20090406

NURS-ing*

she must be the most stylish nurse
...does she work with the fur on?!
...FANCY!!!

...the drama/crisis some
people face...relationship? or career?
Anyone can relate??

Woo-hoo* she looks so regal & heroic...
love her bow-tie & cape...
(she means business in my book! yes, Madam!!)

Linda...was needed as a woman first?
mmm...definite page-turner!!!

Guess... this was before Tyra Banks
America's next Top Model or
The Gossip Girl on TV!
(...awww guilty pleasures!)



American artist Richard Prince had taken vintage books that retailed for about less than a dollar, and literally copies it. Richard Prince took this one step further on his Nurse Paintings, the 2002 – 2003 project which is comprised of 19 works. He took 19 pulp romance novels featuring nurses on the cover and the title, digitally scanned them, enlarged them, and used an ink jet printer to print the scanned images on canvas. He used acrylic paint to obscure everything else on the book cover besides the title and the nurse image. In some places, the background bleeds through the paint, exposing faint details of the book cover. All 19 nurses are wearing hats, and all have had surgical masks painted over their faces, but in some the original lips show through the paint. When interviewed about this, Richard Prince has said “I’m painting nurses. I like their hats. Their aprons. Their shoes. My mother was a nurse. My sister was a nurse. My grandmother and two cousins were nurses…I’m recovering.” ~[source:Cityreview.com] Sum-up: transfered the book covers worth less than a $, changed the colors... then on with the surgical masks, added more splashes of colors...let them bleed and finally sold them for million$$$ Well-well...BRILLIANT!!! ...starving artist no more!!!
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. Artist Richard Prince, together with Marc Jacobs,collaborated with Louis Vuitton in a spectacular/spooky-tacular collision of art, commerce and fashion for Spring2008 show.
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A literal interpretation of Prince’s famed Nurse paintings, inspired by the covers of pulp romance novels... the show opened with Naomi, Nadja, Carmen, Eva dressed as sexy nurses. The dozen supermodels donned in white translucent coats over their fluorescent dresses, and wore black lace face masks and crisp white caps...finally the bags!


Richard Prince has been all over the fashion sphere...with collaborations with Marni, Louis Vuitton and W Magazine, I decided it was time to do a little more 'research' on this fascinating artist... Not going to write out any biography or anything like that, instead I just picked a few perfect examples of his work that seem to be obviously influencing his work for Louis Vuitton.

~Nurse Inspiration...indeed*

....some fashion uniform & history is always
interesting...

...some old dolls do give me
the creeps! ...those stares -Eeeck!
!

....too-too cute*


The image of nursing has certainly changed and developed throughout the history of the world. Perhaps one of the main causes of this change is the media’s portrayal of the profession. Media Pop Culture and major historical events have also played a factor in shaping the public’s perception of professional nursing. Views of nurses also vary globally, as seen in the comparison between the popular image of Eastern and Western nurses. Despite the sometimes challenging negative impressions established by the media and pop culture(music videos or even pornographic material!), nurses must still adhere to a moral and ethical code... caring and nurturing and helping their patients. Nursing continues to evolve each day; with more photographs and paintings...even films or TV series being made, realistic and honest pictures are hopefully being portrayed to positively promote the image of nursing...
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CHEERs*...
Admiration & Salute to all great nurses of the world!
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Update: Thank you everyone! My mom is doing fine...Hope this post is NOT too depressing... can't help myself but to post this (quite dark)images today...guess my family had been spending wayyy too much time in the hospital lately...
~FABULOUS NEW WEEK TO ALL !!!
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Pics : Nurse Books from Tiny Pineapple.Com ,Enavant, Roseapada, Saatchi Gallery, NY Times, Style.Com, MissionHospital.org, FindGreatStuff.com

56 comments:

Erin W said...

Very cool! I hadn't heard of the nurse paintings before. Honestly, after watching the nurses that took care of my Mom (a former nurse herself), I developed a great appreciation for the job they do. The nurses took amazing care of my mom and treated her with such respect, which is not an easy thing considering the long hours and dirty things they have to deal with. They were always sweet and friendly to us when we came to visit as well, even if we stayed a bit too long!
I know I could NEVER do what they do!!

Baybay Mama said...

I love the old nurse outfits...now you just see them in baggy scrubs. The paintings were so amazingly spooky and beautiful.

TINE said...

I'm going to be a nurse =)
I enjoyed this post soo much.

designerman said...

love the nurse story! and now we're linked!! cheers, r

Diana said...

i love how you pinpoint on the importance of nurses, the history and not just the fashion aspect of it.

graziella said...

very nice post. I should forward this to all the nurses I know.

Fashion Moment said...

Thank you for your comment. Your blog is divine! I added you on both of my Lists.
Have a divine day,

FM~FP

Gia said...

hello dear, glad to see you writing about this, such an incredible job you did with ths post and with the photos you have chosen!
such a pleasure everytime i read you!
hope you're doing great!
best wishes!

xoxo,
Gia!

Eeli said...

Indeed cheers and salutations to all the nurses in the world!

I am so happy to hear your mother has been given the all clear!!!! yayayayaayayaya. Beckett seems to be sharing the same enthusiasm as me for he is now cleaning himself now hahaha.

Amazing what inspirations can be drawn from these 'everyday' people and vintage book covers! Its eeriily scariy seeing the effect of the bleeding on these images which arethought to have saved lives!

How've you been hun? All my well wishes to your mother for a very speedy recovery :D

xoxo Eeli

Carlene said...

Not depressing at all. I actually love those images; yes, they're a little creepy (as is the hospital, IMO), but still love them. Can you imagine if they still had to wear those hats. Um, no.

Kwana said...

