ପ Venus in Couture ଓ

Edgar Allen Poe once said, 'The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetic topic in the world.' ... A rather odd thing to say, albeit a common feeling in the nineteenth century, and a fascination that has lived on; perhaps it isn't quite so romantic anymore. The romanticisation, or beautification, of death, has been immortalised in every form of art; painting, photography, fashion, literature, poetry, film, etc. In many cases, it is the beauty of a woman's death that is most sought after, most written about, and most portrayed in art. In this piece, with the focus on painting and photography, I will be exploring the representation of death in the works of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and how a woman's suicide became a work of art. The magnum opus of paintings to emerge from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was Ophelia by John Everett Millais, 1851-52. Even those unfamiliar with the small group of painters in Victorian London recognise this bea...

In this blog post, I will be looking into the dreamy visions of artist/photographer Petra Collins and actress/singer/model Alexa Demie in their brand new book 'Fairy Tales'. I have been so excited about this project since I first saw that Petra and Alexa were working together but had no clue they would be releasing an entire book! Although the book isn't out yet I just couldn't wait to talk about it, so this post will be my initial thoughts on what we already know of the book and what pictures we have. I adore Petra Collins' work, it's so ethereal and magical, yet also contemporary, and Alexa Demie is such a perfect muse for Petra's vision, as she seems to fit so naturally into Petra's dreamy visuals. I have seen Petra's approach to art and photography being described as 'The Female Gaze' which is an idea and concept that I think is very present in Petra's work, and something she is very aware of when portraying her visions, whether it be...