Sunday, July 30, 2006

sans pantaloons...

There is nothing up here presently.
That works on so many levels...

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Postcards.

If you have arrived here by scanning the QR code on one of my postcards, well done!
So far there is a series of eighteen postcards of designs by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, Frances Macdonald Macnair, James Herbert McNair, Professor Koloman Moser, Ethel Larcombe, Talwin Morris, and one unknown artist, interpreted as a computer graphic by me.
I'm working on the descriptions presently, and I'll do more description and explanation as time progresses. If you have questions, please leave a comment!

1.
Number 1. The card above is my first foray into postcards, and that is the reason this card does not have a QR code.
The lady is called Lady Amalgam, and she appears in a number of posts,
http://sanspantaloons.blogspot.com/2010/10/lady-amalgam.html
The original works are linked to within the link above.
http://sanspantaloons.blogspot.com/2010/12/lady-amalgam-redux.html
http://sanspantaloons.blogspot.com/2011/03/sanscho-panzaloons.html

The Lady is an amalgam of two CRM designs, a leaded glass panel exhibited at Turin in 1902 as part of the CRM-MMM 'Rose Boudoir' room setting, and a design for a leaded glass panel used on the balcony of the White Dining Room in the Ingram Street Tea Rooms, Glasgow.
I have tried to follow CRM's colour instructions to the best that my interpretative talent allows. I think she turned out rather well. I like her.
Having lived with this graphic for some time now, and having compared her to many other faces drawn by CRM, I believe this to be his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh.

2.
Number 2. The card above is taken from a design by James Herbert McNair, the brother-in-law of CRM. This Lady, to the best of my knowledge, does not have a name, so we will call her 'The McNair Lady with Rose.'
She is described as a 'cloaked elfin-like figure' in the publication 'Doves and Dreams' ISBN 0904254844.
This Lady appears as a drawing, a leaded glass panel, and a beaten metal panel, all executed around the same time about 1901, while the McNairs/MacNairs were in Liverpool. The leaded glass panel and beaten silver panel were part of the McNair's Room entitled 'A Lady's Writing Room', shown at the International Exhibition of Modern Art in Turin 1902.
The drawing, in Gouache, ink and chalk, was used as part of a poster for the Liverpool Academy in 1901.
I have taken a liberty with my interpretation of the colours used, and in the postcard instance, given the Lady blue hair.
This graphic appears a few times, one as a spun variation, in at least three posts:
http://sanspantaloons.blogspot.com/2010/10/one-for-zed.html
The original work is linked to within the link above.
http://bluebeak.blogspot.com/2010/10/alone-and-scared.html
http://sanspantaloons.blogspot.com/2011/08/painting-caves.html
There is every chance that the McNair Lady with Rose is Frances MacNair, Herbert's wife, and the Sister of MMM.
One other note; it took me quite some time to get the face correct, as the images available for reference are of such low resolution. I have done my best, and I can only hope Frances & Herbert approve of what I have done.

3.
Number 3. This is my interpretation of a leaded glass and metal panel, which is fitted to the writing desk for the blue room, Hous'hill in 1904, Hous'hill being the home of Kate Cranston and her husband John Cochrane.
This desk is now in a private collection.
An image of the writing desk can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/castlekay/1637591658/in/photostream/
The graphic appears in at least two posts of mine:

http://sanspantaloons.blogspot.com/2010/09/crm-cover_25.html
http://bluebeak.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-deliver.html

4.
Number 4. This is my interpretation of a leaded glass and metal panel, which is fitted to several desks. It appears in my posts here.
So far I have researched the panel as fitted to the writing desk for the white bedroom, Hous'hill in 1904, Hous'hill being the home of Kate Cranston and her husband John Cochrane. This desk is now in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
The desk can be seen:here.

The panel was also used in a writing cabinet for Hill House also in 1904. This cabinet can be seen at the link below:
http://www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk/cgi-bin/foxweb/huntsearch_Mackintosh/DetailedResults.fwx?reqMethod=Search&Searchterm=41254
and is now at the Mackintosh House in Glasgow.
5.
Number 5.
This postcard is a version of the Menu card by Frances Macnair described in this post. I have taken even more licence/license with the postcard version in order to produce a fullsome view. I hope Frances approves.

6.
Number 6.
In May 1898 a competition was announced for the submission of designs for buildings for Glasgow's planned 1901 International Exhibition, and CRM submitted a number of drawings.
The competition rules did not call for anonymous submissions I believe, but anonymous submissions may have been seen as non-prejudicial as far as judging was concerned, and therefore preferred. CRM did not use his name on his drawings, instead he used a nom-de-plume of this Japanese lotus flower and buds.
I believe CRM submitted five drawings, and he must have drawn this small 5" x 4" sketch a number of times to stick one onto each drawing.

It took me a little time to realise it was a lotus flower, and the wavy lines probably represent the water line.
Since the original is pencil on brown paper, I have obviously taken interpretation to stratospheric levels to realise this computer graphic.
The original can be seen here.
The winners of the competition all used mottoes on their drawings, "Winter Palace", by Mr.James Miller, "Aiblins" by Mr. A.N.Paterson and "Fin-de Siecle" by Mr. John Campbell.
Maybe CRM did himself a dis-service by having a drawing as his identifier rather than a motto. Much like the musician Prince did. It does make description difficult.
This graphic only appears in this post.

7.
Number 7.
8.
Number 8.
9.
Number 9.
10.
Number 10.
This design by Ethel Larcombe is described in this post.

11.
Number 11.
12.
Number 12.
13.
Number 13.
14.
Number 14.
15.
Number 15. This postcard features a variant of the Vellum Edition Cover design; The Red Letter Library, Devotional Series, circa 1905, designed by Talwin Morris.
It apperars in only one post here.
16.
Number 16. This postcard features a variation of one of the designs Talwin Morris produced for the Red Letter Library series of religious ('devotional') titles issued by Blackie & Son in 1903.
It apperars in only one post, with more detailed description,here.
17.
Number 17.
18.
Number 18.