LICHTENSTEIN AT TATE MODERN: WHAT A POP!

Note from Bethan: During fashion months, there's no way that we would get through without a brilliantly up-for-anything, stupendously helpful intern. Our AW13 version of that godsend is Hannah Mason. When I heard that she was going to Lichtenstein at Tate Modern before me, I asked very nicely if she might like to write about it for our blog. If you've been dithering about whether to go, let Hannah help you decide....

Posted by Hannah Mason

I stood in the middle of the Millennium Bridge last night taking a snapshot of the magical City of London lit up on a very chilly March evening. I was in this exact spot a few weeks ago during LFW, feeling slightly dreamlike on my way to see my first ever fashion show. I have been busy interning for Melanie and Bethan and managed to scoop a last minute invitation to see a fashion show for myself, rather than through the likes of Twitter and Style.com. It was JW Anderson that had the honour of taking my fashion show virginity.

JW ANDERSON AW13 COMIC STRIP DRESS (Image via Catwalking.com)

In the slightly spooky vaulted Tanks under the Tate Modern, the Topshop Showspace for this LFW, JW Anderson presented a collection that was clinical, with quick bursts of colour but of course still in keeping with the cult, androgynous style which is making his show an unmissable spot on the schedule. Amid acres of white, black, grey and red were two looks printed with graphic comic strips. It was this comic book inspiration that bought me back to this same spot in the middle of the Millennium Bridge last night, off to review the Tate's newly opened Lichtenstein retrospective. Previous to my visit my impression of Lichtenstein was as a one hit, cartoon wonder, but the depth of this exhibition, the first comprehensive account of his work in over 20 years, proved me wrong.

Upon strolling into ‘Brushstrokes’, the first of thirteen themed rooms, I am instantly taken by brash American, pop art laden paint brush strokes brandished on enormous canvases. Lichtenstein paints them in such a controlled manner for what is typically an emotional and erratic move from a frustrated artist, that they have quite a calming effect. Moving through to the ‘Early Pop’ room I viewed some of the comic book pieces from the early 1960s that have been so extensively re-imagined in advertising to this day. Brands such as Perrier and Nivea have incorporated their aggressive commercial language into speech bubbles obviously derived from the Lichtenstein school of art. These pieces were originally inspired by melodramatic stories and clichéd gender roles, themes which ran deep in mass American society at the time. So I was very much expecting the whole exhibition to continue in a similarly familiar vein; American pop and comic.

Perrier ad, inspired by Lichtenstein (via fineartamerica.com)

What I hadn’t realised was Lichtenstein himself described his work as "not 'American' painting but actually industrial painting". It was in the next room, ‘Black and White’, which explained this notion, which is a bit tricky to get your head around at first. There I discovered a complete contrast to his earlier pop days. The commerciality of mass media inspired Lichtenstein’s restricted black-and-white palette; he rendered newspaper illustrations of everyday into a near unrecognisable graphic form; focussing on mass produced functional objects (Golf Ball, 1963). It was Alka Seltzer, 1966 that I enjoyed the most. So graphic and pared back yet still exuding a sense of movement and even sound as small, perfectly formed bubbles float through water and ‘fizz’ when they reach the top.

Roy Lichtenstein, Alka Seltzer, 1966 (image via tumblr.com)

Not only were his inspirations of an industrial nature but his techniques too. Lichtenstein developed his Benday dots technique from handmade stencils to large, prefabricated screens and in doing so he found his style, creating an instant trademark that runs uniformly across almost every piece from the 60s onwards. In the ‘Landscapes’ room he takes this industrialisation of pop art into sculptural form, painting onto sheets of Plexiglass and Rowlux. In Seascape and Pink Seascape (both 1965) these pieces of plastic represent sky and water, moving when viewed from different angles, creating hypnotic optical illusions.

