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| The Revlon Woman by Spiros Halaris |
When Lorna May Wadsworth wrote me that she was commissioned a portrait of Revlon’s founder which was going to be showcased this weekend for Revlon’s 80 years, I was more than happy to go check it out!
This year, Revlon is celebrating its 80th anniversary and to celebrate they are holding the exhibition 'ENAMOURED' showcasing contemporary artists’ interpretation of the company’s historic icons – its founder, its products and its advertisements.
Located in the cellar arches of the London Film Museum, the exhibition is curated by Ryan Lanji who specializes in putting together shows that are at the intersection of art, beauty and fashion – and who is also very much a nail art aficionado and sports some very cool tattoos. I absolutely loved his ‘metteur en scene’ tattoo!
I was very lucky to have walked in to the exhibition at the moment Ryan was giving a guided tour for the people of Revlon. I cheekily decided to blend in so that I could enjoy listening to Ryan’s stories about the different art pieces and his many anecdotes about Charles Revson, who he has come to admire a lot.
Charles Revson founded the company in 1932 with his brother Josheph and a chemist called Charles Lachman - who contributed the L to the name Revlon. They created a new nail enamel through a then innovative manufacturing process. Besides the new formula, Revson was especially innovative in his marketing: he was the first to launch so many different colours of nail enamel, he instituted the practice of launching new nail colours in line with the introducion of the new seasonal fashion collections and he launched the matching 'lips and tips' idea.
Let me show you two of the pieces I enjoyed in the exhibition!
Miss Wadsworth portrait of Mr. Revson – ‘That Man’ - is quite the achievement knowing that she had to work with unusual material and go through a very different process.
The whole painting is painted with Revlon nail polish as well as with the little bottle’s brush.
Also, she usually paints her portraits through various live sittings. In the case of Mr. Revson who passed away in 1975, this was impossible. So in order to invoke his spirit she decided to merge the icon of the founder with the brands iconic vintage adverts over which he had such influence.
The iconic ad ‘Fire & Ice’ : the original shot by Richard Avedon in 1952 with model Dorian Leigh and the remake shot by Mario Testino and actress Jessica Biel. Besides the iconic photography, the brilliance of the campaign lay in the questionnaire that was added and which made women interact with the Revlon image as well as their own.
ARE YOU MADE FOR FIRE AND ICE? You were, the ad stated, if you could answer eight of the following fifteen questions in the affirmative:
1. Have you ever danced with your shoes off?
2. Did you ever wish on a new moon?
3. Do you blush when you find yourself flirting?
4. When a recipe calls for one dash of bitters, do you think it's better with two?
5. Do you secretly hope the next man you meet will be a psychiatrist?
6. Do you sometimes feel that other women resent you?
7. Have you ever wanted to wear an ankle bracelet?
8. Do sables excite you, even on other women?
9. Do you love to look up at a man?
10. Do you face crowded parties with panic -- then wind up having a wonderful time?
11. Does gypsy music make you sad?
12. Do you think any man really understands you?
13. Would you streak your hair with platinum without consulting your husband?
14. If tourist flights were running, would you take a trip to Mars?
15. Do you close your eyes when you're kissed?
Some of the questions probably seem a bit silly to you now, but at the time they were supposedly quite provocative. I do wonder though whether it is ever possible to answer Q12 in the affirmative ;)
What is your favourite question?
And which questions would you put next to the current day ad with Jessica Biel?
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