Monday, February 25, 2013

Inspired by Wayne Thiebaud (Cakes, 1963)


           Welcome to the latest installation of Inspired by Art! Clearly I'm not ready to let go of my post-Valentine's day sugar high because I have a sweet inspiration to share with you today : Wayne Thiebaud's Cakes (1963). Cakes is one of the mainstays on the ground floor of the National Gallery of Art. If you get the chance to see it in person, look for the thick, heavy brush strokes -- it almost looks as if Thiebaud painted with a frosting spatula!

         Thiebaud is an American painter who chose nostalgic cultural objects with exaggerated colors, pigment, and shadows as his subjects. At first glance, Thiebaud's paintings might seem reminiscent of the 1960s Pop Art movement due to its focus on objects of mass culture -- and there are similarities to be sure -- but generally speaking his work conveys a more personable aesthetic. As Cathleen McGuian notes in the Smithsonian, "where Warhol was cool and ironic, Thiebaud was warm and gently comic." Though he is best known for his paintings for cakes and other confections, they only represent a slice of his subjects, which include lipsticks, gumball machines, toys, and boots.

         For a delicate and delectable Cakes inspired look, I've chosen classic colors from Thiebaud's Cakes to frost the face: chocolate, powdery pink, buttercream, and sugar icing. Illamasqua Sex and Bobbi Brown Navajo eyeshadow are a basic white and cream (respectively) to add a clean eye base. NARS Coconut Grove (reviewed here) and Bobbi Brown Black Chocolate (reviewed here) eyeshadows are dark chocolates to add definition. MAC Yogurt eyeshadow and Illamasqua Katie blush are pale pinks that add a sweet touch to any look.



           I've distilled the colors in this post down to the baking basics, however, as in Cakes and real life confections, imagination is the only limit to the embellishments one can add. Cherry red, powder blue, and even yellow cake (not to be confused with yellowcake) yellow would pair beautifully with the ones I've shown today.

        A finger(tip)-ful of frosting is, of course, in order for this Wayne Thiebaud inspired look! NARS Mato Grosso (reviewed here) nail polish is a rich dark chocolate.  OPI San Tan Tonio is a smooth milk chocolate ganache. Revlon White on White is a clean Cool-Whip white. Essie Allure is a sheer sugar coat.  Sparitual Idyllic is a sheer blush pink Essie Pop Art Pink is sheer icing pink.

         As a final touch, feel free to add a splash of your favorite sweet or gourmand perfume. Prada Candy (reviewed here), Aquolina Pink Sugar, or perhaps something from the new Jo Malone Sugar and Spice collection would be nice!

         With my Thiebaud's Cakes inspired look, I can have my cake and wear it too. I've really been enjoying these powdery pinks, sugary whites, and creamy chocolates as of late and I hope you will too! Thanks for reading! What are your favorite Wayne Thiebaud paintings? What are your go-to colors for a sweet look?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. See more from my Inspired by Art series here!

26 comments:

  1. Love the inspiration :-D And what an amazing color palette.

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  2. I look forward to this series, and I grin like a silly girl when it comes up in my Google Reader. Great post, Dovey!

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  3. I absolutely love these posts from you! You make me want to try out Bobbi Brown shadows =)

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    1. Hi Procrastinator, Thank you so much! Bobbi Shadows are among my favorites :)

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  4. I loved this post and the look of all the soft pinks, dark browns and tans together :) Illamasqua's Katie looks like such a pretty pale pink. Idyllic was the first shade I ever purchased from SpaRitual :)

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    1. Hi Shannon, Thank you so much! I do remember seeing Idyllic on Makeup Magpie. It was a relatively recent pickup for me :)

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  5. I can't help but think about yummy chocolate ganache cake when I look at Mato Grosso and San Tan-Tonio! ^_^
    Thanks Dovey~

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    1. HI Kate, Thanks so much! I could use a slice of that .... :)

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  6. I love this color palette! Light pink and dark brown are so deliciously classy together. I must still be on a Valentine's sugar high, too, because that painting looks awesome and I find myself wanting something ganache-y, lol.

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    1. Hi Liesl, I'm so glad you enjoyed it--- I never tire of seeing Cakes the painting or the food :-)

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  7. I kind of feel like chocolate after reading this post lol.
    I'm loving your inspired by art series, keep it up! ;)

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    1. Thank you so much Stacey! I could use some too :-)

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  8. The powder swatches look good enough to eat!

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  9. Loved this post!! Pink & brown is just gorgeous together - loved your selection to mimic the colors in this painting. It never fails to brighten my day when I see this series pop up on my Bloglovin' daily feed!

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    1. Hi Kristi, Thank you so much for the sweet comment :-)!!

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  10. You make such original posts Dovey! I love the soft shades you chose, contrasted with the chocolate browns, it makes me hungry!

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    1. Hi Teri, Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it :-)

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  11. Wow, this is an interesting post. I like your originality using artworks as an inspiration for makeup blogging. In addition, it is refreshing to see swatches of permanent makeup items sometimes.

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    1. Hi Paige, Thanks so much for the sweet comment! I know what you mean about permanent makeup too!

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  12. hay, love the nars nail polish ;)

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    1. Hi Anystyle, Thanks! Mato Grosso is a great color :)

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  13. CAKE. You've made me hungry, Dovey! These are the perfect, delectable shades for the painting! I never took any art history classes, either, so you are educating me :)

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    1. HI Larie, haha! Thank you so much for the comment and for the encouragement--- writing about art has def. been a learning experience for me too!

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