Art Sung – Clara Schumann flyer
On a visit to the Clementi House in London, with a view to doing some filming for Art Sung – Clara Schumann, I was introduced to illustrator Katyuli Lloyd. Her evocative drawings of the Greek island of Hydra and the beautiful illustrations which she created for Virginia Woolf’s book, “Flush” inspired me to ask if she might collaborate with us.
Our first joint project was the flyer. Without giving too much away, flowers will play a substantial role in the latest Art Sung production. The inspiration comes from Clara Schumann’s own collection of pressed flowers, a custom very much in vogue throughout 19th century Europe: it even had its own name, ‘Floriography’ – the language of flowers. Flowers had to feature on the flyer!
Camellias and Forget-me-nots, the flowers we eventually settled on for the flyer, are just a few of the many flowers which Clara pressed for the ‘Book of Remembrances’ which she created for her husband, Robert, during the period of his confinement (1854-1856) at the asylum in Endenich. Ever an optimist, Clara believed that he would recover from his mental illness and return to his family. She believed that the flowers and their meanings would help to build a bridge from the past to the present. Sadly he never saw the book.
Another important consideration for the flyer was the style. The geometric shapes, together with flowing lines for the flyer of our first production, Art Sung – Alma Mahler conjured up the Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession style of ‘turn-of-the-century’ Vienna. Art Sung – Clara Schumann, set in mid-1800 Germany, required a ‘Victorian’ look: hand drawn flowers, a frame enclosing Clara’s silhouette and the gorgeously florid Victorian style font.
I invite you to view the work of this talented young artist – https://katyuli.com
