My favorite exhibit to ever be on display at the Art Institute of Chicago is “Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity,” a wonderful look at the influence of fashion on art. The exhibit was organized by the Art Institute, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Musée d’Orsay, and it featured works by major artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir accompanied by the fashion pieces that inspired their art.
“For painters of modern life, fashion mattered,” according to the Met’s website. Fashion was the peak indicator of modernness for artists at the time. The exhibit only reinforces that statement. As I walked through the exhibit surrounded by the gowns and the paintings that capture them, I was struck by how magnificent these two art forms were together.
The exchange between fashion and painting continues today. Like the impressionists were inspired by the gowns of their time, fashion designers now have been inspired by post-impressionist paintings of the past. Gustav Klimt’s art specifically has been emulated over the years by many different designers. Klimt is known for his use of shape and color in portraits of women, as well as his love for using gold leaf during his “golden phase.”
Designers like Rick Owens, Aquilano.Rimondi and Christian Dior have all found their inspiration in Klimt’s work. [One of the looks](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3c/53/7d/3c537dee4dc08ad0d90cbafdd7fa890a.jpg) by Aquilano.Rimondi is inspired by my favorite painting by Klimt, called The Kiss.
Another artist that inspires fashion collections is Vincent Van Gogh. As one of the most well-known painters, Van Gogh’s ability to play with color and bring out the beauty in the ordinary has kept people enchanted for years.
In Rodarte’s Spring 2012 collection, many of the looks were inspired by Van Gogh’s paintings of flowers. Rodarte uses [Van Gogh’s sunflowers](http://assets.vogue.com/photos/55c650ca08298d8be216300f/master/pass/00070fullscreen.jpg) repeatedly throughout.
The beauty of art is that there is so much of it that can inspire any type of look. Even the floral prints nowadays have an impressionist feel to them. Art can inspire the types of colors or patterns you mix or your make-up. Your style could also inspire art.
Art can preserve a moment in time that otherwise wouldn’t have been saved. My favorite painting from the exhibit was A Ball, 1878 by Jean Beraud. The stunning scene of a ballroom was so detailed that the lace on the woman’s dress in front looked as though Beraud had taken actual lace and pressed it onto the canvas.
The painting gives insight into the society that existed back then. I’ve never been to a ball, but because Beraud captured the fashion and the moment so well, I feel like I know a little bit more. Art can preserve fashion and fashion can preserve art. The two go together in a way that people probably wouldn’t expect, and I am sure that their partnership will continue well into the future.
_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_
