Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Inspired by Édouard Manet



         Recently, I stumbled upon an Édouard Manet painting that really resonated with me (see below). The larger than life canvas depicts a beggar draped in a blue shabby shawl next to a small pile of oyster shells. The dark shadowy tones have such an austere yet beautiful feel. I had to create a look inspired by this aesthetic.

         To mirror the serious shadowy tones I chose to use dark matte eyeshadows. There are shades of grey, navy, taupe, sage, and the blackest black in the painting. Some fitting colors from my collection included: Bobbi Brown Navy, Smoke, Charcoal, and Navajo eyeshadows. NARS Outremer eyeshadow added a beautiful blue accent when blended in with the above colors. You can see a similar blue tone emanating from the beggar's cape. NARS Matto Grosso nail polish and Bobbi Brown Black Ink Gel Eyeliner added a nice finishing touch.

Eyeshadow swatches of Bobbi Brown Navajo, Bobbi Brown Navy, NARS Night Breed, Bobbi Brown Smoke, and NARS Outremer

         I wish I could better convey how grandiose and elegant this painting was in real life. My photograph is truly a poor substitute. I need to educate myself more on Manet's works.

Painting by Manet, photo by me.
       I hope you enjoyed my inspiration post! I had fun transferring the shadowy motifs into eye makeup looks. Shadows and varying shades of gray are favorite themes of mine in both art and makeup. This is my second "Inspired by" post (the first being Inspired by Dusk). I hope to make inspiration posts a more regular feature on my blog. On that note, what color combinations inspire you lately?

Love, Dovey.

16 comments:

  1. I'm really liking Outremer more and more - thanks for the post!

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  2. It's such a great idea to base a look on art :)

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  3. I LOVE this post! What a gorgeous, rich palette. Nicely done, indeed.

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  4. Nice post! Currently Caravaggio's color combination is inspiring me... I would put a pale shimmery gold in the inner corner and a very dark brown or green on the rest for the contrast :)

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  5. this is gorgeous! What a great idea :D

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  6. LOVELY! Thanks for the never ending inspiration.

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  7. Lovely inspiration post. Lately, I've been looking at real life items for inspiration as well. ^^

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  8. What a WONDERFUL idea for a post! You've combined two of my loves, makeup and art. I've long wanted to do an "inspired by literature" post, but I wasn't sure how to pull it together. This was a real inspiration!

    ♥ Jessica

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  9. you are quite artistic with ur posts and using ur make up! there is a designer..his names escapes me...who uses shu uemura shadows for his designs! u remind me of him, creative mind, and using make up as ur paints!

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  10. Jamilla- me too. It sat unused for a while, but it's actually pretty versatile if you have the patience to pat in on!

    Sarah, Zuzu, Kelly, Lexi, tiffyama- thanks so much! I'm really glad you liked it =)

    Amy - I wasn't familiar with Caravaggio, so I googled it. Wow! How intense and dramatic!

    Jessica - inspired by literature would be AWESOME! I think it would be really interpretive, but has lots of potential. I don't read enough (Ashamed) to be able to pull that off. I would love to see it!

    Lillady life - is it Karl Lagerfeld? I think I remember hearing that somewhere too. Thank you for the thoughtful compliment =)

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  11. I love the colours in that Manet. So serene. The colours you chose definitely reflect that mood of the painting.
    Brilliant idea!

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  12. I love these posts! You are so creative!

    You are making me want that blue but I know I should stay away....

    I hope you have a wonderful September and will be awaiting your return. xx

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  13. Amazing post! I'm in awe that you found the exact makeup items that would compliment that painting. :) Beautiful.

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  14. I agree with the other comments, your posts are always so incredibly well thought out and put together! I love what you've done with this one, the shades you've chosen are perfect and your photos and swatches are lovely!

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  15. Thank you for the really nice comment Nat!

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  16. You do some fabulous swatches!

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