The Tate have organised this exhibition brilliantly; I loved discovering whole new swathes of work that I may not have instantly associated with his style, but also felt like I had a good taste of the kind of image which instantly pops into your mind's eye when you hear "Lichtenstein". Bright colour and angular shapes clearly dominate the exhibition, but moving into the last room I am presented with a light and peaceful atmosphere. Lichtenstein’s ‘Chinese Landscapes’ were painted in the final years of his life and are dramatically different to the rest of his work. The illustrational graphics of his pop paintings have receded but you can still spot those trademark Benday dots, cleverly creating subtle graduations of misty mountains.

A bit like JW Anderson, there's much more to Roy Lichtenstein than comic book graphics. What's more, this is a show we can all go to, no need to wait for the invitation.

Lichtenstein: A Retrospective is on at Tate Modern until 27th May. Find out more here.

JW ANDERSON MEN'S AW13: FIVE THINGS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

London's menswear shows are getting into a groove now, this being the second season that they've had their very own dedicated schedule spanning three days. I've dipped my toe in the water today, starting out with JW Anderson's show this morning. Every J-Dubz- as Jonathan's label is affectionately known- offering comes as an exploration of some intellectual concept which often seems to me like it may be more at home in the studies of the lecturers who took me through my English degree than on a catwalk. That's not to say that it doesn't eventually work to study through clothes rather words, a practise which Jonathan has pretty much mastered (although it must be said that he also gets it bang-on with pieces you want to wear every day- see his Topshop collab). However, it does mean that the collection is challenging. For most of us that means an exciting new thing to get our heads around, something fresh for the eye to adjust to, far removed from our accepted concepts of what is or is not "stylish" or "acceptable". When Vogue's Fashion Editor Fran Burns tweeted some pictures from the show, she received a few spiky replies including "Sorry but even wide-eyed fashion followers will find this ugly". Her retort? " Keep your knickers on people! Fashion is an expressive art form". With that in mind, I've boiled down the show to the five key points to really get to grips with.

#1. KINKY ACCESSORIES

Kinky may well be the wrong word to use here because it's not as if looks were littered with whips and harnesses but there was something subtly fetishistic about the flounce-edged black leather riding boots and bright white latex gloves which seemed like a mad concoction of washing up, magician and Michael Jackson references. The boots were not the only point of leg interest as many looks featured such short lengths that acres of thigh were still on show. That combination of thigh and tough black leather gave the boys a very vampy vibe.

#2. SHOW NOTES WITH MEANING

I'm a little obsessed with show notes and the myriad of ways designers choose to introduce their collections. Here are what we got to read (all in caps) as we sat down this morning:

"THE J.W.ANDERSON AUTUMN/WINTER 2013 COLLECTION IS AN EXAMINATION OF BOURGEOIS KINKYNESS AND BOUDOIR PERVERSITY. IT EXPLORES THE SELFISH ACT OF RESHUFFLING THE NOTION OF ANATOMY AND CREATING SUSPENDED ARCHITECTURES. THE WARDROBE BECOMES A PROJECTION OF THE MIND ONTO A WHITE CANVAS"

#3. BOYS IN SKIRTS AND BOOB TUBES

Unisex fashion is very often more about girls dressing in boyish clothes than boys dressing in girly clothes- masculine tailoring is an oft used expression in women's fashion writing but when do you ever find GQ singing the praises of feminine florals, for example, for men to give a try? J.W Anderson is very much interested in blurring gender in fashion but he dares do it the other way, enter boys in skirts, dresses and boob tubes. And some of those guys look disconcertingly great.

#4. THE HAIR

Talk about Slick Rick. The models had severe forehead to neck nape partings. I may be reading too much into it but from the front these could almost pass as ladies low ponytails, there we are, challenged once more.

#5. THE PIECES YOU CAN REALLY WEAR

It's not all about conceptual pushing the boundaries. J.W Anderson AW13 has perfect coats, jumpers, trousers... for boys and girls.