Monica D. Murgia

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body paint

Living Art

May 14, 2015 / 2 Comments
2015 has been an incredible year of growth for me both personally and professionally.  It has been a year of healing and stepping out of my comfort zone.  My last painting series was a major breakthrough.  It brought to light a repetitive cycle of negative, limiting thoughts.   (New to my site? You should take a look at Ineffable: Fantasy & Reality, which showcases this painting series and my reflections on the work.)  I’ve received so much positive feedback from this series of paintings that it lead me to a very special collaboration with Kelly Dooley.  She is launching The K-Do Alliance, a non-profit for survivors of abuse and domestic violence.  Her organization provides financial resources and emotional support to allow these survivors to escape toxic relationships and rebuild their lives.  I was honored to participate in the photo shoot for such a noble cause. 
Photo May 09, 1 31 03 PM
There were 8 of us present for this photo shoot.  The concept was for each of us to be nude, covered in body paint.  This represented that vulnerability is strength; that we each have learned to be comfortable in our own skin by overcoming suffering.  Each of us had a different story, but everyone had experienced pain.  Growing up, addiction was very prevalent in my family.  I never felt able to communicate effectively in this environment.  It was erratic and extreme.  This made other relationships really difficult for me, especially how I related to myself.  As a teen and young adult, I was attracted to partners that were emotionally unavailable and abusive.  I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me.  I knew something wasn’t right, but I continued to repeat the pattern that was most familiar to me.
Photo May 09, 4 28 36 PM
When I was 25, I entered a serious romantic relationship with a man who I would later find out was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder.  The mental and emotional abuse was very subtle at first, but progressed rapidly.  He was very controlling, manipulative, and would consistently sabotage my career and artistic practice.  He discouraged me from painting and drawing.  Over time, I became a shell of myself and felt little meaning was left in my life.  I was isolated and withdrawn.  I finally left him after 3 years in 2011, because I felt my spirit dying.  I did not feel the joy, enthusiasm, and inspiration that was part of my very essence.
Photo May 09, 3 16 14 PM
As an outsider, it is easy to dismiss abusive relationships.  People tend to say “why don’t you just leave?” in a rather condescending manner.  It is difficult to leave because your self confidence becomes eroded.  We each have an inner critic; a cycle of thoughts that we aren’t good enough, attractive enough, or smart enough.  When you have a partner that magnifies those fears, the results are paralyzing.  You really start believing that you are not – and never will be – enough.
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It took me a long time to correct my thinking after leaving that relationship.  I realized how much I had sacrificed my own self-care and happiness by allowing someone else to magnify my fears.  Slowly, I started to repair my relationship with myself.  I started to be nicer to myself.   I began painting and drawing.  Daily meditation and yoga helped me recognize and break the vicious and self-defeating loop of thoughts that replayed in my mind.  I began to understand that reality is predicated on thoughts and beliefs, so I must constantly think in a positive and happy way.  Joy and peace started to return to my life.  The pursuit of happiness led me to realize a few truths:
  • I no longer have to focus on the misfortunes of the past or on judging myself.
  • Each moment, I can direct my focus towards the pursuit of happiness instead of tearing myself down.
  • It takes courage to be the person what I want to be, but I believe in myself.
  • In finding the courage to believe, anything is possible.

 

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Photo courtesy of CATM NY

As the photo shoot progressed, I felt like I was living a major moment in art history.  All of those books I read about my favorite movements, like Impressionism and Pre-Raphaelite art, were swirling around me.  I was living art.  Finally, I was proud of who I was.  Everyone around me was living art, too.  It was so liberating to see each person as who they really were – a beautiful soul in the artwork of their own body.  There was no shame or judgement.  There was only appreciation and joy.  And that is the only way I choose to live.

“Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.” ― Aberjhani

 

Many thanks to Kelly Marie Dooley, Phil Valy, CATM NY, Savage Haus, Contra Studios, & each of the wonderful models that participated in the shoot.

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Posted in: art, art history, Art's Influence on Fashion, artists, blogging, Fashion and Identity, fashion and the body, Fashion as art, Ineffable, Inspiration, Nature inspired, photography Tagged: abusive relationships, angel, art, art as meditation, body paint, body painting, CATM NY, domestic violence, guilt, healing through art, health, ineffable, Kelly Dooley, living art, meditation, narcissism, narcissists, narcissitic personality disorder, painting, Phil Valy, photo diary, photo shoot, photography, Savage Haus, see yourself, self love, shame, The K-Do Alliance, wings

Lost in Fashion

March 7, 2012 / Leave a Comment

Angela Missoni painted and photographed by Liu Bolin. Image courtesy of Harper's Bazaar.

Keeping up with all my fashion magazines can be challenging.   So I was happy to finally sit down and look through the March edition of Harper’s Bazaar.   You can imagine my delight when I found this editorial called Lost in Fashion, a collaboration between photographer Liu Bolin and some of my favorite fashion designers.

