The imagination of artisans is as beautiful as a dream
There is something about artisanal works that makes us feel instantly enamored, drawing us into a whimsical epicurean and ethereal world that teases our palates for the finer things in life. At the heart of these gorgeous creations is a collective of imaginative artisans who are connoisseurs of refinement, curating our creative curiosities with the most exquisite of experiences; whether they be captivating perfumes, spellbinding paintings, unforgettable fashion, dazzling jewelry, delectable gastronomy, or whimsical gardens. Made by tender hands, there is a particular charm to beholding an artisanal product; its quality, novelty, and ingenuity can be enthralling to the sophisticated shopper. Indeed, we cannot help but notice their luxuriant and sentimental effects on our senses.
Since time immemorial, artisans have arbitrated the public’s taste and appreciation for the arts with their glorious creations, whilst at the same time preserving the unique heritage of their civilizations. In fact, governments and wealthy patrons throughout the ages have commissioned artisanal works as a show of status and wealth. One example was the construction of the Ishtar Gate in Babylon in 575 BCE by King Nebuchadnezzar II. Made with glazed bricks, lapis lazuli and measuring more than 11.5m high, this magnificent structure was so revered; it made the initial list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
For those of you with an aesthete’s soul, there is no romantic arcadia as wondrous as the hallways of museums and galleries. Within these troves lie priceless artisanal treasures that have lasted for millennia, such as entertaining serveware sets, ceramic objects, embroideries and tapestries, furniture, clothing items, jewelry, toys, clocks, paintings and illustrations, and statues.
We cannot escape this magic, even in our modern times, as we stumble upon beautiful artisanal products – spurring us to daydream about them once back home. I reminisce upon these artful creations as I come to realize that artisans play a vibrant role in every aspect of our lives. While even a short holiday seems barely enough time to revel in the breadth of artisanal works, we can surely appreciate a number of distinctly memorable ones.
The Amalfi Coast in southern Italy conjures images of an ethereal realm. Wanderlust spirits are invited to delight in the shimmering sea, enjoy romantic meals at seaside restaurants, and strolls around the markets. The artisanal charms are on full display here, as you come across intricate sea-blue or lemon-embossed ceramic tiles and serveware sets, luscious sorbets and gelatos, perfumes inspired by the region, and bohemian fashion pieces that evoke chicness. The American writer John Steinbeck visited Positano for the first time in 1953 and described it as, “a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone”.
The immense level of creativity surrounding us adds life to our human experience, to say the least, and it is all thanks to the artisanal economy at play. Indeed, it is no easy feat conjuring up such wondrous works. Many artisans credit their specialized knowledge and skills to covert sources and communities. In a similar vein, artisanal schools seek to preserve such knowledge in a more systematic way. In both scenarios, artisans hone their craft, so much so, to a point where they are able to birth original and stunning creations, to global acclaim.
Considering that artisanal products play an elemental part in our everyday lives, it is imperative that our societies are engaged with all sorts of arts-related programs and educational opportunities so that they may savor its incredible influence. Sir Ken Robinson, an influential British expert on arts education, believed in the value of the arts in our lives, stating that “the arts especially address the idea of aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is one in which your senses are operating at their peak; when you’re present in the current moment; when you’re resonating with the excitement of this thing that you’re experiencing; when you are fully alive.”
With such consumption that is so essential to our human existence, it is imperative that we support the artisan economy. Primarily, education systems would need to integrate an excellent and engaging creative arts education program to pique interest amongst curious children. Extracurricular activities can introduce students to the beauty of artisanship and immerse them in a range of aesthetic experiences so that they may build a repertoire of skills. Many avant-garde arts clubs, art galleries, and museums are playing a pivotal role in supporting creative arts education through culinary experiences, workshops with artisans, gallery tours, and learning studios. Additionally, many digital platforms are providing a fantastic suite of online courses which are affordable and accessible, such as Skillshare, edX, and Udemy. Google Arts & Culture is also a wonderful digital platform curating content from over 2000 leading museums, in addition to providing virtual tours.
Artisans should also enroll in professional development programs that nurture their knowledge and skills in making artisanal products, in addition to enterprise management. Public policies should support artisanal shops through subsidized studio spaces, microfinancing, and shifting to online commerce. Furthermore, media outlets should celebrate the unique repertoire of artisanal works locally, regionally, and globally via documentaries and special interviews highlighting the value of the artisan economy and the fascinating creative and production processes involved. Interestingly, many artisanal companies have also started inviting their customers to their ateliers to showcase the expertise that goes into producing their works.
In exploring the scattered artisanal works around the globe, we are rest assured to encounter an abundance of treasures. So entrancing is this world, that we find many prominent maisons in the artisanal business for decades and centuries, priding themselves on their ingenuity and innovative techniques that have shaped their lines of business. It’d be remiss to share the list of leading artisanal businesses without a mention for Hermès, the French high fashion luxury goods manufacturer, whose name is now synonymous with high artisanal standards and objets d’art that are designed to impress. A visit to one of their stores infuses shoppers with an artsy, cosmopolitan vibe, featuring an abundance of talented designers and artisans, all of whom are highly skilled in their métiers, with a portfolio of unique works that feel so luxuriant. You are sure to encounter something that will make your heart flutter with pure joy – from scarves and perfumes, leather bags and shoes, jewelry and tableware, the artisanal heritage of Hermès has never failed to impress since its founding in 1837.
