An Analytical Study of Small Hours by Lucienne Day
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| Small Hours 1952 Copyright V&A prints |
Day's design is quirky and abstract, the influence of Jean Miro is strong in the juxtaposition of elements in the repeat space. Again like Miro, Day uses linear elements to join the design together and help flow. The owl hanging from the tree adds a warm friendly touch to the piece. Small Hours evokes a night time in the summer which is full of hidden wonder it is a place of imagination and the darkness is to be enjoyed and not something to be scared or frightened of.
The intensity of the indigo black in the background is very strong but not oppressive as dark images sometimes can be. When I saw an original piece at a recent exhibition at the Fashion and Textiles Museum as I passed it I was drawn back to admire it more closely.
The pattern was designed in the early 1950s when rationing had not completely ended in Britain and along with Day's most well known design, Caylx, would have delighted its audience who were looking to move away from the austerity of the war years. Small Hours was fun and light and had a very modern appeal.
The design was produced as a 100% cotton furnishing fabric for Heals with whom Day had been working as a freelancer. A limited colour palette was something Day was passionate about and this came through strongly in her work. She designed for the number of colours available for cost or production reasons and therefore did not have to compromise when the image came to be bulk-manufactured. Fewer colours in the design meant the cost of printing was kept low, therefore avoided being priced out of the mass market.
The simplicity of the colour with the acid green and soft light blue on the deep sky are highlighted with the white outlines giving a surreal quality to the viewer's night sky. There is something very appealing about the shapes she has used, the images are very abstract whilst the shapes are very rounded and soft. The view sees very bold imagery but is created in a friendly way by blocks of colour not meeting one another and being divided by the white substrate behind.
The design is bold and repeat intricate, the use of patterns within the objects gives the piece definition. The colours are still very contemporary today and this design has been reproduced in to notelets, cards showing its longevity. The imagery is a long way from the chintz which was so prominent at the time of its design.
Sources:
Wikapedia
Lucienne Day
- Fiona MacCarthy, The Guardian,
Small Hours, furnishing fabric, by Lucienne Day
Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A Prints
Design Museum + British Council, 2010
The Independent
Small Hours, furnishing fabric, by Lucienne Day
Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A Prints
Design Museum + British Council, 2010
The Independent
An Analytical Study of Silk Panels by Margaret MacDonald MackIntosh
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| Pair of embroidered panels, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, 1902, |
I have chosen the embroidered panels from Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House to study in detail as they were made for one specific purpose and one place which is completely different from the previous Lucienne Day mass-market design.
Nick-Named the 'Skinny Ladies' these panels were commissioned by Anna Blackie in 1902, to go in a bedroom in Hill House, Helensburgh, Scotland. The serine quality of the pieces suits the room for which they were designed and epitomises the MacDonald Mackintosh style.
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| Image from one of the bedrooms in Hill House (http://www.nhmf.org.uk) |
The silk, whilst missing an ethereal quality that stain-glass would have captured in the sunlight, allows for the beauty of the colours to be more consistent throughout the day and year.
Mythology and fairytales inspired MacDonald Mackintosh' s work and she was also influenced by the Illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (who also illustrated books for Oscar Wilde). The silk panels reflect these influences with their elongated figures and heavy use of outline. However MacDonald Mackintosh's work was more feminine with the use of detailed embroidery in the figures.
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How King Arthur saw the Questing Beast, by Aubrey Beardsley
© Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A Prints |
Working together in a team was not unusual for MacDonald Mackintosh as she had previously worked closely with her sister Frances and, following their meeting at Glasgow School of Art, Herbert McNair and Rennie Mackintosh. The four developed what came to be known as 'The Glasgow Style' and exhibited internationally. In fact some of MacDonald Mackintosh's pieces were said to inspire Gustav Klimt.
The panels currently at Hill House are unfortunately reproduction, however, this does not detract from their representation of the look and feel of the time. The panels along with the whole house are an amazing contrast to the dark and cluttered Victorian and early Edwardian era. If the silk panels had been placed in the typical interiors of the time they would not had such a striking presence, they would have most likely had to battle with unpainted dark wood or sombre highly patterned wallpaper.
The Mackintosh's both had a vision to move architecture and interior design in to a new era with a modern look and working together they achieved this brilliantly in Hill House. Although at times history has been reluctant to give MacDonald Mackintosh credit for her work and she is eclipsed
The influence of MacDonald Mackintosh on her husband's work is open to debate, she has often been disregarded and side-lined however she exhibited internationally and Mackintosh himself said of her work : "I had talent, Margaret had genius".
(Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh by Irene Maverhttp://www.theglasgowstory.com).
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_MacDonald
www.annatextiles.ch
Hill House, Helensburgh
www.nhmf.org.uk
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk
www.theglasgowstory.com
www.glitzqueen.com
www.scotland.org
www.vandaprints.com