C R E AT I V E

F R I D A K A H L O

E S T H E R S T O C K E R

T h e e y e l o s e s t h e p e r c e p t i o n

o f s p a c e .

A L I N A S T E FA N E S C UF A S H I O N P H O T O G R A P H E RP h o t o g r a p h t h e e m o t i o n .

New

Frida KahloSelfportrait with velvet dress 1926Oil on canvas, cm 79,7 x 59,9Private collection© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

C R E A T I V E

Indice

C R E A T I V E

IndiceESTHER STOCKERThe eye loses the perception of space.P.11

FEMININECreativity.P.26

DOVE REAL BEAUTY SKETCHESWe are more beautiful than we think.P.28

ALINA STEFANESCU

Speaks about herself.P.31

ELIE SAABSynonym of

perfectionP.53

CHANEL N°5A fragrance of art

and cultureP.55

FRIDA KAHLO

P.59

www.harim.it

11Esther Stocker

By Angelica GrittaniSelena Magni

When you look a work by the artist Esther Stocker, born in 1974, internationally renowned artist born in Italy in Silandro, but lived in Vienna, we notice that the eye loses the perception of space, struck

by a stream of geometric lines and optical illusions that disrupt the environment.Initially a painter, Esther Stocker began with cotton canvas and acrylic paints, trying to form two-dimensional lines, using black and white as the main colors and painting grids superimposed to form geometric patterns and which do not follow a structured and well-defined logic. The artist himself, during an interview for Sight Unseen * said that initially she painted portraits, but when she began to draw lines in black and white, she realized how this minimalist style was enough for her to establish a relationship between the artist and his audience. Her being straightforward and simple led her customers to wonder what reasons led her to express herself in such a way. These characteristics also derived from the world of comics, from which the artist feels very fascinated, and struck by how these essentialities of lines and words can be a direct means of expression and how the complexity can live in few graphic signs.The forms of her paintings come to life and dimension in its facilities to offer a three-dimensional look to her work, through which observers can walk, get lost, and see these “free geometries”first-hand in space. It is an abstract art that comes to life on the floors and walls of buildings, museums and galleries, without precise rules other than offering a different point of view to the observer which is aware of the optical grids, but cannot find a linearity just because, as the artist says, the beauty of these works is the unidentifiability and the mystery of representation that can lead users in restoring order from the chaos, or getting lost in this game. The three-dimensional result is calculated by tables, wook and other objects that interact with the space, in a unique and random way. The perception of space alludes to a strict geometry, however, Esther leaves us surprised when we realize lines are fragmented , with a substantial freedom lying in space. This is just a completely subjective perspective . The artist herself says it wants to leave the audience free to interpret and imagine, since her structural realities are not rigid, but expansive, as if they were moving at least in the visual perception of the observer.In Italy, she had the opportunity to arrange personal exhibitions, including her most famous installations, Loneliness of the work ( Genoa , 2010), and Common Destiny (Rome, 2011).

Esther Stocker, Untitled, 2011, acrylic on canvas

30x40cm.©Esther Stocker, Courtesy Galerie

Alberta Pane

Esther Stocker, exhibition view “Form Follows

Vision,Galerie Alberta Pane, 2012.©Takeshi Sugiura;

courtesy Galerie Alberta Pane

Esther Stocker, exhibition view “Dirty Geometry”,2011, Galerie Alberta Pane, Paris.©Takeshi Sugiura,Courtesy Galery Alberta Pane.

Esther Stocker, Untitled, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 60x90cm.©Esther Stocker, courtesy Galerie Alberta Pane.

Esther Stocker, Untitled, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 160 cm ©Esther Stocker,courtesy Galerie Alberta Pane.

Esther Stocker, Untitled, 2011, acrylic

on canvas, 140 x 160 cm ©Esther Stocker,

courtesy Galerie Alberta Pane.

Esther Stocker, Untitled, 2013, sculpture, print on paper,

epoxide resin, glass fiber, wood, 40x50x40cm © Meinrad Hofer.

Esther Stocker,Degrees of Freedom 6, 2012, c-print,

60x90.©Esther Stocker, courtesy Galerie Alberta

Pane

Esther Stocker, Untitled, 2013, sculpture, print on

paper, epoxide resin, glass fiber, wood, 70x90x100 cm.©

Meinrad Hofer./ GALERIE ALBERTA PANE.

