Jul
15
Marchesa Luisa Casati has been on my mind lately, particularly the painting of her by Augustus John. (John’s portrait of Casati has been haunting me in my sleep. Why? I just don’t know….)
Usually when I get this kind of “nagging vision” the reasoning reveals itself sometime later, like an answer to something I’ve been trying to solve, or it acts as foresight to a trend or innovation that has yet to surface. (Just call me the “psychic cool hunter.”) For now however, I need to be content with dreaming of Casati’s extraordinary personality (I’d love a copy of the biography!) and how oddly enough, with just the right amount of kohl, Miranda July could pass as an impersonator. (The photograph of July and its similarity to the Casati painting is unbelievable, non?)
If July uses Casati in one of her upcoming works, then perhaps I’ll have the “a-ha” moment my dreams are chasing after! Maybe a trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, post-construction, where the Augustus John painting permanently resides, might be necessary. It might be the only way for my dreams to occupy a reality.
NOTE Couldn’t locate any credit info for the July image. Would love to know if the photographer and stylist had Casati in mind when art directing the shot. Any leads? Let me know.
Comments
I have always loved that painting too. She’s got _face_. A real face with defined adult features. Not an infant-featured supermodel or a innocent/vixen marilyn thing. Not sure on the Miranda July comparison. I see what you’re saying, but I think it was a coincidence - a good haircut and a funny angle. Otherwise, her face is much too wide-eyed ingenue for a comparison. For a look like Casati’s, I’d go with Sonia Rykiel or Kristin Scott Thomas. It is interesting when images resonate like that, though.