Saturday, February 2, 2013

Inspired by Claude Monet (Waterlilies, 1906)


            Welcome to my newest installation of Inspired by Art! For February, I found myself gravitating towards the watery blues and greens of Claude Monet's Waterlilies (1906). This particular work hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago, where you'll always find visitors (myself included) clustered around it, admiring the century old lilies. Monet's Water Lilies (or Nymphéas) paintings are among the most celebrated of his works.  They constitute a series of approximately two hundred-fifty paintings depicting the garden at Monet's home in Giverny, France during the last thirty years of his life.

          Monet and his large family moved to Giverny in 1880; during this time his fortunes improved considerably, as his dealer had increasing success selling Monet's paintings. In 1890, he bought a house and surrounding land for his gardens. Monet was an avid gardener; he drew up precise designs that he meticulously carried out with the aid of his family. In his later years, Monet hired as many as five gardeners to implement his ideas! As his fortune grew, his garden evolved as well. Though his garden paradise contained countless varieties of flowers and plants, it is now best known for the waterlilies, of which Monet said:

           "It took me time to understand my waterlilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them."


         The water, lilies, and reflected scenery form a beautiful continuum of purples, blues, and greens. To recreate Monet's Water Lilies in makeup form, I use cool hues softly blended together across the eyes. Too many colors may be difficult, given the 'canvas size' of a lid, so it may be easier to focus on one or two colors. (It's not necessary to literally recreate the painting!) For a more 'wearable' version of this look, I would suggest sweeping a light color across the lid and contrasting it with a saturated eyeliner. For example, a light lavender shadow adds a bit of effervescent flair when paired with a saturated marine blue eyeliner, while a pale blue wash accompanied by a dark, stem-green liner conveys an imperious elegance.


          I've chosen some of my favorite purples, blues and greens from my eye makeup collection to represent the lily pond in Monet's Waterlilies. Starting from the background, I created the red-purple shadows in the water using a blend of Urban Decay Fishnet and Urban Decay Freakshow. The lavender side of NARS Nouveau Monde was a nice match for the lighter purple tones in the pool, while the olive half channeled trees' shadowy reflections. I created the bright green of the lily pads using a mix of MAC Sour Lemon and MAC Plush. I used the dark green of MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Shadow in #8E to mimic the undersides of the lilies. MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Cream in #25 and NARS Outremer eyeshadow (reviewed here) can be blended into beautiful water tones.

          The bright lily flowers are focal points of Monet's painting. To celebrate the cool pink and red petals, I've chosen MAC Sunny Seoul lipstick (reviewed here), a spring pink, and MAC Heat Wave lipstick, an orange leaning red, from my collection. The former would be more subtle and the latter more daring. Both complement the aquatic tones beautifully. 

           In order to channel the reflections in the pool of water lilies, pick nail colors that mirror your eyes. Sephora by OPI Iris I was Thinner is an iris purple. Essie Lilacism is a light lavender. Essie Going Incognito is a dark leaf green. Sephora by OPI Ocean Love Potion is an aquatic blue-green. OPI What's With the Catitude? is a from-the-sky blue. Sephora by OPI Blue Grottois a deep underwater blue.

          The bold aqautic colors married with the soft impressionist strokes in Claude Monet's Waterlilies has provided me with vibrant inspirations for my makeup colors this February. On an optimistic note, the bright lilies emerging from the inscrutable waters are a cheery reminder that spring will soon surface from the depths of winter. I would love to visit Monet's colorful garden in Giverny one day; it's been preserved as a public museum. Until then, I'll experience Monet's countryside paradise through the sublime lens of his artistic vision. Thanks for reading! What colors are you wearing this February? Have you seen Monet's waterlilies in a museum, or perhaps in person?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. Be sure to check out more from my Inspired by Art series (here)!

21 comments:

  1. The lavender shadows in Monet's painting almost make it look like a sleepy eyelid drooping over a cerulean blue eye; it's the perfect inspiration for a look! Awesome post Dovey!

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  2. This is truly gorgeous, Dovey. You have such an eye for color palettes! I love the look of MAC Sour Lemon on its own, too...and the blues and greens of this piece make me sigh in delight.

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  3. Wow! Amazing inspiration, and the makeup colors are absolutely beautiful!! Wish I was brave enough to wear some of those colors :-) Really diggin' the nail polish selection...now those I can wear!!!

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  4. I love this post so much, Dovey. It makes me so happy! The colours are beautiful and echoes the painting so nicely with a touch more vibrance. I'd love to see the painting for real on my next visit to Chicago. (I had a woefully short and disastrous road trip to Chicago once a long time ago and had no time to visit any worthy sites beyond traipsing down Madison for a few hours.) The story of Monet and his lilies is oddly heartwarming. :D

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  5. PRETTY! I love the colors you chose. i need to find that OPI sky blue!

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  6. Just gorgeous Dovey! Love the colours you chose! They really do echo the painting perfectly. I gotta pull out my Nouveau Monde now! :)

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  7. Your post made me wanna dig out Nouveau Monde right now! I love how your posts got the inspiration from art works ^_^

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  8. gorgeous inspiration! I love the MAC sunny seoul lipstick! ^^

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  9. It's a dream of mine to see Monet's Waterlilies in person, and I think you did a great job here with the colour palette! I love the orange hit against the blues and greens!

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  10. Monet's waterlillies series is one of my FAVORITE paintings because of the gorgeous blues, green, and purples he used. This is what I would love to see staring out of my window...not concrete jungle.

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  11. I LOVE Monet's paintings! I've been to Musee d'Orsay a couple of times, and each time I am simply mesmerized. For the moment I have Chanel's new quad Fascination on my lids, and the colors do remind me of this painting ;)

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  12. Wonderful post, Dovey!
    I hope to live my later years like Monet; close to the beauty of nature.

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  13. I just want to say that I think your inspired by art combinations are a wonderful concept. I like your idea of linking the colors used in a work of art with cosmetics and I enjoy your mini art lessons. I hope we'll be seeing many more of these beautiful and inspiring posts.

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  14. This is such a wonderful idea! I have a not-so-secret weakness for turquoise/purple/neutrals. Lovely photos and swatches, as always!

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  15. I LOVE the concept of this post!! You've done such a thorough job on it, completely inspiring to see all the shades. Also interesting to read a bit about Monet.

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  16. I love the concept of this post. The post is unusual and I love the artistic touch to it :) I am interested to try NARS Noveau Monde that you featured above, the green color looks nice!

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  17. I really love your recreating of Monet's painting with your makeup. I do agree with you too, the color hues you picked are just right and they're really attractive to the eyes. It's a really great pick.

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  18. Oh! All of these colours are reaching out to me! Beautifully inspired post Dovey :)

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  19. Beautiful color palette. I am quite a novice when it comes to art. These will be neat posts, I can learn more and feel more cultured :P

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  20. I love that Monet painting... Gosh, you have a great eye for colour. Those shades you picked out from your collection are absolutely stunning. What an artistic twist to show off makeup swatches - what a pleasure for the eyes!

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  21. Such a great post! I love these shades together. Just beautiful! :)

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