Start with Art Archives - Page 33 of 44

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Saints Genevieve and Appolonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

April 9, 2016

Normally, I try really hard to make sure that the things that I show on The Vivienne Files are realistic, and not appallingly expensive. Well, from time to time I'll see something irresistible, but I try to make those pieces the exception, rather than the rule.But today, I'm throwing away all of the rules...

The Guest Lecturer She's an expert in the symbolistic representation of saints in Gothic architecture. Her writings on the variety of interpretations of the legend of Saint Michael was groundbreaking. (well, groundbreaking if that's your thing!)

I was so afraid that when I was meeting her at the airport, I wouldn't be able to find her, or recognize her. But I needn't have worried; as soon as ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: A19 by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

April 6, 2016

I see this painting every week or two - it's a definite favorite, and it creates a clear mood of strength and confidence.

At first glance I thought that this painting was almost monochromatic, but when I started looking at the colors, I saw a pretty nice range of possibilities.

"It's a Good Idea..." "An amazing idea, actually. But you do realize that you're going to have to visit every branch office and show them how to do it..."

Well yes, actually, she did know that. She was PLANNING on it...

"We're going to need to reserve the auditorium closest to each branch, so that the presentation can be made to as many people as possible simultaneously." Happily, she ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Still Life by Cornelia van der Mijn

April 5, 2016

These aren't just flowers, they are a tour de force of power and beauty!

And while the composition is certainly classic, those accent colors are just a little bit unusual...not quite a red red, and the blues are just a wee bit teal-ish...

Organically Sourced They'd seen it for months; they would run out of Queen Anne's Lace, but still have long-stemmed roses... The arrangements with Black-Eyed Susans would outsell the ones with gardenias...

yes, the watch is PERFECT!

So the 3 co-owners decided that she should take off for a full work-week of visits to regional greenhouses, and those eccentrics who keep land completely undeveloped, to see what kinds of windflowers and local ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Gulf of Saint Tropez by Claude Matisse

April 4, 2016 Summer's coming...

And some people are embracing the bright colors that come with the warmer weather:

This Year, A Uniform

They can call it a Jitney, but it's really just a bus. A very crowded, and often very overly air-conditioned bus. And she rides it EVERY WEEKEND in the summer, to get to the shore. But this year, she is NOT going to go through a bunch of angst and constant pondering about what to pack into her tiny bag, that she always ends up holding on her lap. This is it:

If her friends get tired of seeing her 2 dresses at brunch, the heck with them.... If she destroys this pair of shorts somehow, she'll buy another one just like them. She's ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Lunar Eclipse Montage by Dr. Robert Vanderbei

April 2, 2016

Yes, I'm currently in Paris. (!!!!!!!) But there are posts here, queued up in advance, for 6 days a week while I'm on vacation. Just because I go away doesn't mean that you don't need your almost-daily dose of The Vivienne Files!

Now, back to the beauty:

Sometimes, scientific documentation of natural phenomena is executed so perfectly that it becomes art:

Two colors, but WHAT colors:

Connected She spends almost all of her time in her studio, alone. Her work is such that she wears only the most disposable of casual clothing, usually purchased from thrift stores. The materials with which she works, and the abandon with which she uses them, precludes neatness; an apron will NOT be ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Wrapped Oranges by William J. McCloskey

March 29, 2016

This is the 1,500th post on The Vivienne Files! If you're looking here for a specific color scheme, or general ideal, I encourage you to go to Google and enter "The Vivienne Files" and then whatever things you'd like to find. The chances grow greater every day that you might find something helpful to you in my archives! And if you don't find it, let me know and I'll build it, some day. I've got no intentions of stopping now...And thank you, very humbly, and very sincerely, for your continued support of my efforts. You each mean so much to me!

love, Janice

On with the show!!!

What a simple, but lovely painting:

It's the kind of painting that you might walk right past during a museum visit, but ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Autumn Trees – The Maples by Georgia O’Keeffe

March 28, 2016 You have sent me SO MANY beautiful art ideas - I'm going to dedicate a few days to addressing some of them. Fear not, the "1 at a Time" wardrobes will be back....

A travel wardrobe not for the faint of heart - but what beautiful, subtle colors:

She Has 24 Hours Well, she could take longer, but her plan is to spend her entire 1st day in town walking around, looking, listening, feeling her responses. By the time she goes to bed the first night, she's going to decide - yes or no - if she's moving there.

If she decides that she won't move there, she has the rest of the long weekend to enjoy her time off. But if she decides yes, she has the rest of the long ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 by Georgia O’Keeffe Part 3

March 26, 2016

Remember our friend in the cabin? She's made a bold decision...

WWSM (Widowed Woman Seeking Man) for sporting events, opera, symphony, dining, and whatever else we want to do... (she thought about specifying an age range for respondents, but she really doesn't care if her new friend is just out of college...)

Must be a man who appreciates simple pleasures, and is unimpressed by logos, bling, and obvious displays of wealth or debt. (if they're hanging around with her thinking that they'll get written into her will, they've got another thing coming!)

I will buy tickets if you do the driving! (maybe this will give them a hint that she remembers when Nixon ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 by Georgia O’Keeffe Part 2

March 25, 2016

When we left our heroine, she was unpacking her things in her new cabin...Remember, her original wardrobe inspiration was this:

After a few weeks of settling in, she had met new friends and discovered a new routine of activities, interspersed with delightful leisure... And she realized that her love of wearing jeans was a reflection of her need for relaxation, which was now being fulfilled! So she decided to invest in a few new ensembles, to give herself a few more wardrobe options.

Her new home was a perfect combination of urban and rural: street lights on poles in the front, fireflies among trees in the back; city water in the front, a natural spring (far) in the back; mail delivery in the ... View the Post

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Asiatic God by Paul Klee

March 19, 2016 This looks a little bit clown-like on my screen, but in person it's much more compelling, with a lot of texture. Almost mysterious, dark, and captivating, with amazing color highlights.

Asiatic God – Paul Klee

The frame is maroon and grey, and there are tiny accents of teal... the pink on the face is, in fact, the color PUCE! (I was searching around for the precise RGB combination to show the color on the color wheel, and learned this...)

This cried out for denim, to serve as a base for texture and a variety of accent colors...

Yes, the image of this skirt is TERRIBLE, but I really wanted you to see this skirt. It's a departure from a lot of denim skirts, in that it seems to have more ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 (1932) by Georgia O’Keeffe

March 15, 2016 There are so many different ways that this painting could be interpreted, but I kept seeing denim blue...

Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 (1932) by Georgia O’Keeffe Of course, I can always revisit this painting, if you're interested....

The Closing? She's flying out to close on the new cabin. Everyone's horrified...

Coat – Norma Kamali; crossbody bag – Phase 3; earrings – Judith Jack; socks – Polo Ralph Lauren; loafers – Cole Haan; jeans – L.L.Bean; sweater – Iris and Ink; scarf – Mosaique; watch – Movado; duffel bag – Norma Kamali

It's tiny. It's simple. And since she seems to have sold or donated about 90% of ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Madame Paul Escudier by John Singer Sargent

March 5, 2016 This arresting painting lives just down the street from me - I go visit it frequently!

These colors are luscious:

Your Biggest Client Called... And you're pretty fortunate that they complained about the service they were receiving, rather than just pulling the plug on your contract! But you're headed to the service center for a couple of days of... encouragement....

The keywords are calmness and quality.

You have to be careful not to be too much the "Home Office Person" because that will just alienate everyone. But you do want to show them, through every gesture, and every word, that you insist on the best possible work they can do, in a way that's not frantic in any ... View the Post