Chapter 13 - Study Three Artists

Herta Puls

Herta Puls was born in 1915, and studied embroidery in Wales and the West of England. She studied and wrote several books on the works of the Kuna Indians in the Sans Blas Islands, Panama in the 1960’s. She collected many textiles and researched their technique of reverse applique.

The Kuna Indians make molas, traditional blouses or tops worn by the women. Two mola panels, front and back, are incorporated as panels in the blouse. The patterns originated from body painting and the oldest molas are probably about 150 to 170 years old. Patterns are traditionally geometric and often include designs of flowers, marine life and birds. The panels are made from between two and seven layers of coloured fabric sewn into intricate designs using reverse applique. The sewing is very fine, and almost invisible on the best molas.

It is interesting that in the 1970s the Peace Corp arrived on the islands with treadle sewing machines to help the women make their molas. These were quickly rejected for traditional hand sewing application.

The interest that grew in molas following Herta Puls books has led to many molas being bought by collectors around the world; they are held in museums and private collections.

http://artifex-almanach.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/mola.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mola_(art_form)
http://tamarembroideries.co.uk/methods/mola/

Mola Fish

 

Mola Costume

Hand Stitching

 

Vassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)

Kandinsky was a Russian painter who worked in Germany and founded the Blue Rider Movement, an Expressionist group who believed art should focus on spiritual ideas. He was a pioneer of abstract art and is credited with painting one of first pieces. Kandinsky said he was inspired to try abstract art when a painting fell on its side and he thought the shapes in it looked more interesting.



He originally studied law and started painting age 30, mainly life drawing and anatomy. Kandinsky moved to France in 1933 when Nazis closed Bauhaus School of Art & Architecture in Germany, where he worked.  He was fascinated by colour from childhood and also influenced by Monet and Wagner, and he merged music and art. He was interested in line, shape and particularly colour. Kandinsky thought colour could express feelings in the same way as music. 

In the Mid 1920s geometrical elements became important in his work – particularly half circles, circles, arcs and lines. On Points (1928) is like an explosion of geometric shapes, or rockets represented by arrows. The shapes overlap and interlink and there is a feeling of transparency, similar to the studies during the module. White Cross (1922) appears more chaotic with many shapes vying for their space, but on closer inspection it is a carefully thought out, cleverly composed work. The layers of different shapes and sizes again are similar to the design techniques in this module, the strong background solid shape against the smaller foreground shapes disintegrating away. In both paintings shapes hang or float in the air. It has been interesting to look at Kandinsky’s work and has inspired me to look at other abstract art works from the perspective of an embroiderer.

Dickins Rosie The Usborne Introduction to Modern Art ISBN: 978074609952-0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily_Kandinsky

http://www.wassilykandinsky.net/

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/wassily-kandinsky-1382

 

On Points (1928)

 

White Cross (1922)

 

Antoni Gaudi (1852 - 1926)

I have visited Barcelona twice, and both times have become enthused and intrigued with the works of the fabulous architecture Antoni Gaudi. It is impossible to visit Barcelona and not find Gaudi; even if you do not discover his name, you cannot miss his work. On my first visit to Barcelona my main aim was to visit the Picasso Museum, but although I enjoyed it, for me nothing compares to the exuberance of Gaudi. He is everywhere you look and when you look closely there is even more. A strong user of geometric shapes, his work includes stars and crosses everywhere you turn. The colour and textures he created are at the same time bold and intricate.

 

It’s difficult to decide which is more famous the cathedral, Familia Sagrada, or the municipal park, Parc Guell. If you arrive at the park early or late in the day it is a peaceful haven to wander around and discover the many different buildings and nooks and crannies that Gaudi added to the abundance of plants growing there. The main part of the day the park is packed solid with visitors so not quite as peaceful. The use of colour in the mosaics is particularly shown at the entrance to the park with the roof of both the porters lodge and administration centre, and the famous mosaic salamander leading to the Hall of a Hundred Columns. But I love the serpentine bench which surrounds the main square. The sunlight bounces off the mosaics and the views are stunning.

 

From the main square you can see the towering fantasy land cathedral, drawing you back out of the park to see more. The cathedral is the most bizarre and stunning I have ever visited. There are layer upon layer of geometric shapes, depictions and biblical stories. If you look closely there are gaps and holes left to reveal secrets below. I cannot pick a favourite part of the cathedral because my favourite is always where I’m looking at that moment.

 

The first time I visited Barcelona I walked most of it and you can see many of Gaudi’s works this way that are lesser known, the street lamps at Placa Reial being another favourite of mine, and a variety of houses.

 

 

Although Gaudi was an architect, he clearly can be described as an artist, albeit on a very large scale. For me his work relates wonderfully with this module, a mass of geometric shapes, including stars and crosses, but when studied more closely his mosaics are a colour wheel lesson and some of his architecture appears to be disintegrating in front of you, particularly shown in areas of the cathedral and park. When I visit Barcelona again maybe I will view his work with fresh eyes.