Sunday, October 31, 2010

Yay or Nay? Magdalena Hess of Zürich

Boo! Happy Halloween, we have already begun celebrating accordingly because Grace Peel's gown scared many last week, earning her a Nay.  To stay in spirit with the festive holiday I could have done a masquerade gown but those appear to often on here to make for a special occasion.  Instead I dipped into the portfolio of the dark art(ist)s and managed to pull forth a portrait which may chill some to the bone but could appeal to your ghoulish fashion sense.


Henry Fuseli paints Magdalena Hess (circa 1779) in her slender, blood-red dress and high, un-powdered coiffure.  Yay or Nay?

[Staatliche Kunstsammlungen]

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16 comments:

  1. Anne ElizabethOctober 31, 2010 at 2:43 AM

    Hm, I have to say her face isn't painted too nicely - but this is about the fashion, not the painter.

    Her dress looks almost regency-ish, and her hair just typically 1770s. That look confuses me.

    But as I love unpowdered hair and the dress has a nice simplicity to it, I'll give it a yay.

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  2. nightsmusicOctober 31, 2010 at 8:28 AM

    Though I imagine it has darkened with age, I can't fault the artist nor the sitter for that so...I do have to say that there seems to be something funky going on with her waist area there, but other than that, the painting is significantly broody enough to warrant a yay from me for today! Not sure I'd like it all the time though.

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  3. VicOctober 31, 2010 at 8:51 AM

    She resembles an inmate at a loonie house or a prisoner. Nay.

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  4. balsamfirOctober 31, 2010 at 9:52 AM

    Revolutionary and modern. Yay.

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  5. AnonymousOctober 31, 2010 at 11:16 AM

    A big YAY. This painting looks so surprisingly modern.It made my think of Anita Berber by Otto Dix.

    Thanks for sharing. I was familiar with the work of Füssli, but it is the first time I see this one.

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  6. CherylynnOctober 31, 2010 at 2:23 PM

    meh. Not much to say here. This could almost be from any era and there is this weird disembodied action from the waist down that is a bit off-putting. I have to say Nay. Good choice for Halloween though

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  7. The DuchessOctober 31, 2010 at 7:37 PM

    Yuck! No way!

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  8. AudreyOctober 31, 2010 at 11:34 PM

    Its just average. I like the color but i can barely see her hair. Nay.

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  9. Isabella Bradford/Susan Holloway ScottNovember 1, 2010 at 9:02 AM

    My apologies to the lady, but a big nay on this one. Don't know if it's her taste, or just Fuseli's "gift" for making every sitter look consumptive, but the overall effect is just kinda drab....

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  10. HesterNovember 1, 2010 at 9:22 AM

    I almost can't see her hair, a pity. The dress is kind of vague, I only see a red simple dress. Nothing wrong with that, though.

    A Nay...

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  11. Madame ConstantNovember 1, 2010 at 9:42 AM

    I'm torn, but, for the occasion, I'll say Yay. Are there figures in the background? When I enlarge it, I can vaguely make out a face behind her to the right. Katherine Louise

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  12. AleksandraNovember 1, 2010 at 12:08 PM

    Yay for the gown, but a definite nay for the facial expression...

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  13. UnknownNovember 1, 2010 at 1:09 PM

    Yay from me---I like the color AND the simplicity.

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  14. Amirak101November 1, 2010 at 3:40 PM

    Nay

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  15. EllaNovember 1, 2010 at 10:20 PM

    Nay, did they break her right arm while posing her? It looks a little odd as does the waist. Very drab, dark & heavy not much life to this painting, was the sitter ill or dying at the time? I wouldn't have paid this artist for his work either.

    There is a very contemporary look to this painting that reminds me of portraits I've seen that were painted in the 1920's but for the life of me I cannot think of that artist's name, I don't find this as a stike against the work.

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  16. The DreamstressNovember 3, 2010 at 9:09 PM

    Nay. Those sleeps are just dreadful. They make her look like she carries all her weight in her arms, and the length is completely off.

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