Alber Elbaz of Lanvin painted and photographed by Liu Bolin. Image courtesy of Harper's Bazaar.

Bolin, a Chinese artist, lived and worked in an artists’ village in Beijing.   In 2005, the village was demolished by the Chinese government.   This prompted Bolin to create the portrait series Hiding the City, where he painted himself to melt into the wreckage of the artist’ studios.   Bolin sought to blend into the background as a way to comment on the invisible sense of humanity in every environment, especially in times of destruction.

Jean Paul Gaultier painted and photographed by Liu Bolin. Image courtesy of Harper's Bazaar.

This collaboration reminds me of my previous posts on Veruschka, Graffiti Fashion, and Feeling Blue.

Even Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino said:

We felt like Veruschka in a Franco Rubartelli picture.   But you don’t really know what’s happening, and all the people around you are saying, ‘It’s amazing.’

Pierpaolo Piccioli & Maria Grazia Chiuri of Valentino painted and photographed by Liu Bolin. Image courtesy of Harper's Bazaar.

 

Each of the designers talk about what it would be like if they were invisible:

“I am Missoni myself, so I wanted to totally disappear into my fabric.   But if I could be invisible, I would forget about clothes for a day.   I’d be invisible but naked.” – Angela Missoni

“If I were invisible, I would look at myself as a designer, I’m not an exhibitionist; I’m move of a voyeur.   All I try to do is be invisible.   I’m working day after day in front of a mirror and trying to disappear in front of the mirror.   I don’t want to see myself.   But I think it’s a choice: to make clothes to make women visible or to be a star and to always be visible.   I always preferred to be on the other side of the street and disappear.” – Alber Elbaz, Lanvin

“If I were invisible, I don’t know what I would do.   I would have no people to interact with.   It would have to be a very short moment, not for life!   I would never use it to spy, to find out if people truly loved me, because maybe I would feel depressed.   So [laughs] I think maybe I should die.” – Jean Paul Gaultier

“If I were invisible? I would stay by myself.   Just me.” –Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino

“I would wear pieces by other designers [laughs]!   That would be very nice for me.” – Maria Grazia Chiuri

 

Harper’s Bazaar, March 2012.   Pages 408-417

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Posted in: art, Fashion and Identity, fashion and the body, Fashion as art, Genius, Inspiration, political agenda Tagged: Alber Elbaz, Angela Missoni, body paint, fashion, Harper's Bazaar, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Liu Bolin, lost in fashion, Maria Grazia Chiuri, painting, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino

Feeling Blue

February 26, 2012 / 2 Comments

Anthropometry by Yves Klein, 1961. Image courtesy of http://coatedarms.blogspot.com

I will never forget my first figure drawing class.  As calm and collected as I tried to be, the moment the model disrobed and stood in front of me, I was nervous, embarrassed, and curious.  In the name of art, I could stare at a naked man or woman and not be considered a pervert.  How liberating!

Yves Klein at work, c. 1961. Image courtesy of http://design-crisis.com

Working in the fashion industry, I saw many parallels to the artist’s studio.  Naked bodies are every present in the atelier – fittings, dress rehearsals, runway shows.  After the initial shock value faded, I noticed that the constant exposure to nudity made me a connoisseur of the human form.  In fashion and art, ideal beauty changes with time.  (For more on this, you’d love my previous posts Moovies, Boobies, and Ideal Beauty  and A Return to the Ideal)  The only constant is the human desire to display the body in an appealing way.

A Blue Kind of World. Image courtesy of coloribus.com

 

Recently, I came across the work of Yves Klein (1928-1962).  From 1960-1962, Klein did a series of paintings called Anthropomtries (Anthropometry in English).  Anthropometry was Klein’s term for covering naked female models in blue paint and dragging them across or pressing them onto canvases.  The models were “living brushes”, and their naked bodies made the images.  Seeing photos of Klein slather his signature ‘International Klein Blue’ (IKB) paint on voluptuous French models was so overtly sexual I was almost embarrassed that I found the image while at work.  Almost.

Yves Klein, 1962, Anthropométries de l’Epoque bleue, at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art, 253, rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. Image courtesy of http://yejuchoi.com

Image courtesy of http://calitreview.com

 

These works of art became public performances.  Klein directed the models, covered in IKB to make imprints of their bodies on large sheets of paper in front of audiences.  The “exhibition” was complete with blue cocktails and a performance of his Monotone Symphony a single note played for twenty minutes, followed by twenty minutes of silence.  The resulting artwork is quite beautiful.  However, I think this is one of the rare cases where the product must be accompanied with an accurate description of the process.

