On the 16th March, I attended the National Portrait Gallery's film screening of The Legend of Leigh Bowery http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/late-shift-1/freud-film-16march.php which offered a revealing insight into the artist's life and work.
Leigh Bowery turned dressing up and fashion into an art form. He said "rather than doing a painting on canvas or sculpting with clay, I put all these ideas on myself". As someone who wants to pursue makeup, I am interested in Bowery because he was able to completely disguise himself and invent a new persona through makeup and costume. His unmade up self does not resemble his self invention at all. Leigh Bowery said "I did like the idea of dressing up and the way clothes can change people and the excitement of putting things on and going out".
Bowery would constantly reinvent himself, trying to make each outfit even more bizarre and radical than the last. He was very stimulated by ideas and wanted to go completely wild with them. His looks were always very experimental and adventurous. He desired complete artistic freedom and would not limit himself in anyway. He said "the aerial that gives you most freedom with ideas is art because there's no barriers, no parameters. It's completely free. So that's the area I've placed myself". "There's hardly anything that I forbid myself to do. I always want to do more extreme things and be in contact with more extreme people and ideas and practises". Bowery went to radical lengths for his art. One look involved his cheeks pierced with safety pins which linked to his lips, pushing them open and outwards.
His outfits were surreal and often disturbing although always highly creative. His outfits and makeup also had a very theatrical, flamboyant quality to them in the way they were very over-the-top. To many his creations went beyond looking ridiculous but according to Leigh, "the more stupid it can be the better".
I chose 5 of Leigh Bowery's looks to analyse in more detail:
I love the bright goo like material dripping from Leigh Bowery's head. Bowery used makeup in a way which was unconventional and unexpected which is what I intend to do with my own makeup designs. I think the pale skin looks great against the bright colours as it really makes them pop. In my own designs I love to use vibrant hues such as the shades of pink Bowery has used. I love the rich colour gradients around the eyes. I think gradients look very attractive in makeup and help create depth and illusions of exaggerated features. I love the way the peach colour is softly blended out around the cheeks. I like the dramatic eye makeup and the clean-cut lines. It creates a fierce and defined look but the pink and white colours help soften the look down. Bowery has extended the lip colours far beyond the actual lips to give the impression of large lips. I myself want to experiment with shapes and illusions with makeup.
In this look he has used fabric and large sequins to cover his entire face to create a mask like effect. I think the overall result is quit disturbing. However, I do want to experiment myself with using unconventional materials for creating a makeup look. You can get special makeup glue designed for sticking parts to the face.
The most striking thing about this image is the oversized accessories. Bowery played a lot with form and shape. Leigh was also an extremist so if he was going to do something big, he would do it extremely big. It was never in-between. He often sported the oversized look like the hats and the shoes we see here. Form and size are things that are experimented with a lot in fashion. I would like to explore this when developing my own designs. I had an idea for my "cancer patient costume" to play with over-sizing to symbolise the overwhelming experience of the patient. I also love the lime green colour of the hat. I love the use of gaudy colours in fashion. I think it is quirky and playful which is a look I hope to attain in my fashion shoot.
Here is a black patent leather costume which extends right from his platform heels and up all the way over his face. He has altered the appearance of his figure, creating a female figure instead with breasts, a waist and hips. He has also exaggerated the size and proportion of the figure, enlarging the left leg and creating enormous breasts, hips and backside which protrude excessively. Leigh Bowery was fascinated with the human body and how it could be altered and transformed. He loved to create costumes which exaggerated and change body shapes. Like I said previously, I want to experiment with form and size, although I do not want to go as extreme as Bowery. I also love the patent leather used. I think patent leather can look very fashionable and looks great in photo shoots because of the way it reflects light.
This look is a lot simpler in the way it was composed yet still very eccentric. He has only used 3 block colours for the makeup; red white and black; a striking combination of colours. He has glued 2 aerosol lids to either side of his face. He looks a bit like a deranged clown but the image has a quirky aspect to it. Bowery had a mischievious, playful side which was reflected in his clothes. Quirkiness and playfulness in fashion gives it a youthful quality to it.
Research Analysis:
Like Bowery, I want to approach fashion as an art form. I shall strive to be highly creative, experimental and adventurous with my designs. I want to push the boundaries of what I can do creatively. I want my designs to be surreal, flamboyant and eccentric. I want to include vibrant hues as seen in Bowery's creations. I shall be experimenting with different makeup techniques to transform the face and unconventional methods. I also want to experiment with form and size in the way Leigh Bowery did.
Research resources:
- Film: The Legend of Leigh Bowery
- Book: Martin, Richard. Mackrell, Alice. Rickey, Melanie. Buttolph, Angela. Menkes, Suzy. The Fashion Book. Phaidon. 1998.
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