Whats Happening in the World of Arts IV

Floral Frocks

The Floral Frocks website was published to accompany an exhibition, entitled 'Pick of the Bunch: the floral printed dress in the 20th century', held at the Fashion Museum, in Bath, England, from 17 July to 27 August, 2007. Pick of the Bunch was a collaborative project between the School of Art and Design at Bath Spa University and the Fashion Museum. The website provides detailed access to six British floral dresses from the 1940s to the 1960s. The six case studies "include an object analysis (description) of each garment, the socio-historical context from which each dress emanates, key designers of the time, new fabric technology, themes for discussion, bibliography," and 360 degree views of each dress. Also included are details about prints and dyes, dye recipes, and patterns for some of the dresses shown.
Link: http://www.floralfrocks.org/
Access: Free


Prunella Clough

Tate Online has provided this resource on the archive of the artist Prunella Clough (1919-1999). This archive was acquired by the Tate after the artist`s death and has been organised under two headings `Inspirations' and `Working Methods'. Clough wrote detailed descriptions of things that caught her eye, as well as making thumbnail sketches which later informed her work. `Working Methods' shows images she cropped to create effects, reworked postcards, materials, notes on colour, descriptions of artwork and the artist at work.
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5senmg
Access: Free


Covering Photography

The Covering Photography website looks at the history of photography and book cover design, and how photographs get transformed when they are used on book covers. The website provides a book cover image database, which is browsable by photographer, author, publisher, publication date, and designer. Each thumbnail image in the database contains information about the book, including: photographer, author, publisher, publication date, designer, photo genre, book genre, and group.
Link: http://www.coveringphotography.com/covering_photography.html
Access: Free

Chinese Jade

Part of the British Museum's website, this is an online tour that shows the development of Chinese jade from around 5000 BC to the modern period. From earliest times, the Chinese have carved intricate designs from this tough stone and it became a material that was worn by royalty and nobility. The website features images and descriptions of carved jade artefacts from various Chinese dynasties.
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6zmzcx
Access: Free