Fine Art & Flowers

7/5/2024

Wadsworth Atheneum: Fine Art & Flowers

Danielle & Pahl standing in front of "Venus with a Nymph & Satyr", a 400 year old sculpture and the centerpiece of this year's English Garden's theme

Every year during the first weekend of May, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art hosts a special exhibition called Fine Art and Flowers. This was the 41st Annual Fine Art & Flowers exhibition, and it was my very first time attending. At this event, florists, garden clubs, and interior designers are assigned paintings, sculptures, and objects from the museum's collection to create floral arrangements inspired by the colors, textures, motifs and emotions that the artwork they are assigned conveys.

You can see that the florist used hydrangeas to evoke the impressionist brush strokes in water parts of the painting. They also tried to match the colors of the pigment in approximate location to the painting.

An interesting repetition of color and texture for this expressive Picasso.

Not quite as much of a vertical composition as the original painting, but nevertheless, the designer did match the colors and textures well.

A nearly literal interpretation of this expressive Wyeth painting with matching colors and shapes. The designer off to the left said that she just found all the pieces to her flower design outside in her yard and put them together.

Apparently you don't have to be a florist or a designer for a living to enter the design contest. You can just be an art enthusiast with a flair for putting things together. I believe there is an entry fee and the museum does give you a choice in the type of art whether it be abstract, modern, painting, sculpture, and or object such as fine china and then assigns you a specific piece from their collection. The art that is selected changes from year to year, and there is a spot to vote for your favorite on a ballot at the end of your tour.

Annual Springtime Double Date

Danielle & Pahl dressed like it's 1857 in front of the steps to the entrance to the museum

Sarah & Erik in their flower children vibe in front of the museum

We attended this event as part of our annual spring time double date with Sarah and Erik. Last year we went to the Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens and had a picnic together, so we wanted to continue off the flowers in Hartford theme. Luckily we chose an indoor activity this time as the weather was a little uncooperative. It was threatening rain the whole ride up and was actually raining when we left.

My original outfit that I was going to wear for the date was an ivory based dress with a lattice design of purple flowers and purple ribbons, but it was entirely cotton and I didn't want to get rained on in cotton. At this point in time, I lacked a purple or ivory colored shawl or short sleeve cardigan that might have gone with my original piece so I swapped my original dress and blouse idea for my trusty Alice Girl When Camellia Blooms JSK, because it's lined polyester, water resistant, and went with the bonnet and shoes I had planned to wear with my other dress.

I absolutely COULD NOT pass up this matching color opportunity with the stairs and lighting

I'm wearing the jumper skirt without the matching overlay apron and a 65 cm daily wear petticoat underneath. This is much more casual than the first time that I wore this jsk with a much poofier petticoat to an afternoon tea at the Wadsworth Mansion about some 14 months prior. Instead of wearing an off the shoulder 3/4 sleeve slightly translucent blouse, I opted for a complete stand collar cut sew with slightly poofy upper arms. I also paired it with off white cable sweater tights and my trusty beige oxfords I found on the clearance rack at DSW years ago. The only part of my outfit that reads particularly flowery at this point is my bonnet. The Xiaogui~Elegant Lolita Bonnet Bows Straw Hat in the Satin Ribbon and Lilac Vine Color certainly worked with the muted lilac color of this dress. I'm also utilizing my beige and brown violin cross-body purse. It just goes with every classically styled outfit at this point.

Pahl's outfit reads a bit more flowery than mine. He is wearing a white shirt with a special type of collar so that he can showcase his carefully tied flower themed bow tie and exemplary bow tying skill. Over the blouse he has a burgundy and black paisley silk waist coat with beige and burgundy striped straight pants. His tail coat is a dark reddish purple to bring out the tones in his waistcoat and pants. His straw boater has a navy and red hat band that ties in his bow tie and tail coat. His black rimmed glasses and shiny black oxfords complete the look. He also cut a piece of a real flower he had given me in a bouquet as a boutonniere. Other accessories include a silver pocket watch and a silver and amber ring.

Sarah is wearing a vintage zip up over dress from the 1960s. It is so colorful and vibrant, I asked her to stand near this wall of faux greenery in the cafe so that it could be better perceived. She wore neutral gray sneakers with this casual look mainly for comfort while walking around the museum.

Erik's flowery shirt may or may not be vintage. I'm not sure, but it goes with the colors and flowers in Sarah's outfit, and it looks like it's from the same time period. He kept the rest of his outfit simple with black jeans and black shoes.

Afternoon Tea in the Cafe

Pahl pulling all the florals together at the cafe

The museum cafe offered something like an Afternoon Tea in honor of the Fine Art and Flowers Exhibit. The trays were relatively modestly priced, but you had to pay for your tea separately. You also had to serve yourself the tea, even though they provided us with these wonderfully fancy tea cups and matching saucers. The treats were served on a single tray (rather than the 3 tiered tray I am used to) and it was a mix of crafted sandwiches from the cafe as well as pre-made pastries, macarons, and truffles.

Danielle deciding where to start with our shared tea tray

Not only did the galleries have all of the fine art and flower designs to view, but there were parts of the event where you could listen to live music being played or sung in the main hall as well as being able to talk to the designers directly. It was such a mentally and creatively stimulating event, that I would really like to bring my fashion friends back to it when it happens next year.