Lounging on Sunday

Sunday afternoon and time to lounge again in front of a screen, sip on a cocktail (this time a ‘French 75’ – a mixture of champagne, gin and lemon) and watch the Frick curator, Xavier Salomon, discuss François Boucher’s picture ‘Lady on Her Day Bed’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85FwyRZzeqg&list=PLNVeJpU2DHHR_0y_Zvgn3MgZQQFcFx2eI&index=2&t=0s

The NGV collection has 18 works by Boucher and another 15 which relate to his art practice. The works by Boucher include the two beautiful oval ‘pastoral’ paintings from 1748 – ‘The enjoyable lesson’ and ‘The mysterious basket’ – which depict youth, beauty and young dalliances. These works are discussed at length in an article, ‘Love among the ruins: two pastorals by François Boucher’ in the NGV Art Journal no. 23 by Jane Clark and Patrick McCaughey: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/love-among-the-ruins-two-pastorals-by-francois-boucher/ In today’s climate the youngsters have clearly embraced social distancing from their friends and are enjoying frolicking as a couple.

The discussion of the painting in The Frick Collection highlights a number of themes that informed Boucher’s practice and these are evident in other works by the artist in the NGV collection. Online we can see his interest in mythology, chinoiserie and his connection with the mistress of King Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour.

In thinking about lounging, I came across an article in DailyArt – ‘Negligee Fashion: Top 5 Gorgeous Homewear Outfits in Art’: https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/homewear-outfits-in-art/ This piece features paintings of people in their boudoirs or studies who have clearly opted for something more fetching than a tee shirt and ‘tracky dacks’. Encouraged I have been thinking about ‘lounging in the NGV collection’.

To begin lounging, one needs a lounge. There are a number of ‘lounges’ in the collection. The one that most directly relates to art history is Australian designer Marc Newson’s ‘Lockheed lounge’ with its connection to Jacques-Louis David’s painting of Madame Recamier reclining. Most of the other ‘lounge choices’ look like the sort of 1960s furniture we grew up with by Grant Featherston or Fred Lowen. However, there is one extremely exotic ‘Lounge suite’ by the Port Melbourne manufacturer Built Moderne from 1983 which offers possibilities.

This lounge requires a more sophisticated approach to leisure wear than an everyday tracksuit – perhaps the ‘Granny knit outfit’ by Sydney fashion house Romance was Born or ‘Outfit’ by the Melbourne fashion house PAM could be good choices.

Honoré Daumier’s painting of ‘Don Quixote reading’ offers a low-key approach to settling in for the day. However, others might favour exotic eastern garb like the ones seen in the pictures by Philip Wilson Steer, ‘The Japanese gown’, or Max Meldrum’s ‘Chinoiseries’. Dressing in this attire certainly connects with Boucher’s interest in all things Asian.

Alternatively, lounging ‘in the all together’ adds a certain freedom to these restricted times and there is no shortage of options we can choose from. With examples by Pierre Bonnard (‘Siesta’), Henri Matisse (‘Reclining nude on a pink couch’) or Balthus (‘Nude with cat’) we can go from relaxed to striking a pose as we explore the possibilities of our space from a social media perspective.

Now that restrictions have relaxed a little, and we can invite others around, Jean-Baptiste Regnault’s ‘Venus preparing herself’ also offers the possibility of our friends joining in the experience – as long as we limit the number of visitors.

However, for me, the easiest option is to just ‘cosy on down’ in a dressing gown. And again the NGV provides some helpful suggestions from the sedate – ‘Self portrait (full length in dressing gown)’ by Hugh Ramsay to the wild 1930s – ‘Dressing gown’ by Annie Ellis.

Finally, Jim Dine, the American printmaker, has provided 23 examples of dressing gowns (robes) to choose from in the NGV collection.  As we can see from his designs, the simple dressing gown offers a myriad of possibilities for a long period of social distancing. As Xavier Salomon from The Frick Collection seems to be similarly attired in a dressing gown in his weekly talks, I feel right at home.