Anita Berber

 

 Anita Berber was another icon that lived in the Weimar period. She was a German dancer, actress and writer. This painting of her was created by Otto Dix who was a german painter and printmaker. He is famously known for his realistic depictions of Weimar society.


Here is my abstract attempt of using the painters technique of creating different textures and lines. I was looking at Anita Berber's make up and tried to interpret it in this experiment of using the Supracolour grease paint palette.

An Abstract-esk design by Alex Box that reminds me of Anita Berber and her famous bold eyeshadow and striking red lips. 

I like how the hair stylist for this look has complemented the abstract make up by cutting jagged and uneven edges into the fringe. This really brings out and enhances the brush strokes on the face and imperfects the look perfectly.

Abstract Painting

Interpreting the German Artists Karl Schmidt & Peter Keil

PRODUCTS

- Aqua color palette 

TOOLS

- A variety of brush sizes

APPLICATION & HEALTH & SAFETY

- Check with your model if they are happy with aqua color applied to their face before using it.

- Take all make up off the models face before applying the aqua based colors.

- Observe the face and the shape, see where the light hits the face and also notice the contours of the face, the darker areas.

- The aim is to have an abstract hand to paint the different areas and shapes of the face.

- Break it down by adding lighter colors of where you see highlights and darker possibly where the face dips in or use to contour some areas.

- Use a variety of brushes as this will create different lines and make the look more interesting. 

Moodboard

Sally Bowles

The character that stands out from all the rest is the divinely decadent Sally Bowles. Sally Bowles is a British singer at an underground club called "The Lady Windermere". It provided the inspiration for the Cabaret Musical. Affected and Immoral as she is described in the story, she wears emerald green nail polish and black silk and drinks cocktails for breakfast. She has touching faith in the idea that if she sleeps with every man she meets, she will one day come across a wealthy patron who will transform her into the Hollywood movie star she aspires to be.

More About the Book..

It is about surfaces and characters that are the outlines of people racing to their own destruction in a society they know that would not last.

Their indulgence is a mask that hides the decay the know exists underneath everything they do.

They are constantly and desperately squeezing the last drops of it before the end which is inevitable.

The audience can see the hopelessness of this desperation reflected in the surface of the object they have created.

"Why can't the object be as beautiful as the contents"

Set in the 1930's, it evokes glamour as well as sleaze, excess and repression of the Berlin society. The city was aggressively modern and edgy, full of Avant-garde artists and writers, with a racy Cabaret nightlife.

The book portrays the different lives of people at threat from Nazis.

Goodbye To Berlin

Goodbye to Berlin is an insightful series of stories on the decline of Berlin society in the years leading up to the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazis in Germany. Christopher Isherwood has used his own experiences in Berlin as a basis for this novel. Isherwood draws us into a richly painted society of fringe-dwellers and bohemians, highlighting the points at which they intersect with the rich and powerful. The strata of society is laid out before us and deftly illustrated through masterful dialogue. The characters struggle to connect through language, culture and status barriers. This is indicated in their stilted and disconnected conversation in the book.