Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker (1906-1975) embodied the Jazz age of the 1920s. “An international star of sensational, exotic cabarets including La Revue Nègre, and the infamous Folies Bergère in Paris and Berlin.”

She was also well-known for wearing the most infamous costumes revealing her exotic beauty. As a muse of F. Scott Fitzgerald, she inspired the character of Daisy Buchanan’s long-time friend Jordan Baker in the novel The Great Gatsby. Like the fictional character she may have played golf; however, I think her career was more focused on dance and performance, she certainly reached celebrity status in Europe. Though not in America, her home country, until much later. Her bio says, “Admirers bestowed a plethora of gifts, including diamonds and cars, and she received approximately 1,500 marriage proposals.” As well as Chiquita, the cheetah that encapsulated her persona; half exotic, untamed creature, of sophistication and poise; probably very useful with fending off all those potential suitors.

Paul Colin Plate 37 from Le Tumulte Noir,1927

Josephine Baker in Paris qui remue, 1930, Paris

Stage sets from Josephine Baker’s performances

Studio Piaz, Paris, Josephine Baker with her Leopard, 1930-32

La Joie de Paris, 1932-33

Josephine Baker on the cover of AZ Magazine, October 1933

unknown photographer, 1936 National Portrait Gallery, London

At the Casino of Paris in 1939

Costume Design for Josephine Baker, 1950s Courtesy of the Jean-Claude Baker Foundation

Josephine Baker in Havana, Cuba, 1951

references
V&A
The official site of Josephine Baker

The Botanical Imagination

One of the current exhibitions at London’s Whitechapel Gallery is titled: Karl Blossfeldt. His photographs are on display from now until, 14 June 2013 mention:

“Karl Blossfeldt (1865–1932) is recognised for his extensive and unique collection of photographic plant portraits that reveal the tactile qualities, intricate forms and uncanny aspects of flora. His fusion of scientific observation, sculptural form and surreal composition pioneered an artistic style that forged new approaches to modern art and photography.”

Karl Blossfeldt composed his photographs beautifully and took great care with the lighting setup avoiding the tonal extremes of dark shadows and bright highlights. The result is seeing greater surface textual detail also the contours of the line that describes the subject’s natural forms. His black and white photographs are a study not just of shape, space and form, but of the hidden complexities within these forms. Simply looking at these photographs shows the impossible reality of not being able to grasp these with the human eye without magnification. His pictures illustrate pine cones, buds, stems, dried fruits and seed pods. Photographed at different stages of evolutionary development, and enlarged up to 30 times the actual size of the original form, enabling a more proficient visual enquiry. Also, a renewed delight in looking at something strangely familiar to the variety of plant species in natural hedgerows and gardens of home, this realisation produces a breathtaking effect. The first seeing, of the stark beauty of these natural forms.

The photographs were produced as teaching aids for his students. From 1898-1932 he was a professor of applied art at Berliner Kunsthochschule (College of Arts) in Berlin. Looking at just a few of his macro photographs;  I can see the sculptural architectural possibilities. Possibilities of materials used in making decorative objects, and new designs for embellishments and motifs. An early critic once said of his photographs:

“The delicacy of a Rococo ornament, the severity of a Renaissance chandelier, the mystically tangled scroll work of flamboyant Gothic, domes, towers, and the noble shafts of columns—a whole exotic language of architecture. Crosiers embossed in gold, wrought with trellises, rich sceptres: all these man-made forms find their original form in the world of plants.”

His photographs were published in two landmark books, and he became very well known during his lifetime. A selection of his photographs was brought to the public attention with his first publication Urformen der Kunst (Archetypes of Art) in 1928. Later a second book Wundergarten der Natur, (The Wondergarden of Nature) 1932. At the beginning of the books, he says “I have published this second volume–to arouse the Nature-sense, to demonstrate the wealth and beauty of nature, to stimulate observation of our own plant world.”

Aristolochia, birthwort – tendril shoots

Cutleaf teasel – leaves at stem

Manna ash – blossom bud opening

Indian balsam, snapweed, branching

Passion flower – bud

Azorina – blossom (petals removed)

Red elderberry – blossom bud

Hairy catsear – young leaf

 Phacelia congesta, Phacelia, panicle

 Henbane, seed capsule

 Cephalaria, Scabious family, capitulum

Rough horsetail – cross section of stem

Northern maidenhair fern – young rolled up fronds

Rough horsetail – top of shoot

Whitechapel Gallery

Natural Art Forms by Karl Blossfeldt

Finely bound novels by Jules Verne

From the Earth to the Moon, 1874 - cover by Henri de Montaut

I’ve recently seen the Technicolor Disney adaptation of Jules Verne’s Twenty thousand Leagues Under the sea, 1954. Starring James Mason as Captain Nemo and Kirk Douglas as the wayward man of great physicality aptly named Ned Land, even though he spends most of his time locked up on board the Nautilus, he was needed; if there was any chance at all of survival.

