Today we decided to take a break from our film prep work and head over to the Getty Center in Brentwood, California. Los Angeles is decidedly not a museum town but the Getty Center and the Getty Villa are two stunning exceptions. The collections are a bit eclectic, containing a bit of everything ranging from Medieval manuscripts all the way up to Impressionist paintings with a large helping of 18th Century furnishings and objects d’art.
One of the most noteworthy takeaways from our visit was studying the way dress and fabrics are depicted in art, Below are some interesting examples:
Here we see a white silk satin dress portrayed through the medium paint in this painting “The Music Lesson” by Gerard ter Borch:
The Music Lesson by Gerard ter Borch, c. 1668
Another amazing painting is this one by Bartholomeus van der Helst that portrays metallic braid WITHOUT the use of a metallic paint:
Portrait of a Young Man in Military Costume by
Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1650
And for contrast, there’s the dress fabric in Jeanne by Édouard Manet:
Spring by Édouard Manet, 18881
There were a lot more examples but the above three encapsulate just what was possible and short of being able to actually view the original garments, these paintings provide interesting insights into fabrics and fashions. It also goes a long way towards depicting how clothes can look through the medium of film. We found this to be an incredibly powerful inspiration and it will inform our work in costume on screen in the future. Stay tuned for more!
