes included Debussy, Stravinsky and Prokofiev. The scene and costume designs were "modern" and Diaghliev worked with artists such as Picasso and Matisse, along with Coco Chanel.

Other names of renown that were integral to the company's success over the years include Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Michael Fokine and Anna Pavlova. Productions included "Afternoon of a Fawn" and "The Firebird." The costume below is the Sea Horse from "Sadko" (1911) with music by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Many of you had questions included in your comments from last month's post that featured de Borchgrave's amazing work and I'll answer as best as I can. (I should mention that the photos shown below of Isabelle creating in her studio are from the fabulous show catalogue -- actually a gorgeous coffee table book -- by Dennita Sewell.

Source: Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper by Dennita Sewell

Where Can I see the Show? There is only one more showing of this exhibit in the U.S. on this tour and it is in Atlanta, beginning October 4 and going till early January. For those of you in the south, I am thinking the words "road trip." Even if you have seen earlier exhibits of her work, there are items in this show that haven't toured with others. She has done several collections (the historical collections, the Fortuny gowns of the 20th century, Les Ballets Russes, etc.) and pieces from many of all the collections are part of the current tour.

How do they ship these from site to site? I was curious about that, too. They are packed in crates specially designed for each specific gown and made to fit fairly closely. The gowns are packed on their stands or mannequins, set in the crate and some materials are placed around them that prevent them from damage if they slide a bit in the crate. (Below, one of the paper gowns called "Delphos Dress and Coat" based on designs by Mariano Fortuny.

The museum director said that the Ballets Russes section of the exhibit, about one third the size of the gowns, took at least twice as long to set up as the gowns did because most of the costumes are suspended and not on stands, making them harder to ship, set up or move.

Does Isabelle have assistants? Yes. She has at least 10, according to the show catalogue, which is actually a lovely book. She originally worked with Shaw Theatre Festival designer Rita Brown, who, as a costume historian, knew how to create accurate patterns for the gowns. Isabelle paints the patterns onto each outfit. Assistants help assemble them.

Where is her atelier located? It is located in Brussels. As the of the writing of the catalogue, it is open to the public.

Does Isabelle only do the paper costuming installations? No, she also has done work for Caspari, Villeroy and Boch, and party items for Target. She also has costume installations in museums, including one of Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding gown in the JFK Library.

Were there many people there and what do you do about food and drink? There were quite a few people there on a Sunday afternoon. Busy but not so crowded you couldn't see or get close. As for food and drink, while I didn't see a sign, I suspect they would have snatched food away or asked you to eat at the tables outside the cafe.

Is her work available for sale? The museum gift shop and her online site has some of her jewelry available. I believe the website might have other items as well.

 I have to admit, I was overwhelmed by this exhibit, as you can probably tell. Even if costume isn't your thing, or paper work or painting, one has to admire the dedication to work from an inspiration piece and create something in a completely different media, perhaps matching identically and in other cases, using it as inspiration with some unique changes.

Source: Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper by Dennita Sewell

And, to do it, from top to bottom, jewelry, shoes, hats, purses, all accessories and the garment itself really demonstrates the commitment de Borchgrave has to authenticity and her dedication to her art.

Source: Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper by Dennita Sewell

It is safe to say my head was spinning!

Maybe as much as a spinning ballerina!

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Road Trip: Isabelle de Borchgrave and Fashioning Art from Paper

The city of Flint, Michigan has had quite a lot of deservedly negative press for its tragic drinking water situation and the city itself often gets a bad rap. What could possibly be in Flint, you might ask.

I'll tell you. The Flint Institute of Art. And until September 7 they have a remarkable exhibit by Isabelle de Borchgrave called "Fashioning Art from Paper." If you are a paper nut like me, or a fashion/costuming fan, this is your cup of tea. So, for my birthday excursion there really was no second choice. This was the exhibit I had to see.

And if you're not, this post might not be for you, because it is packed with photos of the exhibit. And remember, every outfit, every gown, every costume in this post is made completely of paper. They even had samples on hand we could touch. Some was leathery. Other pieces very delicate. (But I will tell you, Rick seemed very interested and I don't think he was when we started out!)

