“How can I explain my innate abilty to create? I don’t need to find models. When I want a new one I choose among those that come to me in the same way that, when I am at a table, I chose an apple from a bowl of fruit”
Salvatore Ferragamo
Art
This statue is located in the piazza right next to the Salvatore Museum on Via de’ Tornabuoni marking the beginning of the mot luxurious and chic shopping street in Florence, Italy. It is encompassed by triangular geometric shapes, which appear to look like studs. They are all symmetrical in size and positioning.
Piazza Santa Trinita where the museum and monument are located in is a very beautiful and affluent area with many respected designers surrounding the vicinity. In the middle of the square is an ancient Roman column, given as a gift from Pope Pius IV in 1560 for Cosimo I, the first Grand Duke of Florence. It is known as the column of justice due to the sculpture of “Justice” on the top. The piazza is named after the 14th century church on the west side of the piazza best known for its collection of frescoes by famous artists such as Ghirlandaio, Aretino and Monaco. This piazza is filled with all different eras of art such as Romanesque and Gothic style (Piazza Santa Trinita). This statue is a representation of time and history.
VS.
FASHION
The Court Shoe is a gold stiletto that was created by Salvatore Ferragamo in 1958-1959. The stiletto is gold with white triangular shape with a gold heal. The monument in the Piazza Santa Trinita resembles the same triangular and geometric lay out as the Court shoe. Salvatore Ferragamo had a natural ability to create patterns, design and overall shape of shoe by appreciating history, art and culture. Especially being able to represent the interest and attractions of a certain time period and represent it through his designs. The location of his store and museum is also located in the heart of Piazza Santa Trinita in the Palazzo Spini Feroni, bought by Salvatore Ferragamo in the 1930’s and in 1995 the lower level for the museum. He was sensitive to art and his creativity grew stronger from it. He was able to take the inspiration of Etruscan abstractions and have it acceptable for the late 1950’s. The lay out of the triangular shape is also symmetrically positioned throughout the stiletto as the wall encompassing the monument (Ricci, Stefania).
Work Cite
"Piazza Santa Trinita." Florence On-line. 2010. Web. 18 June 2011. <http://www.florence-on-line.com/piazzas/piazza-santa-trinita.html>.
Ricci, Stefania, and Sergio Risaliti. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Florence: Skira, 2011. Print.
June 17th
He was the man behind Marylin Monroe, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn and many more renowned celebrities; Salvatore Ferragamo. Today, we had the chance to explore his journey and understand his mastermind. I really was not too educated about Salvatore Ferragamo and did not know all of his contributions he has made. After watching, reading and listening to everything I was I left in awe of the vision he followed. Salvatore Ferragamo opened his first store at the age of 13, which states enough about his talent but continued to follow a strong path when returning back to Italy in 1927 from California. I learned that his Invisible Shoe, was one of his greatest accomplishments since he won the Neiman Marcus award in 1947 for this shoe.
He was able to look beyond the typical shoe at the time and firstly wanted to create shoes that were comfortable and attractive to women. He was the “Shoe Maker to the Stars” because he was able to connect the time period of the cinematic era and show it through his designs. He was not only inspired by people but he was inspired by the body. So much so that, he studied anatomy to understand how the body worked and chemical engineering to create comfortable shoes. Painters, architects and artists such as Andy Warhol and Emilio Paoli looked at Salvatore Ferragamo and created pieces that resemble his shoes such as the Antiquariato in 1962 was an armchair hat was made out of nylon mesh and wire that resembled the invisible shoe Salvatore Ferragamo created in 1947. Other artist looked at him for inspiration as he would look at them for inspiration.
This was something that stood out for me because I wouldn’t think architects or painters would first look at shoes for inspiration, it would have been the other way around.
I was impressed by how well he knew his clients for example; Marylin Monroe only wanted her stilettos 11 cm high and only wore stilettos. Ingrid Berman preferred ballerina shoes. He paid close attention to the customer, their needs and created a successful brand by sticking to his beliefs. Some of the moments that stood out for me were the wooden shoe model for each client. This made the shoe truly one of a kind and true to size.
The room with all the inspirations and artifacts justified all of his designs. Seeing the connection between art and his shoes was something I was taught to point out and analyze. It may be easy to see the resemblance but it’s more interesting to think of how the interpretation was transferred to his shoe by looking at the details and the shape. I tend to catch myself analyzing a garment and always asking myself what inspired the design, shape, cut, color and fabric. This way of thinking will always be used and is crucial to the industry. The museum showed me a timeline but presented by shoes.
On June 17th
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