Tuesday, April 28, 2009

A Spot of Pink

Sometimes it’s a shape, but often it’s a line, a splash of color, that inspires me.

Take this image by Gerhard Richter, for instance, the promotional picture for the National Gallery’s exhibit in London. The pink and the hint of aqua draw me in, and I remain there, lost in the figure’s hair and expression.

This morning I saw a photo in the New York Times of the actress Carla Gugino in character (for Eugene O’Neill's Desire under the Elms). Her rosy dress, her tight, yet electric posture, and her shoes—what’s going on with her shoes???—captivated me. It’s certainly not a classically pretty, or fashion-y shot, but it intrigues and inspires with its energy and color.



So I was happy to find one more shot from the O’Neill play with another burst of color: this log cabin quilt that pops reds and pinks:


I know that the set and costumes are designed, but they come across as effortless and organic, something my eye thirstily returns to again and again.


**Thanks to Wee Birdy for posting the Richter on her sidebar, where I first saw it.

2 comments:

materfamilias said...

Oh dear, these are inspiring, and/but I've just done a preliminary (way preliminary -- 4 weeks early) packing for my month away (which includes a week each in London and in Paris) and it looks so drab -- blacks and greys, designed to form a sensibly stylish capsule wardrobe. I do at least have red shoes, a tomato-coloured bag, some scarves, and a bit of print, but oooh if I were willing to cart more cases, there would be much more colour. Thanks to your post, though, I may at least pick up one colour-infusing cardi-wrap and maybe a purple small cross-body bag. I love seeing the way you arrive at colour inspirations, through paintings and stage, etc.

Mary-Laure said...

Yes, that top picture is very intriguing. London always has the BEST exhibitions.