Notes on The Flower Show By Elizabeth East, Director L.A. Louver Summer 2023
Flowers are about flowers…. and about art. Ever since the ancient Egyptians symbolized the sun and creation with a lotus, flowers have held a place in art: Song dynasty Chinese art, Ottoman Empire ceramics, large scale “millefleur” tapestries of the Middle Ages, and the lush still life arrangements painted by 16th Century Northern European artists have all showcased the flower as motif. Nevertheless, within the canon of Western art, until the later decades of the nineteenth century, the depiction of the flower was largely relegated to a lower echelon of artistic endeavor and often assigned to the decorative. But since the birth of modern art, the flower has been held in loftier regard, liberating the artist to explore multiple modalities including expressionism, symbolism, and abstraction, among others. It has also served as a tabula rasa for the investigation of art’s formal elements—line, color, form, shape, texture, space and value—that is to say, a kind of art which concentrates more on itself, rather than theme or narrative…..Jennifer Vanderpool’s new series Dorothy! is imbued with midcentury nostalgia through her exploration of the Modern Baroque via the interior designs of Dorothy Draper that incorporated lavish, fanciful floral arrangements.
Fancy a Match, Dorothy? (From the Dorothy Series), 2023
32in x 34in on 200g watercolor paper
(Framed 37 3/4in x 29 1/2in)
LA Louver
(SOLD)
We’ve Arrived, Dorothy! (From the Dorothy Series), 2023
42in x 36in on 200g watercolor paper
Framed
(Sold)
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/867515858
The Dorothy! Series
My new series Dorothy! explores the Modern Baroque, also known as the Hollywood Regency movement best associated with Dorthy Draper’s designs. I am fascinated with the ornate architectural elements incorporated into her interior design as well as her fanciful floral wallpaper and textile motifs. I learned more about her practice while working on my Modern Series, which nods to the mid-century design of Youngstown Steel Kitchens manufactured by Mullins Manufacturing in Warren, Ohio. Much to my surprise, I discovered that Draper designed the interior of post-war Packard cars, a company founded in Warren and on display at the National Packard Museum across town from the remains of the Mullins Manufacturing site.
https://lalouver.com/exhibition.cfm?tExhibition_id=2178
SELECTED ARTICLES
Barrie, Lita. “The Flower Show at L.A. Louver Coincides with a Rare Superbloom in California.” White Hot Magazine, Sep 2023.
full article, PDF | whitehotmagazine.com
Teicholz, Tom. “Flora And Fauna Make The Summer At LA Louver.” Forbes, 3 Aug 2023.
full article, PDF | forbes.com
Owen, Morgan. “Honoring the Humble Flower.” The Argonaut, 3 Aug 2023.
full article, PDF
Cane, Hesper. “L.A. Louver Brings together 50 Artists Who Have Embraced the Floral Motif.” Widewalls, 5 Jun 2023.
full article, PDF | widewalls.ch
Painter, Alysia Gray. “An ethereal art show devoted to flowers is abloom in Venice.” NBC Los Angeles, 26 Jun 2023.
full article, PDF | nbclosangeles.com
Rahman, Sharmin. “Los Angeles’ Most Exciting Art Exhibits by Artists of Color.” Shondaland, 31 May 2023.
full article, PDF | shondaland.com
Vargas, Steven. “Weekly Countdown.” Los Angeles Times, 7 Jun 2023.
full article, PDF | latimes.comStrip steak tri-tip picanha chicken.