Abstract Art
Its roots go back to the Avant-garde. The Abstract Art that belonged to the period between wars was presented as Utopia. After WWII, it became more expressive and individualist. It searched for the expression of the artist (Pollock). It broke with the past and became a globally accessible phenomenon. The rejection towards the previous is due to ideological reasons, because figuration was related to Nazism and Fascism.
The New Look
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Fashion was influenced by all the formal aspects. A war was taking place and women were wearing uniforms, for example.
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Suddenly, the New Look was born thanks to Christian Dior. It produced a big revolt because it was a step back for Feminism, contrary to modernity and progress and its austerity.
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Waists were narrowed again and more cloth was used for the pieces. It was an aesthetic of perfection, with narrow corsets and wide skirts.
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Duality in Fashion: prêt a porter & new look. The New Look became an answer to the prêt a porter, it tried to claim that Fashion was more than just something practical (an Art).
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Art affects Fashion: patterns with bright colors, patterns like dripping, stains... Balenciaga represented this.
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Bright intense colors were used even for daily outfits and there was a presence of volume and geometry.
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There was austerity in the ornamentation of the pieces compensated by the complexity of the shapes and folds. They tried to be like sculptors that only used the material itself to create shapes and volume.
Christian Dior's New Look