june is the month of art in switzerland. and for us at les solides, art and jewelry have never been far apart — both tell stories, carry memory, and make space for who you are.
we decided to have a little fun, creating these collages with inspiring works by frida kahlo, lee miller, johannes vermeer and a few others — and added our jewelry to them.
it's an art history lesson and a love letter to some of our favorite pieces. enjoy the collages.
self-portrait dedicated to leon trotsky (1937) — frida kahlo
wearing the coral earring in gold
the artwork shown in the image is titled "self-portrait dedicated to leon trotsky" (also known as "between the curtains") by frida kahlo
kahlo painted this as a birthday gift for the exiled russian revolutionary leon trotsky, with whom she had a brief romantic affair.
anatomies (1930) — man ray
wearing the silver cable necklace with the gold melted add-on
created in 1930, anatomies is one of man ray's most iconic surrealist photographs. by isolating and abstracting the female body, the artist transforms anatomy into landscape, reflecting the surrealist interest in perception, transformation, and the unconscious.
floating head (1933) — lee miller
wearing the pyrite hoops in silver
the iconic photograph floating head (mary taylor) features the model mary taylor with her face tilted sharply back against a stark black void. the technique was heavily influenced by surrealism and pays homage to the 1910 sleeping muse marble sculpture by constantin brâncuși
girl with a pearl (1665) — johannes vermeer
wearing double trouble in gold
painted by johannes vermeer, girl with a pearl is a tronie — which means, he did not paint a real, specific person. instead, he used his imagination to create an idealized character study. famous for its intimacy and light, it hangs in the mauritshuis museum in the hague, netherlands
hand on lips (1928) — man ray
wearing the pyrite and big pyrite ring in gold
created in 1928, La Main Sur Lèvres (hands on lips) is a striking silver gelatin print by the american surrealist artist man ray.
the lips and hands belong to alice prin, famously known as kiki de montparnasse. she was an iconic parisian artist's model, nightclub singer, and man ray’s primary muse and lover throughout most of the 1920s
lady with a fan (1917/1918) — gustav klimt
wearing the melted earring in silver
when his friends and fellow artists entered his studio after his death, they found two paintings left standing on easels. one was an explicitly unfinished piece titled the bride. the other was lady with a fan, which was nearly complete except for a few minor details in the lower background. It captures the moment his artistic journey was cut short.
marcel duchamp (1916) — man ray
wearing the oval bold hoops in silver
the lifelong friendship between marcel duchamp and man ray, which began in new york in 1915, resulted in some of the most iconic images and collaborative art pieces of the dada movement. man ray captured duchamp's chiseled profile and dynamic personas in numerous famous portraits and avant-garde photographs.
portrait of edward wolfe (1918) — nina hamnett
wearing the tear down hoops with tear down add-on in silver
nina hamnett developed a post-impressionist style characterized by strong lines, vivid colors, and flattened shapes
she deliberately subverted gender norms of her time; her male subjects, like edward wolfe, frequently project a tender, gentle, and soft demeanor. her female subjects are often depicted as solid, monumental, and independent rather than dainty or passive.
self-portrait (1940) — charlotte salomon
wearing the chain breakers in silver
charlotte salomon was a german-jewish artist whose monumental masterpiece, Leben? oder Theater?, fused nearly 800 expressionist gouache paintings with music and text to process her family's history of suicide. created in exile during world war II, this innovative multimedia work served as a profound act of cultural resistance before she was murdered at auschwitz at age 26.
self-portrait on her sixth wedding anniversary (1906) — paula modersohn-becker
wearing the necklace, overhand and big wavy ring in silver
painted in 1906, this self-portrait is a revolutionary artwork. it is widely considered the first nude female self-portrait to depict pregnancy, subverting traditional male-gaze norms to present an unabashed metaphor for feminine artistic creation and independence.
the neck (1929) – man ray
wearing the big hoops round in silver
the photograph features a close-up of man ray’s lover and muse, lee miller.
while credited to man ray, the image captures a period where the boundary between artist and muse was completely blurred. lee miller began as man ray's student, lover, and model, but quickly became his creative equal and studio assistant. in fact, miller contributed heavily to many of the aesthetic ideas during their collaborative years in paris.
well prepared and maladjusted (2008) — amy sherald
wearing maude de nil studs in gold
the title captures a feeling many people can relate to: appearing confident, educated, and put-together on the outside while feeling out of place or disconnected on the inside.
the work reflects sherald's interest in portraying black americans beyond stereotypes. she wanted to show the complexity, dignity, and inner lives of people.
woman with long hair (1929) — man ray
wearing the snake necklace in gold
in many of his photographs, the female body becomes a formal element used to explore beauty, desire and surrealist ideas, which has led some critics to interpret his work through the lens of the male gaze. while his experimental techniques were groundbreaking and highly influential, contemporary viewers often question the power dynamics between artist, model, and viewer that his images reflect.
