Happy 2 years anniversary to Nigel and I! Finally took some time out together after weeks of rushing deadlines and tests. To spend our special day together, we went to see the Dreams and Reality art exhibition.
This is the interior of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris:
I feel privileged to see so many masterpieces in the National Museum of Singapore (Ticketing details
here) without having to fly all the way to Paris.
"The exhibition explores the reaction of man towards modernity at the turn of the century from 1848 to 1914. The changing social and industrial landscapes of Paris in early modernity forced artists and photographers to rethink their approach to the visual world around them. Their varied responses generated new ways of depicting reality and a proliferation of styles."
The exhibition is divided in themes such as war, solitude and mythology. France went through many upheavals including industrialisation, the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) and the start of first world war. These influenced the artists of that period, who sought to express their worldview or escape from it through their art. Majority of the paintings were done by oil on canvas. Here are some of my favourites:
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| Venus at Paphos by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (source) |
Sorry for the nudity. At the first glance this reminds me of Eve in the Garden of Eden. According to description, the artist intentionally drew her back more arched than it should be (pay attention to where her left shoulder is positioned) for an erotic effect. I also loved how the blurred features of the child gave a dream-like quality. Some sources mentioned the artist drew the stolen 'head' (daughter of a wealthy client he painted - with clothes on) with an imaginary body and scene. Talk about photoshop in the past...
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| Young Girl and Death by Marianna Stokes (source) |
This painting was originally shaped this way; I can't help but to notice those arched wings and arched bed frames too. The two main colours red and black represents blood and death. Perhaps I have an obsession with arched things (that explains my JC Lana Fabs). A young girl is taken by surprise in her sleep by 'Death', flowers on the side table are withered and this painting shall remain vivid in my memory forever.
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| The Engima by Gustave Doré (source) |
This painting was based on France's defeat by Prussia in 1870. The background shows France fumed by its enemies canon. Under the dark sky a winged woman, probably the embodiment of france is asking the sphinx for answers but it remained silent. I was so visually shocked and overwhelmed by this particular art piece.
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Be sure to make a visit ASAP before it's gone on 5 Feb 2012! Try to avoid weekends if you want to really enjoy because the crowd was massive. I think it rekindled my love for paintings as a child! I'm still learning to appreciate art but I'm definitely seeing more this year.
Outfit of the day :
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| Maxi dress - Forever 21, blazer - Cotton on, sandals - Charles & Keith |
I'm wearing Rimmel's Moisture Renew lipstick in 640 Coral Chic in case you're wondering.
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| Arm party! - feat. metal cuffs and beads. Bag from Shanghai. |
Later in the day, Nigel brought me to this high- end furniture store named SPACE located near Sunshine Plaza. Didn't take any pictures because we were way too engrossed in the ridiculously well designed (and priced) furniture. I also discovered this furniture line called,
MOOOI; I love it so much that I unknowingly used some of them in my interior design assignment.
We spent our night dining at an inexpensive food court in Sentosa. It's right where the USS globe is. The indoor food court offers traditional local cuisine in an olden street concept, pretty cool if you ask me! Saves money too.