The book compared was fascinating in the minutiae of recorded details of the underwater ocean journey. Highlighting the voyages great academic appeal and at the same time the insurmountable sense of wanting to escape, when any given opportunity presented itself. The feelings of claustrophobia due to being imprisoned and being under the forceful control of the questionably sane Captain Nemo—made this adventure all the more exciting. It felt even more relevant to me because of the three mentions of Liverpool, then in its heyday of shipbuilding and merchant shipping. It even compared the inside decor of the Nautilus to Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel. There is a lounge room that has the same blueprint design of the RMS Titanic first-class passengers smokers lounge. Also, The liner scene from Brideshead Revisited, 1981 television serial was filmed there too. Other than the architect, Jules Verne was the first to realise the nautical associations, though it’s vastly bigger inside compared to the Nautilus.

Here are some of Jules Verne’s first editions of his most well-known stories. French editor and publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel commissioned illustrators Édouard Riou thought to be the most recognised, Léon Benett most prolific with Voyages Extraordinaire, and the very talented and teleologically advanced in printing methods George Roux. They are so beautifully ornate, often with symmetrical designs with limited colour palettes. Some of the worn cloth editions now look iridescent, as if… made from insect wings. The depths of the gold embossing for outline pictorial details, and ornate patterns form borders and backgrounds. The texture of the original cloth fabric, woven, echoes what lies beneath. I’m not sure today if any new book published could achieve this standard of craftsmanship, and illustrated with fine prints throughout. These finely bound illustrated novels are very collectable—Jules Verne was a prophetic and fascinating writer of the greatest adventures ever told.

From the Earth to the Moon, 1874

Voyages Extraordinaires series, Hetzel editions, 1875

Clovis Dardentor, 1896 - cover by Léon Benett

 Facing the Flag, 1876  - cover by Léon Benett

French first edition of Captain Antifer, 1894 - cover by Georges Roux

 Off on a Comet, 1877

 Mistress Branican, 1891 - cover by Léon Benett

 The Mighty Orinoco, 1898 - cover by Georges Roux

The Castaways of the Flag, 1900 - cover by George Roux

 Mathias Sandorf, 1885 - cover by Léon Benett

César Cascabel it is part of Voyages Extraordinaires series, 1890 -

cover by Georges Roux

 Map of route through Alaska

 Map of route through Russia

Journey to the Centre of the Earth, 1871 - cover by Édouard Riou

Cover of the French first edition of Around the World in Eighty Days,

1873 - cover by Alphonse-Marie de Neuville and Léon Benett

A walk under the waters

Illustration showing giant squid attack

Frontispiece to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea 

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, 1870 - cover by Édouard Riou

Art Forms in Nature

Here are just a few visual pieces from this accomplished scientific artist and illustrator Ernst Heinrich Haeckel, 1834-1919 (he was also known as a German physician, biologist and nature philosopher), his work bridges the gap between the scientific study of nature with art. His wonderful illustrations particularly remind me of Jules Verne’s book published in 1870. Jules Verne was likely inspired by these for this novel: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, with Captain Nemo in his electrical powered submarine the Nautilus, Captain Nemo and his divers had collected different zoological species from around the world; particularly from the bottom of the seabed. This work shows that same sense of obsessive fascination and discovery and is fanatical in every detail, symmetry and design. The illustrations below are from his most noted book titled: Art Forms in Nature or Kunstformen der Natur published 1869, a production of 100 published illustrations.

Other illustrated editions include: Radiolaria (1862) Siphonophora (1869) Monera (1870) Calcareous Sponges (1872), As well as several Challenger, reports: Deep-Sea Medusae (1881) Siphonophora (1888) Deep-Sea Keratosa (1889) Radiolaria (1887)—illustrated with 140 plates and enumerating over four thousand (4000) new species. [37]

In addition to the above, illustrated books he also published extensive writings. I can’t help thinking that like Walt Disney who didn’t give credit to illustrators and animators for their involvement with his early films.  Haeckel in the later position of being a professor at the University of Jena, working there for 47 years from 1862 to 1909. As the dates coincide with the book's publications, my guess is that under his direction he utilised his students in order to create these awe-inspiring visual compendiums. However, that doesn’t subtract from the genius of the man orchestrating these most visionary books! It is well known that many great artists have had a highly skilled team as assistants.

This in-depth visual zoological study of animals and sea creatures is intriguing and surprising. His work also supported Charles Darwin’s 1859 book On the Origin of Species. Wiki quotes: “From 1866 to 1867, Haeckel made an extended journey to the Canary Islands with Hermann Fol and during this period, met with Charles Darwin, in 1866 at Down House in Kent, Thomas Huxley and Charles Lyell.” and furthermore “One of Haeckel's books did a great deal to explain his version of "Darwinism" to the world.” These were the times of Journey and discovery… I can only marvel at the volume and complexity of the illustrations published! Thankfully, they were not exclusive to scientific research and readership with special thanks to Jules Verne and others equally fascinated. Haeckel’s book Art Forms in Nature along with the wondrous photographs by Karl Blossfeldt were a seminal influence to the designs and architecture of the Art Nouveau 1890-1910; inspired by curved lines, flowers and plants and natural forms.

Ernst Heinrich Haeckel/Wikipedia

Ernst Haeckel Kunstformen der Natur Prints 1899