Christine Rosamond was an exceptionally lucky person with regard to her paintings. Her works received instant recognition which even surprised her to such an extent that she had difficulty coping with it. What made her works stand out was the way she used negative spaces in her works balanced by rich and vibrant touches to the clothes worn by the women in her pictures. Her works almost constantly feature only one woman or child and her earlier works used soft pastel shades. It was only later that she began to use stronger colors like red and green. The message that comes out in her works on of hope, happiness and other positive feeling all of which I endorse. In other words, she drew “In an effort to soften what could have been a stark contrast, Christine Rosamond clad her figures in fabric so rich with a texture you could almost reach out and feel it.” (Christine Rosamond 1947 to 1994). What is striking to me personally is the type of clothes her women wear. Each one is different from the other in terms of colors, fabric, material and style. It was as if she was a fashion designer herself. As a designer, I feel that I can adapt so many concepts and ideas from her paintings. The following illustration of her painting titled ‘Stripes’ will prove the point.
Notice the bold stripes and the matching headwear worn by the lady. The cut of the collars and the shape of her headdress (in this particular painting) indicate a fine sense of clothing style of the artist. Personally, I like simple designs. I am sure the outfits that I design for my own satisfaction will have Ms. Rosamund’s approval had she been alive today.
Patrick Nagel was another artist whose works resulted in the women being portrayed as the Patrick Nagel women. But his works focus more on mood and emotion and less on the clothes. Many of his works show close up of faces even though the ones that show clothes do have a sense of style. But they do not have the vibrancy and variety of Ms. Rosamond’s works. I can only appreciate the artist in him and not his creativity in clothes. According to me, there is no one to beat Ms. Rosamond with regard to the fusion of fashion design and painting.
Works Cited
Christine Rosamond 1947 to 1994. Royce Galleries Ltd: Established 1973. Web.
Welcome to Rosamond Gallery. Images and Text. 2003.