“A courtier must be an architect for plans, a sculptor for shapes, a painter for colour, a musician for harmony and a philosopher in the sense of measure” – Cristóbal Balenciaga.
Born in 1895 in Guetaria, Spain, Cristóbal Balenciaga is known as one of the best courtiers in history. “The master of all of us”, Christian Dior. “Genuine coutier”, Coco Chanel. This is how he was described by his colleagues and two of the best designers of the 21st century. Despite the high praise, Balenciaga is a little-known figure. We know his work and the testimonies of the people who lived with him, but who is Cristóbal Balenciaga really?
The recent Disney+ series called “Cristóbal Balenciaga”, a Spanish production, tries to explore his life from the opening of his haute couture house in Paris in 1937, to his last collection in 1968 and closure of all his shops due to the emergence of the “prêt-a-porter”, mass-produced collections of clothing and accessories, in standard sizes and offered for sale in retail shops. Through this series it has been possible to discover more about this great artist, his political positions, his personality and of course his creative process and influences. Why is this important? From my point of view, getting to know the background of this Spanish designer is really important to understand his work in a better way. I believe that when people think about Balenciaga, a French brand full of volumes and eccentricity comes to mind. But they don’t know where that brand comes from, and all the great Spanish influences that Balenciaga had during all his career and from which fashion now draws its inspiration by recalling its great designs.
Throughout his career, Balenciaga used works by Spanish artists as references. Works such as Las Meninas, by Velazquez, served as inspiration for the figures and forms of his “Infants dress”. The use of light and colour palettes were taken from paintings like La Anuncaición, by El Greco. Moreover, inspirations from architects such as Gaudí and monuments such as the Alhambra for the creation of his cuts and forms, were key to being able to name him as the “the architect of haute couture” according to Hubert de Givenchy.
Queen María Luisa in a Dress with Hooped Skirt,
by Goya (c. 1789) next to a piece by Balenciaga. (Greco, 2019)
Balenciaga was also a staunch religious believer and often drew inspiration for his collections from Catholic iconography and made common use of the colour black, inspired by the religious garment known as the habit. And always faithful to the Spanish tradition, Balenciaga applied ruffles, pleats inspired by flamenco dresses, and artisanal tailoring techniques such as Lagartera embroidery.
Replicas of Balenciaga dresses created for the Disney + series by designers Bina Daigeler and Pepo Ruiz Dorado and exhibited at the Real Jardín Botánico in Madrid, Spain. (Photographs taken by me)
With the beginning of the boom for prêt-à-porter, Balenciaga left fashion, closing his workshops without leaving a successor. With him, the brand lost its original aesthetics, the roots of Spanish tradition and art. He never wanted his work to continue without him, for no one to sign with his name and for the house to begin and end with him. However, his family sold the brand rights to give us the Balenciaga of today.
This has made me think and reflect on the value of the artist. So I want to consider this question: does art exist without the artist?
I think that despite being a great luxury fashion house, one of my favourites to tell the truth, the fact that they signed using the name of an artist who did not agree with the prêt-à-porter and the continuation of the brand without it, can be considered disrespectful. Moreover, the brand today has lost the essence with which Cristobal Balenciaga built his legacy and gained fame. Thus, I feel that the only thing that this brand has from its original designer and founder is its name, and therefore we cannot consider that the art of Cristobal Balenciaga is reflected in the Balenciaga brand. Therefore, sometimes despite trying to follow in the footsteps of an artist, his art is his alone and unreproducible.
Pull Quotes:
Despite the high praise, Balenciaga is a little-known figure. We know his work and the testimonies of the people who lived with him, but who is Cristóbal Balenciaga really?
Throughout his career, Balenciaga used works by Spanish artists as references. Works such as Las Meninas, by Velazquez, served as inspiration for the figures and forms of his “Infants dress”.
So I want to consider this question: does art exist without the artist?
References:
Greco, E. (2019, August 29). La influencia que el arte español tuvo en Balenciaga – Good2b lifestyle Barcelona & Madrid. Good2B. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://good2b.es/la-influencia-que-el-arte-espanol-tuvo-en-balenciaga/
del Bosque, M. (2023, May 12). Labranderas de Lagartera, la Alta Costura que inspiró a Balenciaga se convierte en Bien de Interés Cultural. El Mundo. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://www.elmundo.es/yodona/moda/2023/05/12/644a51e821efa0b0348b4584.html
Martínez, E. (2022, March 23). Cristóbal o sentir la moda a través del arte. Vanitatis. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/estilo/moda/2022-03-23/cristobal-balenciaga-moda-arte-influencia_3395340/
WORDS: Carmen García Barajas