From February the 22nd to March the 5th 2014, at GAMeC Centro Arte Moderna di Pisa The purpose of the exhibition is to give more exposure to women’s creativity, enhancing the

contemporary artistic panorama. The 20th century was the century in which women began for the first time to show their abilities to the world. They excelled in several areas, from science to art, and they distinguished themselves thanks to their sensitivity, conveying emotions in innovative and unexpected ways. The exhibition is a real tribute to all the artistic abilities of women and to their way to express themselves that derives from a perception of the world that distinguishes between feminine and masculine.The exhibition displays paintings, sculptures and pictures by artists from all over the world:Art_Missy, Bernardi Debora, Cataldi Pina, Ceccarini Maria Paola, Di Ciolo Cecilia, Di Cocco Siberiana, Donadio Genny, Giampaoli Aurora, Gong Minghan, Hu Huiming, Lia Bo Fisher, Luongo Marilena, Martel Martine, Mongelli Patrizia, Pecchia Lucia, Pizzato Marina, Ristori Adriana, Rombolini Michela, Sandroni Lucia, Simoneschi Sonia, Toccafondi Mara.This is a chance to give value to feminine expressiveness and to help people understand that sensitivity and delicacy of feeling can be a key factor.

FeminineCREATIVITY

Creatività

26

By Cristina Giannini

Pina Cataldi-Pandora AthenaMaria Paola Ceccarini- Soul rust-

Oil on canvas- 80x80Hu Huiming- Touching Life- 2014 - 100x60cm- oil on canvas made

of cotton with glue and chalk.Patrizia Mongelli - Introspection -

Acrilico su tela - 60x80Lucia Sandroni- Magical colours

of Africa- oil on canvas- 70x100Sonia Simoneschi- I am the Sea

Mara Toccafondi- The hidden look- oil on canvas- 50x60

Cecilia Di Ciolo – Tide - 50x70

Selena Magni

Creatività

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Wel

lnes

s

28

By Serena Secco

WE ARE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN WE THINK.

As women, we often let ourselves believe to what we see in the commercials, and we convince ourselves that we are not enough slim, beautiful or matching the

standards of beauty. Of course, being hypercritical towards ourselves is not good, it can cause us to have a twisted idea of ourselves, in which all the imperfections seem to be magnified and are not regarded as peculiar features anymore. As women, we are the strictest judges of ourselves, we only need a couple of seconds in front of the mirror to list an incredible amount of flaws: those wrinkles around the eyes, those dark spots of the cheeks, a protruding chin, a crooked nose. And no trick is effective if we believe ourselves to be ugly. What would happened if it were a stranger who sees us for the first time?The new Dove Project is exactly about this. This company, leader in the production of creams and cosmetics, has always aimed at enhancing the real female beauty, choosing both curvy and elder models, closer to the real ideal of woman. Dove hired a forensic analyst from the FBI, Gil Zamora, to make the documentary “Dove Real Beauty Sketches”, that shows how women perceive themselves in comparison to what other people think about them

Selena Magni

Gil waits for them in wonderful loft, a curtain hides him from their sight. He welcomes one woman at a time, asks her a few questions and starts to portrait them without seeing them, basing only on the description they give him. As soon as the sketch is done, the two say goodbye and another person comes in, who had been asked to talk with the woman who was there before. Zamora asks the same questions and makes another draw. Once the second portrait is done, the woman is asked to come in and see the result, explaining that the first sketch has been made with the description she gave of herself and the second basing on the description given by the second person. The results are always very different and make you ponder. The first thing to notice is that in the self-portrait the person looks always more sad, dull and uglier. The general message that closes the documentary is that women should be grateful for their natural beauty and more aware of it. “You are more beautiful than you think” is the slogan of this project that has spread on the internet like a virus. Carrying on their commitment to make women feel more beautiful not only thanks to their cosmetics, Dove has just promoted its new Self-Confidence Project, a new campaign that aims to make women feel more confident about themselves and their physical aspect.

