The Witching Hour

For the last few months my personal research has consisted of witches, witches, and more witches.  Now it is Halloween and what better way to celebrate than to display the 18th century's view of witches in art.  Gone were the days of witch hunt hysteria and come were the days of the theatrical witch.  Goya and Fuseli are perhaps the most famous for their witches but there were a handful more artists who experimented with the theme.

Francisco Goya, Witches in the Air, 1797-98

Francisco Goya, The Witches Sabbath, 1797-98

Henry Fuseli, The Witch and the Mandrake, 1812

Henry Fuseli, Macbeth Consulting the Vision of the Armed Head 1793-1794

John Runciman, The Three Witches, 1767-68

Francesco Zuccarelli, Macbeth Banquo and the Witches, circa 1760s

John Martin, Macbeth, 1820

James Gillray, A Phantasmagoria, 1803

Henry Fuseli, The Three Witches, 1783

Daniel Gardner, The Three Witches from Macbeth, 1775

Francisco Goya, Linda Maestra, 1798

Francisco Goya, The Witches Sabbath, 1823

Yay or Nay? The Duchess of Osuna

Woops! Please excuse my tardiness in delivering the news of Olga Zherebtsov's victorious Yay. Although her hair may have earned her a nay Olga's good taste in clothes won many over.  For this late-edition of Yay or Nay we will leave the cold country of Russia for the warm coasts of Spain.

Francisco Goya paints Doña María Josefa Alonso-Pimentel y Téllez-Girón (1785) in her blue polonaise and straw hat.  Yay or Nay?

[Kunsthistorisches Museum]

Favorites

Francisco Goya, The Dog, 1820-23

Snow

William Turner, Travellers in a Snowdrift,

Caspar David Friedrich, The Chasseur in the Forest, 1814

George Morland, Soldier's Return

Abraham Teerlink, By the koek-en-zopie, 1806

Henry Raeburn, Reverend Robert Walker, 1795

Francisco Goya, The Snowstorm, ca. 1786-87

Wilhelm Alexander Wolfgang von Kobell, Postilion on Horse in a Winter Landscape, ca. 1798

Yay or Nay? Duchess of Alba

Bosoms were on everyone's mind when Robertine Tourteau showed off her casual ensemble. But was it too casual and not fashionable enough? According to our panel it was and Robertine was given a big Yay! It is time now to journey back to Spain, a country that hasn't had the best of luck in past Yay or Nays. But perhaps a little luck will be on their side today?


Francisco Goya paints "The White Duchess" (1795) in her gualle gown and dark coral accents. Yay or Nay?

[The Alba Collection]

Yay or Nay? Duke of Alba

Naturally, Madame d'Aguesseau de Fresnes' ensemble met with a Yay. The lady's got taste, what can I say! Heck, I'd walk out of the house in that today, maybe sans turban though. Today we're going to take a look at menswear from Spain and see if that tickles our fancy.

Francisco Goya paints José Álvarez de Toledo (1795) in his interesting turn of the century ensemble of a salmon coat, slate pants, and some slimming black boots. Yay or Nay?

Go Go Goya this Season

For upcoming makeup trends this season look no farther than our beloved Spanish painter, Francisco Goya. Because this season Spanish colours are in, and as we all know the eighteenth century is never out.

The first look is The Marquesa after the Marquesa de Pontejos' 1786 portrait. Natural is rumored to be the "in" look this spring/summer and this would be a good "day" look.

Start off with a spray of Intimately Beckham for a sophisticated floral scent.

For your eyes, graze them with MAC's Royal Assets Palette (on sale here).

Give yourself some rosey cheeks with CoverGirl's Cheekers is Snow Plum (135)

Smooth some Never Too Busy to Be Beautiful Lip Cream in Bard on your lips.

Lastly, your nails should be pampered with Illamasqua nail varnish in "Collide" or "Demure"



Now I could be getting ahead of myself, but I have a look for fall as well! Although it wouldn't hurt to wear it as a "night" look this summer. This is the Duchess of Alba look, inspired by one of Goya's most interesting sitters.

Make your mysterious eyes smolder with that 'come hither' look with MAC's eyeshadow in "Amber Lights"

Carefully apply MAC's powder blush in "Raizin"

Finish your look with Rimmel's Intense Wear Lipstick in "Fudge Brownie" (242)

As for nails, you have plenty of options when OPI's newest fall line comes out. I would recommend "Bullish" or "Suzi Skis the Pyranese."

Immortal Companion: Doña María Ana de Pontejos

One of the most noticeable aspects of this paintings is that the sitter's pug was painted with more care than the sitter. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about either the sitter or her pug, which doesn't stay entirely true to this series I created, but I can tell you that Francisco Goya was another artist obsessed with his dogs. Therefore, the pug probably kept his interest longer than the Marquesa de Pontejos.

María Ana was painted here in 1786 to mark her marriage to Spain's ambassador to Portugal, who also just happened to be the prime minister's brother. Very political. As was typical with a bridal portrait, she holds a pink carnation as a symbol of love. Her beloved pug steps before her in an act of protection, cementing his employment in the painting as a symbol of loyalty.

But, this is also, and very importantly, a painting of fashion!

By 1786, Marie Antoinette's Triannon fashion had finally trickled down to Spain, who seemed to be always be a fashionably late country in the 18th century. Although the marquesa attempts to mimic the free-flowing Triannon style, her gown is still extremely Spanish. After all, that tight corset was what Marie Antoinette strove to get away from with her Gualle gowns. However she does capture the essence of those gowns with the flower details and the thin white muslin fabric. Her 'doo and straw hat are also tres tres Antoinette. Of course, as a fashionable lady, María Ana's pug has an outfit that matches his mistress'. His pink ribbon with bells (so he can't get lost in the garden) is from the same ream of ribbon as the one tied around her waste. As James St James wisely states, fashionable companions should match; "Be sure that your partner doesn't clash with your look. Plan ahead and execute together."

Happy Halloween!

As you may have noticed from my other Halloween post, Halloween is my favourite Holiday so I would like to wish you fun and fancy and this night of ghouls, goblins and, of course, candy! In celebration, let's explore some creepy 18th century art by two of the best; the Spanish artist Fransico Goya and the Swiss-British Artist Henry Fuseli.


Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1781
Goya, The Dream of Reason Brings Forth Monsters, 1799

Fuseli, The Three Witches, 1783

Goya, The Witches' Sabbath, 1798

For more 18th century macabre works, be sure to check out The Tate's past exhibition, Gothic Nightmares. The Tate has been so kind as to have left a virtual tour of the exhibition on their site so you can view the works they had on view. You know I love it because it has many fun satirical pieces!