New Bella 2018 - Part 2
Welcome to part 2 of the exciting Winter 2018 new collections launch! There's so much new, we've divided the excitement into a six part mini-series of introductory posts.
Last time we met the first two collections, Bernini, inspired by Italian art history and Daphne, from ancient Greek mythology. Today we meet Daphne's mythological paramour and sculptural counterpart Apollo and take a trip to the moon with Luna.
APOLLO
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11
Since we introduced a Daphne collection, there also has to be an Apollo. Quick reminder of the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo. Apollo was enchanted by one of Eros's arrows to love Daphne while at the same time Daphne was made to detest him. There was a chase which Daphne was losing. To rescue her, her father transformed her into a laurel tree. Our collections Daphne and Apollo are inspired by the story and the classic Baroque sculpture depicting the dramatic moment of transformation by Gian Lorenzo Bernini .
The Apollo collection also has a second source of inspiration. The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the third United States human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished landing the first humans on the Moon from 1969 to 1972. NASA recently released into public domain over 8000 photos from the Apollo missions. Searching through the images gives a very intimate and fascinating view of what the experience must have been like for those early astronauts.
Apollo's rounded profiles and sandy surface are evocative of distant planets and the moon's cratered surface. The finish is a matte paint over heavily textured gesso; all done by hand, which melds nicely with modern decor trends focusing on natural tactile materials; i.e. marble, chunky woven fabrics, wood grain and ceramics. You may have used this larger almost full-round profile in the past. While it looks challenging, it will not require a jig for cutting and joining.
The color palette for our Apollo collection is mid-century inspired and stacks nicely with it's true love Daphne. Use Apollo on contemporary art, mid-century modern pieces and vintage ephemera.
LUNA
"The sun is the past, the earth is the present, the moon is the future." - Nicola Tesla
Luna (Italian for moon) takes inspiration from those 8400 views of the NASA moon missions but also modern trends of space related imagery in fashion and art. A recent trip to Milan, fashion capital, revealed an obsession with all things space. Gucci window mannequins were sporting space helmets and several fashion labels featured looks included stars, rockets and astronauts.
Space Age style originated in the 60's, influenced by the space race and those earliest images from NASA explorations. The style revolved around the idea of exploration—of pushing boundaries further than ever before. The "future" everyone imagined of flying cars and men on the moon was still far off, but anything was possible.
It's fashion and art's function to reflect the times, but also to look forward to a better, more interesting future. If that can't be found on earth, then we need to look to the stars. It is not a coincidence that Space Age style is returning at a time when global politics are so unstable.
Our culture is once again engaged by the vast expanse of our universe. There is an abundance of modern collage art available in art catalogs and online featuring outer space elements. It's like a renaissance of the spirit of space exploration. I mean, SpaceX just shot a Tesla into orbit and is working on humans being able to one day (soon) colonize Mars.
Our Luna collection was created out of a challenge to create something similar to the Raku but more neutral – black, brown, grey and tan. Just like the Raku, the finishes are created with a hand-applied wash of oxidation over copper or silver leaf. Because of the process, no two sticks will be alike. Expect the same beautiful variations found in the Raku collection.
Use Luna on modern prints and collages, family portraits, ketubahs and all art with a natural texture and washy variance in color.
We hope you enjoy these expeditions into new framing galaxies. Coming soon - part 3 of our voyage. Hold onto your hats. It's going to get glittery! As always, contact our helpful customer service staff with inquiries and requests. Happy framing!
