I read the fascinating Article which Flying Saucer mentioned yesterday written by Joanna Goddard on five New Yorkers who only wear one colour. I was especially intrigued by the choice of the colour blue by one, in particular the choice of Yves Klein Blue. A colour that haunts me because It was the subject of a group presentation in my first year at uni. It is a colour that was invented by Yves Klein after he sought to find a colour that matched best with his artistic notions.
He famously used the colour in his 1960 performance art piece called ‘Monotone Symphony’. In this, several naked men and women dipped themselves in the blue paint and printed themselves on large pieces of paper. The body art image to the right is his Anthropometries from 1960. A sort of human potato print performance it was also accompanied by a full orchestra.
The messy unpredictable actions of the men and women who sprawled across the paper in front of them covered in blue paint were juxtaposed by the immaculately dressed Yves Klein who was in clean and orderly black and white and did not touch or get actively involved in the performance at all. He was simply the conducter who would direct the models. Klein was influenced by the imprints of the body on the mats used in Judo. It was in essence, an anthropological recording and an attempt to capture the energy of the body.
Not only did the article refresh my art history and at the same time a reminder of how quickly my time at uni has passed, but contributed to the decision to wear Blue today from head to toe! I recalled this image from Alexander Mcqueen’s Spring 2007 collection which I had on my computer and have always loved this as a block colour.
I wore a blue oversized t-shirt French connection dress, navy tights and blue patent flats. Though, my shoes were a bargain in the Office sale a year or so ago, and are a teeny bit too small. My housemate tutted as we walked back home from uni when I told her they were pinching a little. Well, sometimes you have to suffer a little for fashion!
Off to a pub quiz later, hopefully we’ll come first and get rewarded with lots of chocolate!