94th Academy Awards
Our contributing writer Naira Khananushyan looks at the Oscar’s red carpet extravaganza in juxtaposition of celebrated works of art.
Ah, Oscars night. Throw in a few evening gowns, an off-putting joke from the host, a couple of scandals, a brief moment of acknowledging how privileged all the partakers are in the light of the current events, a controversial win or two, a quickly picked-up Twitter hashtag, and you have your annual Hollywood cocktail that tastes decent enough to give us a high quality 24-hour news span hangover. Let us cut to the chase - we’re skipping the Will Smith memes and talking fashion, of course, in the context of art. Here are our favorite looks and what they’re “giving” (as the kids say).
Let’s start with the classics. Lupito Nyuong’o dotting Prada is quite literally Gustav Klimt’s The Woman In Gold (1907). But you already knew this one.
Saniyya Sidney in Armani Privé channels Claude Monet’s Water Lillies (1908). So sue me. It is what it is. The hem of the skirt does feel a bit more pointilliste, though.
It’s not an Oscar’s night without some Pre-Raphaelite inspiration: enter Kathryn Boyd Brolin dressed like a real-life Laura from Marie Spartali Stillman’s The First Meeting of Petrarch and Laura (1889).
Another Pre-Raphaelite spotted: Maya Rudolph wore Gucci – or an exact replica of Frederic Leighton’s Flaming June (1895), depends on what came first, the Gucci or the egg.
Off to modern art. Zendaya’s Valentino look is reminiscent of the drapes and the metallic shine of Steven Parrino’s Thunderstruck (1987).
Renate Reinsve in Louis Vuitton gives us a dark, distorted feel – just like Erin Tucker’s Frayed and Fragile (2013).
Jessica and David Oyelowo are Jackson Pollock’s Red Composition (1946) and Yayoi Kusama’s Spirits of The Pumpkins Descended Into The Heavens (2017), respectively. Not up for debate. I bet they did it on purpose.
This might be our favorite: Zoe Kravitz’s candied Saint Laurent gown. Apart from obvious Audrey Hepburn references, this dress looks like something out of a Charles-Joseph-Frédéric Soulacroix painting, for example The Entrance.
An honorary male mention that is not Thimotée Chalamet: Rickey Thompson. This embroidered GCDS top made us think of Heavenly Bodies (2013) - bejewelled skeletons of saints captured by photographer Paul Koudounaris across the Catholic world.
Last but not least – Eva Von Bahr. We’ll let you guess the inspiration behind this one yourselves. Bonus point for the clutch.
