Friday, June 04, 2010

Artist of the Month; Gaston Lachaise


Any one who knows me will know I am in love with Annemette. Any one who knows Annemette will probably know why. This months honoured artist won't really suprise any one who knows me.

In the mid 1990's, whilst Mette was studying fashion and design at KIAD in Kent (UK), Annemette brought home a book for research purposes; the book was titled Lachaise, and it was full of images of sculptures of big, voluptuous women.


Gaston Lachaise, was a French artist who moved and settled in the USA. A skilled portait artist, his abiding obsession was his muse; an American woman named Isabel Dutaud Nagle. I've never seen a photograph of Isabel, but from Lachaise's work, its pretty obvious what she must have looked like. Even though Lachaise was prone to physical exageration, the essence of Isabel's sensuality pervades his work.


I like Lachaise's work, because it makes me think of Annemette, but also because I appreciate the sensuality of larger women in general, and in Lachaise I think I see a kindred spirit. If I were a sculptor, then I might very well create works of art in a similar vein. Alas, I cannot sculpt to save my life. Mette can, but she doesn't care to, her interests lie in the design of dresses.

5 comments:

paula said...

Many thanks. I have just added some pictures of Isabel to the Lachaise Foundation website--look for them in a few days. . .or buy the book on Lachaise in french or english published by Gallimard (2003, french, 2007 or 2009 English ) My essay features a series of naked photographs of Isabel taken by Lachaise in Maine.

moif said...

Oh, thank you! I shall look for those with interest.

Hornbostels said...

The pictures of Isabel are up:
www.lachaisefoundation.org

moif said...

Thanks. You can certainly see the effect she had.

Marie said...

O I love standing woman. This is a real great artwork of Lachaise.