Fashion vs Art: Il Teatro alla Moda

FASHION

La Traviata

Karl Lagerfeld - Fendi 1984

For Raina Kabaivanska

The exhibition Il Teatro alla Moda, created by Massimiliano Capella at the Mazzucchelli Museums in Milan, Italy is filled with dramatic hand crafted costumes from numerous Operas. The exhibition documents the relationship of Italian designers with the theater scene, which has gone on since the 1980s.For example, the Fendi sisters, with their creative director Karl Lagerfeld, have declared their love for opera with countless productions, all marked with the use of fur. One item is an example for all: the peach fur cloak created for Raina Kabaivanska, star of La Traviata directed by Mauro Bolognini in 1984. Around a hundred original costumes, sketches, mannequins and video documents tell, in eight sections, one of the best endeavors of the Made in Italy(Bonelli, Valentina). The floor length cape is created with peach silk velvet and lined with beautiful ivory mongolia fur. 

The painting by Moretto da Brescia shows a man wearing a cloak with fur trimming that directly resembles the piece used for La Traviata. The opera is about what one will do for the person they love, such as leaving each other to keep a family member happy if they are no longer together. Violetta, the main character of the performance demonstrates love. This piece can show the connection between the plot of the play, love for fur and theatre that Karl Lagerfeld and the Fendi sisters had. The magnolia fur cloak also covers the shoulders in both the painting and costume as well as resembling the same length. Even though both of these pieces are hundreds years apart, the detail, fabric and length still remain the same.

VS


ART

Count Sciarra Martinengo Cesaresco 

Made from 1516-18 Oil on canvas

 114 x 94 cm National Gallery, London

Alessandro Bonvicino also known as the Moretto da Brescia was an Italian High Renaissance Painter born 1498 to 1554.  He was one of the most distinguished painters of Brescia of the 16th century. He was influenced by both Lombard verism and contemporary Venetian painters. Moretto created an individual style in which realism and Venetian light and color were perfectly balanced("Count Sciarra Martinengo Cesaresco"). During the 16th century fur was worn for the elite and wealthy population; it ultimately showed status.  This piece also shows different fabrics and patterns that can help understand the time period and what was available. The painting shows tapestry, leather, fur, currency, feathers and wood therefore showing a developed city.  The colors transition from light to dark starting from the top left of the corner to the bottom right; a prime example of his Venetian light and color balance.

Work Cite

Bitti, Mônica. "Saí Do Amário." O Teatro Da Moda. 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 June 2011.

<http://agorasaidoarmario.blogspot.com/2010/11/o-teatro-da-moda.html>.

 Bonelli, Valentina. "Fashion and Theatre." News People Are Talking about. 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/art-photo-design/2011/01/theatre-and-fashion>.

"Count Sciarra Martinengo Cesaresco." Moretto Da Brescia. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.oil-paintings.com.au/reproduction/artist_MORETTO_da_Brescia.html>.

Il Teatro Alla Moda»: I Grandi Stilisti in Mostra." Correire Della Seta. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.corriere.it/gallery/cinema/10-2010/festivalroma/7/teatro-moda-grandi-stilisti-mostra-_1284d3fe-e6b0-11df-a903-00144f02aabc.shtml#5>.