31

Alina StefanescuBy Angelica Grittani

Selena Magni

Alina Stefanescu is a very self-confident woman with a strong charm but a shy person, as well, who manages emotions at

best thorough the lens of a camera. Her greatest passion is fashion photography, a professional checkpoint that she reached after long studies and an experience as art director and international producer for a brand of jeans in London and Los Angeles. She tells us how she got close to photography, what are her passions and what drives her to always wanting to seize the emotion, like an artistic catharsis that allows her to express herself in different ways.

Alina StefanescuYou travelled a lot and you lived in Italy, London and America. What idea of art and fashion did your travels suggest you?Living in London and Los Angeles for more than 13 years influenced me much, they are both artistic cities, especially Los Angeles. What I like and appreciate the most in big cities is the freedom of dressing up without following any trend, but trying to look for new inspirations instead. It’s something you can notice by simply walking in the streets: the search for innovation is tangible. In Los Angeles I discovered a passion for vintage, but what I like the most are modern reinterpretations of vintage, like old song’s remixes. Lana Del Rey’s style is a perfect example of this modern conception of vintage, an interpretation that simply influences our taste in clothing but that is never a theatrical trend. I like adding vintage elements to my outfit and being able to wear it everyday and not only in particular occasions. I like feeling that I can wear whatever I want, without restraints. My job and the cities I lived in gave me the chance to express myself with my clothes, too. I’ve been lucky to move to Italy, because it’s a chance to gain more experience. Moreover, in Italy there’s a unique style and the quality of fabrics is very appreciated. I like observing people: every woman, from the youngest to the eldest, pays much attention to the way she dresses up, with a personal elegance that influences even the way they walk.

ALINA STEFANESCU

Speaks about herself

Alina Stefanescu

When did you approach photography?I was working as artistic director of my brand (Alina Jeans) and I was desperately looking for a way to express myself through art. So, three years ago I approached photography, as a natural development of my work that was already dealing with fashion and photos. I attended a photography course that I liked very much and I began to study the techniques and the use of lights, essential for any photographer. I started to experiment, taking portraits to make practice and then I started taking pictures of my models personally. Every time I do a shooting I learn something new. Thanks to the internet I had the chance to meet the Italian world of photographers, models, make-up artists with whom I had the pleasure to work and who supported me in my activity. Artistic director, producer, director, photographer: you re a full artist but a manager, too, since you created your collection of jeans. How do you succeed in managing so many different activities?I have a great desire to learn and when I start a project I want to carry it on until the end. My passion for my job gives me the strength to find creative solutions and to fight in order to obtain what I want. I like expressing myself through my emotions and my artistic ambitions are the way I chose to do so. These are complementary elements: technique and creativity have improved with time, giving me the possibility to manage every aspect of the creative process on my own. I’ve always been lucky for being surrounded by skilled people who helped me and taught me much. I like listening to people and be in peace with people I work with, creative ideas originate in this way, too. My work is easy for everyone who works with me, on the I am very extrovert and open to dialogue. The result is a better work, in terms of quality. Even when the final result is not as I expected, it is more complete thanks to the creative support of my team. How important is creativity for you?In order to be creative one needs to be open minded and stimulated. Being open minded with other people allows us to present ourselves for what we are, without masks or filters, so we can move the public. One should try to put something of their selves in what one is doing, showing the truth like actors do, working on themselves and their expression, because, in order to impress the public, having the right technique is not enough, one must tell about themselves without inhibitions. In this way, everyone can be creative, leaving out all the restraints and weaknesses, to their deepest and most true self.

What peculiarity have women in your pictures? How do you convey the idea of beauty?Women in my pictures must convey emotion, this is my first goal and I try to fulfil it by being in harmony with them, so that they can understand what I want to obtain, what style and what look I am looking for, what woman they have play. It’s very important to talk with models, to get to know them and to create an intimate feeling that will be enhanced in the pictures. Beauty is a personal characteristic, is part of any of us. Every woman is beautiful in her way and if she believes in herself and in her qualities, this beauty will come out. My job is to reveal this beauty even when it’s hidden, zooming on the details, on those small features that the person didn’t even know to have. We don’t often regard ourselves as beautiful, but in pictures beauty comes out unexpectedly. This result is achieved thanks to the photographer’s sensitivity and the technique, using the right angles, the best poses and the right lights, that enhance the positive feature of the model.How do you communicate your intentions to the model during shootings or videos?I prefer working several times with the same model, I like creating a relationship of trust and familiarity that can lead to the perfect shot. Harmony is very important, I am a person that listens carefully and that gets involved even when I am working. Most of he models I work with are also my friends. The communication between photographer and the model is unique, looks and feeling are more important than words. What are your idols or today’s women you take inspiration from?I admire Nima Benati as Italian photographer, she’s very talented and she managed to be successful despite her young age, she’s an example of humility and you can’t but like her! Another photographer I admire is Ellen Von Unwerth. In fashion I like the stylist Michelle Siwy, the former designer of Siwy Jeans, for her passion for vintage, and I love Diane Von Furstenberg for her work that wants to motivate women to be strong and feminine.