What a cool post. I love those original covers and this ides of putting them on canvas and making big bucks genius. What and iconic image.

WendyB said...

The original books are hilarious.

Aline said...

amazing post. I love those paintings....very cool.

(ray)mond said...

i knew you'd lead up to mentioning the the louis vuitton nurses — ! splendiddddd (:

Couture Carrie said...

What a fabulously creative theme for a post, darling L! Especially love those vintage book covers - that nurse wearing the capelet is perfection!

xoxox,
CC

please sir said...

Wow such a fun post! Love seeing the progression from retro to modern day art. The vintage ones really have me excited!

Iole said...

hi, thanks for stopping by.
hope to here from you soon
xoxo

bec said...

What an excellent post! You have put together such a beautiful compilation of illustration, art and fashion. Thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughts and taking in the stunning, albeit, controversial artwork of Richard Prince.
If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to link this post to my blog, considering I'm constantly looking for all things art.
I hope you mother continues to improve speedily!

loveology said...

Of course i'll add you to my blogroll!

<3
Mila.

Anna G said...

That's so chic. I love those paintings. Those nurses look so fabulous. Nothing depressing at all today.

Have great week too.

ps. Thanks for your comment. :)

Terence Sambo said...

very cool and informative post...love it! i loved his collaboration with lv...was interesting to see nurses been portrayed as sexy :oD

Clare said...

awesome post. Having had many surgeries I have an appreciation for a good nurse, as opposed to a not-so-good nurse. (Had a few of those too unfortunately)

Have to admit, the nurse fashion show pics creeped me out! love the vintage book pics. Thanks

Heidi said...

This is fascinating! Brilliant is right. And then teaming up with Marc Jacobs...lucrative and kinda genius.

I adore nurses. I had some amazing nurses look after me ages ago now and I'll never forget their many, many kindnesses.

Awesome Sara said...

i was sick in hospital once and my nurses did not look like these nurses. i though most of them were dudes bc they had more facial hair than my dad.

English Muse said...

wow! these are amazing and fantastic! you are so clever!! xo

The Big Piece of Cake said...

I've always loved how nurses have this cache in the sex appeal arena (second only to flight attendants) even though they wear white hose and crepe soled white shoes. Must have been those little hats...

carolina @ patagonia gifts said...

Fantastic post, darling!
Thank you so much for your comments. I'm glad your mom is doing better.
Have a very happy and blessed Easter with your loved ones!
xoxo

JINX said...

the nurse outfits are so gangster, i never looked or paid attention to nurses this way befor...but you better belive you have opened my eyes

-chris

FASHIONJINX.BLOGSPOT.COM

Couture Carrie said...

Hi sweetnes it's CC again - just wanted to say how nice it is to have you back :)

xoxox,
CC

Winnie said...

I really like Richard Prince, his pieces are haunting.

Dionne said...

Dang! Nurse Fevah!

The pic with the models all posing on stage as nurses looks a little scary, like Stepford Nurses. BUt I am digging the art!

Syed said...

Those covers are SO beautiful!! And I adore Prince's acrylic paintings, the washes look fabulous :) What better inspiration for fashion than people who really do make a difference?

drollgirl said...

oh nurses! they can be so fantastic or so awful.

of course i am thinking of NURSE RATCHED.

but this is a cool post. and richard prince seems to do no wrong at all. i think he is raking in the cash, too!

Nicole Marie said...

my roommates a nurse . the stories she tells us are intense.

Winnie said...

Of course, I've linked you back :)

Alicia @ boylerpf said...

What an interesting way of portraying nurses and I had no idea about the runway nurses! Very cool. My sister is a nurse and I always loved her hard white little cap when I was young.

Unknown said...

lol ...I must admit I LOVE the original book covers ...and your commentary is hilarious ...but the paintings are fairly cool as well.

TaMs* said...

Those nurse paintings are GREAT! Thanks for adding me to your blogroll! thank you thank you.

Mary-Laure said...

I just love those old book covers, so hilarious.

Becca said...

My grandmother was a nurse - much braver than I could ever be!

Anonymous said...

lovely paintings!
thanks so much for your comment, you're way too nice.

xx
ari

Angela said...

great post. love the LV nurse.

alissa said...

haha this is cute - my sister is a nurse. somehow the way she describes it never seems this glamorous though!

Anonymous said...

brava lenore! really outdone yourself on this one - i was kind of blown away. the nurse is sexy. she is scary. she is powerful. she is mothering. such a loaded persona, eh?

Mr. Peacock said...

Fantastic posting!

I love your blog...
I'm gonna get caught up on
every post this weekend!

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

Thank you everyone!!!
I'm so happy that you are enjoying your visit here...makes me very-very happy as well...

~BIG kisses* Mmmwahhhh*

Simone de Klerk said...

Incredible, your post with a 'simple' word as nurse! Loved to go through it! Very original!!!

Unknown said...

I LOVE Richard Prince. thanks for sharing his work here. fabulous.

Little Lovables said...

gorgeous... love the evolution of history into fashion and eventually kitch!

Vivian said...

wow, love this post. i am a big fan of richard prince, i knew him from the sonic youth cd cover since im obsessed with them...

And Kathleen said...

I LOVE the Richard Prince/LV collaboration.

HuyLuong said...

OMG, i'm in love with your blog. You have awesome topics here. Reminds me of those projects we used to do in highschool.

La chica said...

I had a nurse dollie when a was little. Lovely!

Angie said...

Some nurse outfits scare me .. o.O hahah

Holly said...

great post! i love the synical paintings and of course the runway looks. eerie!

mariellemacville said...

Very cool indeed! Seem to recall a nurse part in Matthew Barney's Cremaster series. Either part of the Guggenheim exhibit or the show?