“Le Dandy” is a personal project and started from a fascination of the Romantic movement that originated in central Europe toward the end of the 18th century. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature. Elegant and melancholic the romantic man is no warrior but a philosopher.
I wanted to explore this newfound character and make parallels with today’s mindset. I created a costume for an invented persona based upon the man in the painting “Above the Sea of Fog” by Caspar David Friedrich. He is a young and passionate writer born in Paris. He feels exactly like the young man standing on the rocky precipice with his back facing the viewer in the mentioned painting. Dominating the tormented landscape he acknowledges the insignificance of his own individuality within this image. This self-reflection with our dual rapport with nature is still relevant today.