What advice would you give to young photographers?My advice is that you should not always try to please other people and comply with them, you should try to be yourself despite the difficulties that the beginning brings. There will always be people ready to judge and complain, to tell us what should be done and how, but our identity helps us not to lose, even when we’re expected to do something else. From a practical point of view, study and technique are important and taking coursers and studying on the books of great photographers is very helpful.

S Y N O N Y M O F P E R F E C T I O N

E l i e S a a b

Elie SaabS Y N O N Y M O F P E R F E C T I O N

Elie Saab was born in Beirut in 1964. He was only 9 years old when he created his first dress for his younger sister. When he was 18 years old he created his fashion house and quickly established

itself as an Haute Couture expert. Elie Saab should not be considered just an ordinary stylist, but an artist, the artist of sublime. Wedding dresses, evening dresses, “princess” gowns. Elie Saab is the undisputed master of extraordinary creations that enhance and accentuate the female sensuality.He wonderfully works embroidery and lavish drapes that fit directly to the feminine silhouette, without drawings or models. As a real architect of the body, he combines East and West, splendor and purity: gold thread, pearls and even precious stones adorn perfect clothes with modern cuts. “My only ambition is to put some beauty in women’s lives,” asserted the Lebanese designer.Many celebrities rely on his creations to feel magnetic and radiant on the red carpet and at the Academy Awards also known as the Oscars. He is the personal designer to many princesses, too. His unique way of dressing women with elegance and simplicity without being repetitive or mundane should allow him to have a special place in the hearts of all of us. Elie Saab fashion show is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated, a daydream. The designer’s artworks give a breath of elegance and sophistication while making women romantic and refined. The simple lines, so white as to be so fine, and the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t effect, give sensuality, too.Even more envied and dreamed than evening dresses, they are the wedding dresses. Models on the catwalk wearing the white dress remind of the goddesses of the mythologies of ancient civilizations and seem to reflect a soft moonlight. Harmony of shapes, elegant classicism, delicacy and grandiosity characterize the works by Elie Saab. Important details, precious fabrics and studied volumes, but always carefully calibrated between the surprise effect and the freedom of movement. The strong impact strikes us and makes us fall in love with these dresses, which are synonym of elegance and perfection.53

By Gaia BregalantiSelena Magni

C h a n e l n ° 5

C h a n e l n ° 5

The first twenty years of the 20th century are characterized by a cultural revolution that has shaped and transformed

all forms of art irreversibly.This moment of changes has been fomented by the advent of some theories, such as the theory of relativity introduced by Einstein, or Freud’s new techniques for understanding the human mind.Paris was the driving force of the revolution and it was here that Chanel began to establish relationships and friendships with some artists who will shape her, by influencing and animating her strongly.

In 1921 she launched “No 5”, her first fragrance, conceived as a manifesto of a highly creative and dynamic framework. Chanel decided to give a minimalist character to the name of the essence and to its bottle which appears as a clear-cut rectangle concealed by a white cardboard and edged with black. Its elegance echoes the lines of her dresses. Even the perfume catalogue of 1924 follows the same aesthetic principles.Its success lies in the same adequate proportions as the ones which were sought-after during her time and which recurred in the modernist architecture as well as in painting through lines and geometric patterns. All of this influenced the realization of the perfume. In fact, the bottle reminds of a flask, the cubist packaging is an example of a post-figurative deconstruction, the label evokes the Dadaism and, lastly, the catalogue of perfumes is a real Mondrian.It’s clear that Chanel brought the features of her lively intellectual environment to her creations. As a matter of fact, Chanel “No 5” appeared in the works of art which were contemporary to her time, just look at Picabia’s “Ticket” (1922), or Mockup for the cover of “Manifeste We”(1920) by Ernst. “No 5”, therefore, is not just a fragrance but a distillate of art and culture that marked an entire era.