 

Anthropometry, Untitled by Yves Klein. Image courtesy of Artnet.com

 

Image courtesy of http://citizenzoo.files.wordpress.com

These shows were successes, both commercially and critically.  Anthropometry is the study of human proportions, and by systematically directing the “living paint brushes” Klein believed his art was the most concentrated expression of vital energy imaginable.  I would agree with Klein on that statement.

Image courtesy of http://assentodiario.blogspot.com

 

Image courtesy of http://angryflannel.com

 

Anthropometry has some similarities with Veruschka’s Oxydationen series.  However, Veruschka’s use of body paint serves more to obscure her naked body.  Klein has managed to capture human sexuality and fling it on the canvas.  It’s like being a novice in figure drawing class all over again.

Large Blue Anthropometry (ANT 105) (La grande Anthropométrie bleue (ANT 105)), ca.1960. Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper, mounted on canvas, 9 feet 2 1/4 inches x 14 feet 1/25 inch (280 x 428 cm). Guggenheim Bilbao Museo GBM1997.8 Image courtesy of Guggenheim.org

 

Anthropometry, Untitled Characteristics: Dry pigment in synthetic resin on paper 102 x 73 cm. Image courtesy of guggenheim-bilbao.org

 

Image courtesy of illuminationsmedia.co.uk

 

Image courtesy of http://fireplacechats.wordpress.com

 

Image courtesy of http://carlypichini.com

 

Image courtesy of http://carlypichini.com

You can watch a video of the Anthropometry performance below.  Enjoy!

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Posted in: art, fashion and the body, Fashion as art, Inspiration, Make yourself smarter, Uncategorized Tagged: anthropometry, blue, body paint, international klein blue, yves klein

Graffiti Fashion

April 18, 2010 / 2 Comments

Graffiti can cause strong reactions.  I engaged with a person recently who felt thought there could be little meaning from street art, and that graffiti was an offense of the worst kind.  His direct quote, is as follows:

The graffiti pictures, you just love the color blends and the risk they took and the rebellious attitude. Maybe if someone put graffiti on your house or on you directly you would also find such pleasure in that.

Some people do put graffiti straight on their bodies, and I think it’s pretty cool.

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This gives me some great ideas for Halloween . . . .although it’s doubtful I’d make it out of the house with at least some clothing covering me.

Mr. Stephen Sprouse

So when does graffiti meet fashion?  While I wish I could say I was the first to be inspired by the Urban Landscape and graffiti, I certainly am not.  One of the most iconic designers to use graffiti was Stephen Sprouse (1953 – 2004).   A fashion designer and artist, Sprouse  infused elite, Fifth Avenue culture and their wardrobe with street style.  His signatures?  Day-glo colors and graffiti-printed clothing.

His first major success was in 1983, and his cloths sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, and swanky boutiques.  Interesting that suck ritzy clientele would adorn their body in wearable graffiti.

Part of the allure was high quality, expensive fabrics that were custom dyed and hand painted by Sprouse himself. It was a disheveled, deluxe chic.  Other characteristics of his clothes included the Day-Glo colors, all-black palettes, mirrored sequins, high-tech fabrics and Velcro attachments.

In 1987-8, Sprouse produced a line that used Andy Warhol’s Camouflage as a screen print as well as abstract graffiti prints of Jesus Christ that were a collaboration with artist Keith Haring.

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His biggest success was a collaboration with Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton in 2001.  The collection was Sprouse’s graffiti sprawled rendition of the Louis Vuitton logo and name printed over the classic monogram design.  The fashion world went gaga, and the pieces sold-out instantly.

 

 

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Posthumously, his success continues. For both Fall 2006 and 2008, Marc Jacobs utilized Sprouse’s graffiti images for handbags, shoes, and scarves for Louis Vuitton, which sold-out instantly.  This tribute to Sprouse garnered worldwide press, and a cult-like following.

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Marc Jacobs went on about Sprouse and how, with his graffiti infused clothing, has changed the landscape of fashion.  Jacobs wanted to deface the traditional LV monogram with graffiti, which he says:

has always viewed and a defiant act, a rebellious act but that creates a new surface with, giving new meaning to something old.

louis-vuitton-stephen-sprouse-2008-7

 

Mr. Jacobs is such a fan that he appeared in several magazine editorials naked and painted in Sprouse’s graffiti.

 

Apparently, so does LVMH, the mega conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton,  They graffiti-ed all of the store fronts for the collection debut, and are still pulling profits in this economic downturn.  I guess graffiti can be genius after all.

 

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Posted in: american fashion, art history, Art's Influence on Fashion, artists, artists i love, body painting, creativity, fashion, Fashion and Identity, fashion and the body, Fashion as art, fashion history, fashion influenced by art, Genius, history, Inspiration, made in america, paintings, street art Tagged: body paint, body painting, fashion, fashion and art, fashion and the body, fashion history, Graffiti, graffiti fashion, ideal body, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, painting graffiti on the body, painting the body, rants, stephen sprouse, street art

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