01/16/2006
Dolce & Gauguina?
David K. over at Charmed Life puts on his art history cap and offers up a critique of the latest set of Dolce & Gabbana ads — a rather cryptic set of photos that folks have been comparing to Nip/Tuck promos and a whole slew of other tableaux.
David sees more than a passing reference to Paul Gauguin's famous muralistic work Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? It's an analysis which reminded me of a comparison I once drew between a set of suggestive Diesel ads and a Hieronymous Bosch triptych.
So what's with all these creative directors looking to the masters for their inspiration? "Are Dolce & Gabbana now going to contemplate the mysteries of life?" asks David. The basics of consumerism is more likely, he suggests, offering a title for D&G's museum piece: How Do We Show More Ass? How Do We Show More Cock? How Do We Make It Sell?
Dolce & Gabbana: Life is but a Scream [charmed life] (not necessarily SFW)
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The Garden of Denim [tr]
Posted 1:00 PM EST by Andy Towle in Art & Design, Fashion Men, Print Media | Permalink
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Andrew. Really. I don't think the creative directors in question are so much 'looking to the masters for inspiration', as they're scanning art databases with one hand, sipping from a Cosmo with the other, and hitting 'save' when a work of art pops up which portrays several human figures, with at least one of them supine and/or eye level to another's crotch. Then they click, 'add jockstrap'. The classics are then reinterpreted for a new age, and the pants are marked up another few hundred.
Or were you being sarcastic? Christ, I hope so.
Posted by: Jacko | Jan 16, 2006 1:24:14 PM
Andy...it works because we're so damn easy to manipulate. Look across from the A&F spot to this weeks gratuitous Str8 Rusty (str84pay) Joyner DNA ad...not worse than the rest of mankind..just more (as?) gullible.
Posted by: PSMike | Jan 16, 2006 2:14:59 PM
Very interesting post!
Posted by: w | Jan 16, 2006 4:11:16 PM
I wonder how much Madonna had to pay the estate of Guy Bourdin over her Hollywood video.
Ooops, random thought.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Jan 18, 2006 12:02:40 AM
Interesting work on the Brokeback Mountain T-shirts. Try one with Ted Kennedy & Chucky Schumer.
Thanks,
dcl
Posted by: D.C. Larson | Jan 25, 2006 6:09:32 PM