Chan e l n ° 5

55

By Eleonora Milano

A FRAGRANCE OF ART AND CULTURE

Luisa Attardo

STUDIO STREET LIFE.COMdesigner fashion & house

Studio Street Life.com

studiostreetlife.com@gmail.com

Fashion Collections Planning

Man / Woman

Shoes – Bags - Belts

Samples manufacture

Production

Technical Assistance

House Design

Furnishing Complements

Prototypes

Frida KahloBy Valentina Sorrenti

59Frida KahloSelfportrait with necklace of thorns 1940Oil on canvas, cm 63,5 x 49,5Harry Ransom Center, Austin© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

Mattia Vismara

Frida Kah loFrida KahloR O M A , S C U D E R I E D E L

Q U I R I N A L E

in exhibition

Two Italian cities are going to inaugurate an ambitious artistic project: Rome’s “Scuderie del Quirinale” and Genoa’s “Palazzo

Ducale” will host two exhibitions about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The first one is dedicated to the relationship between the artist and her culture; the second one will examine the artistic influence coming from her private life, where she has always put her husband Diego first. About him she said “Two great accidents happened in my life… The first one was when I was run over by a tram and the second one was Diego”.

Frida KahloSelfportrait with monkeys, 1943Oil on canvas, cm 81,5 x 63The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and The Vergel Foundation, Cuernavaca© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

Frida KahloSelfportrait on the border between Mexico and the United States, 1937Oil on copper, cm 31,7 x 35 Private collection© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

Frida KahloThe loving embrace of the

universe , earth (Messico), me,

Diego and mr. Xolotl, 1949 Oil on board, cm 70 x 60,5The Jacques and Natasha

Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and

The Vergel Foundation, Cuernavaca

© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo

Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

The Roman exhibition, first Frida’s retrospective in Italy, lasts from 20th March until 31st August and consists of 130 public and private works and drawings and paintings as well. Along with her canvas, there will be works by artists related to Frida Kahlo, like her husband Diego Rivera and Maria Izquierdo.Frida Kahlo’s character is so fascinating that she can be defined as a global icon: pioneer of feminist movement, symbol of Mexican culture, beloved Hollywood star, first Hispanic woman to figure on an American stamp and venerated inspiration of merchandise from all over the world .Frida Kahlo is not just an artist: she is one of the most charismatic characters of XX century cultural panorama, because her paintings tell not only about the story of her life, scarred by the terrible accident happened to her when she was 17, but also the mirror of the world she has always lived in, representing in this way the cultural and social changes marked by Mexican revolution. Regarding this, she leaves these beautiful words: “…rebellion con todo lo que te encadena…”.

Diego RiveraNatasha Gelman’s portrait, 1943

Oil on canvas, cm 115 x 153The Jacques and Natasha

Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and The

Vergel Foundation, Cuernavaca© Banco de México Diego

Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

Frida KahloSelfportrait like Tehuana, (or Diego in my mind), 1943Oil on canvas, cm 76 x 61The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and The Vergel Foundation, Cuernavaca© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

Frida KahloSelportrait with braid, 1941Oil on canvas, cm 51 x 38,5

The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century

Mexican Art and The Vergel Foundation, Cuernavaca

© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust,

México D.F. by SIAE 2014

Frida KahloMoses or Solar Core, 1945Oil on board, cm 61 x 75,6(ONLY IN ROME) Private collection© Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México D.F. by SIAE 2014

“Sometimes women do things that leave us speechless. You can spend a lifetime trying: you will

never be able to possess that lightness they have sometimes. They are light inside. Inside.”

Alessandro Baricco

It can be hard today to understand how the role of women changed through the centuries. In ancient societies, the woman was she who dedicated her life to family and other activities like sewing and weaving. It’s not until the 16th century that women begin to be appreciated in the world of art not only as models but also as artists. From that time on, women managed to blend art and creativity, showing not only that they have a different sensitivity but also

that they can create marvellous things.

Creative: Feminine art. A different sensibility accompanies the visual arts: womanhood, with a sweeter attitude, invents new inspirations.

C r e a t i v i t y

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