CAPÍTULO III.
Balenciaga project. Balenciaga Museum of Getaria. (2020)
"Beauty, aesthetics and eroticism weaving nature, body and matter"
Between the 1850s and 1900s, Japanese arts were a source of inspiration for many creatives. In the field of fashion, kimonos and the exquisite fabrics with which they were made and the exotic embroideries with which they were decorated, acquired great relevance. Such was the influence that Madeleine Vionett began to apply the cutting techniques of this garment to Parisian haute couture, thus revolutionizing 20th century fashion.
Cristóbal Balenciaga was able to immerse himself in the wonderful world of Orientalism, thanks to his friendship with Madeleine Vionett. A world where beauty, aesthetics and eroticism go hand in hand.
related to nature, body and matter. These are the key concepts that characterize Japonism, they served as the basis for Balenciaga, who in the 1940s began to use the kimono sleeve respecting orientalism but at the same time adapting it to modify it in modern clothing.
This collection reflects the work of Balenciaga and Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese painter, who focused on illustrating the daily life of her country's population through landscapes and
historical scenes in oriental engravings. The colors, shapes, textures and compositions used by Hokusai inspired me to create a three-dimensional effect to the woman's silhouette by manipulating different fabrics and elements of nature.