Even the accessories and jewelry are crafted from paper!

De Borchgrave has pulled her inspiration from a variety of sources. For example this portrait of Maria-Maddalena d'Austria...

...inspired this almost-to-the-button gown.

Check out the detail. Her painting is remarkable.

She is very big on the Medici family and her work showcases any number of the family known for their art patronage.

 Not all of her gowns are exact replicas but inspired by paintings of the individual. Such is the case with Maria d'Medici. In the corresponding portrait, there are few differences, just the collar of the dress.

This trio is Lorenzo, Il Magnifico, Eleanora of Toledo and Cosimo I de Medici.

Lorenzo's ensemble was inspired by a fresco in the Medici Chapel in which he is depicted as Caspar, the youngest of the Magi, in "Journey of the Magi." His title was granted because of his lavish patronage of the arts including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli, among others. In Lorenzo's outfit, the jewels on his belt are painted on.

Eleanora of Toledo's gown is modeled after a Bronzini portrait.

Cosimo I is depicted in his coronation clothing or ermine with a crown and scepter. And yes, the ermine is painted on.

Two of my favorites were based on women in classical paintings. "Pallas and the Centaur" by Botticelli was inspired by ancient Roman mythology. The painting was commissioned by the Medici family and hung in their Florence palace.

Also hanging in the Florence palace was Botticelli's "Primavera," in which Flora, the goddess of spring, is seen dropping flower petals in a scene that includes Venus, Cupid and the Three Muses.

This style of gown, worn by women in 18th century England, is called a mantua and was inspired by a gown in the Victoria and Albert museum. The museum curator said this was shipped in a crate slightly wider than the gown and as tall, on its stand, as others were shipped.

This court dress was inspired by a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I and includes starched lace (yes, paper) and pears and other jewels (also paper!)

Here you get a sense of the detail.

And, in the last of the historic gowns, a look at a couple of little numbers based on Madame de Pompadour! Mistress and later friend and confidante of King Louis XV of France, she was known for her political aspirations as well as her fashion.

Here is another of Madame de Pompadour's gowns.

Too long? Just a couple more dresses of a more contemporary mode. I have worked with the gossasmer like paper in this shawl. Don't snag it!

And this one is fun. From even a fairly close distance the sparkles look like jewels and sequins.

It's paint!

I took photos of every single one, I think. But I'll spare you some for now, though in another post I'll show you some of the paper sculptures she did based on costumes from the Ballet Russes. Meanwhile, one more look at the accessories...

...and one more gown.

It took my breath away.

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A Vintage Paper Exhibit to Treasure

Recently I checked in at the MSU Museum and was pleased to find this exhibit of pressed and embossed paper art was still in place.

These pieces were often given at Christmas, such as calendars and holiday items, like advent calendars, creches and Santa figures.

I'll save the Christmas pieces for next December, but I thought I'd share a few of the calendars and other pieces that were in the exhibit.

By 1910, Germany, which was at the center of the printing industry, had developed a process of embossing layers of heavy papers to produce colorful wall decorations.

I loved the combination wall-pockets/calendars.

Many of these were produced for companies around the United States. I was particularly fond of these birds, a detail from one of the calendars above. They're so cheery!

And the detail on the love birds is outstanding. (Even if my photo is a bit fuzzier than I wish!)

These puppies were just my cup of tea!

And all holidays came into play -- these patriotic calendars might well look perfect on July 4!

Here's another.

Of course, when it comes to pocket wall calendars such as these, I must say one of my favorites of all time is in my own collection.

My friend Jerry in Paris found this at a flea market. The embossing on the leaves climbing the trellis is deep and the die cuts are clean. It's one of my favorite treasures.

Curator Val Berryman is quite the Santa/Christmas man with an enormous personal collection, which includes these pieces. WKAR Radio did an interesting interview with him at the holidays. It's a couple of minutes long -- if you care to listen, you'll find it HERE! He's an interesting fellow and yes, the resemblance to one Mr. Claus is striking!