Artisans have been at the heart of the Hermès story for six generations, with a total of 6,238 craftspeople currently employed to produce high-quality objects. The iconic Hermès scarves are an essential fashion fitment that can be creatively worn to create an aura of elegance. A closer examination of the scarves will reveal the glorious details that are part of the composition of this wearable piece of art. Weaving an array of fascinating tales behind each scarf, compositions portray whimsical illustrations of equestrian impressions, botanical Shangri-Las, amorous couples, circus animals, and carousels. Blushing with pastel hues, the Les Becanes scarf gives us a glimpse of the Belle Epoque period in France (1880 – 1914) where single and tandem velocipede bicycles, or “Becane”, were used by Parisians wishing to socialize during weekends and picnic by the banks of the Marne river. Dreamed up by avant-garde artists, concepts are then shared with a team of artisans that overlooks the entire production process, from observing the printing, to dying, and threading of the seams.
Equally remarkable is the Passifolia tableware collection, designed by Nathalie Rolland-Huckel for Hermès, which promises to enchant you with a botanical Eden-like foray. Tinged with an intensely vibrant palette of 32 colors, the designer revels us with the wondrous natural world, an explosion of flora and foliage, inviting us to be transported to an enclaved vista with lush jungles and exotic flowers, haloed by a brimming gold. The full range of tableware adorning one’s dining table becomes a dreamlike invitation to escape the drudgeries of mundanity, making mealtimes feel like a trip to a pastoral paradise.
Emotions drive the creativity behind many artisanal creations and the history of French luxury jewelry and watch-making house Van Cleef & Arpels is full of beautiful love stories. Founded in 1906 at the glittering 22 Place Vendôme square in Paris, the jewelry house draws heavily on the whimsy of fairy tales, often featuring delicate details and motifs, such as ballerinas, butterflies, fairies, and flowers in their graceful creations. Interestingly, the maison’s first sold item recorded in 1906 was a diamond heart. Since its founding, the artists and artisans behind Van Cleef & Arpels have fashioned many exquisite creations for the glitterati, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to the wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco.
When it comes to watch-making, the Poetic Complications collection truly stands out in its technical competence and the graceful way in which it portrays artistic renditions of stories. For instance, the Pont des Amoureux watch collection celebrates the tender moment of a long-awaited encounter between lovers, portraying two figures moving towards each other for a kiss. Another collection, the Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales watches, exude magical scenes of ballets, along with the delightful detail of playing melodies by the watch echoing the combined sounds of a carillon and a music box.
Van Cleef & Arpels has a high regard for its century-old craftsmanship and artisans are involved in designing pieces, sourcing precious stones, setting gems, and many other intricate steps to produce any given piece. In 2012, Van Cleef & Arpels established the L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, positioned as the first school introducing the public to the art of jewelry-making and celebrating the exceptional and aesthetic merit of artisanship. Courses on offer in its Paris branch cover a range of fascinating topics, such as art history of jewelry, basics of gemology, and a series of interactive workshops where students are coached on various jewelry-making techniques. The classes are taught by gemologists, art historians, master jewelers, and artistic craftspeople and last between 2-4 hours.
Distinctively dazzling, the luxury conglomerate LVMH is at the vanguard of the fashion scene and prides itself on its unique craftsmanship, with prominent brands amongst its portfolio, such as Louis Vuitton, Celine, Moynat, Loro Piana, Parfums Christian Dior, and Chaumet. To sustain the exceptional craft, quality, and creativity of its artisanal products, LVMH established the LVMH Institut des Métiers d’Excellence in 2014 as a vocational training program targeting promising apprentices. Courses have been designed in partnership with renowned schools, scattered across a starry selection of design-intensive cities, like the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris for craftsmanship, the Haute École de Joaillerie in Paris for jewelry-making, École d’Horlogerie LVMH in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland for watchmaking, and Galdus in Milan for the culinary arts. Courses cover a range of specializations, including watchmaking, jewelry polishing and setting, leather goods, couture tailoring, shoemaking, and baking. Since its establishment, the institute has trained 900 apprentices in programs that last between 6-24 months.
Trainees work under master artisans within the company’s many exquisite luxury perfumery, cosmetics, watch, jewelry, fashion and leather goods brands to immerse with the brands’ spirit and hone their savoir-faire. For example, apprentices in the jewelry-making program attended a masterclass at Bulgari in Italy, during which they visited its production workshops in Valenza and examined the High Jewelry pieces at its atelier and gemology center in Rome. Additionally, students are also required to attend cultural exhibitions to spark their inspiration and work with artisans in other crafts to glean useful techniques.
The world of the culinary arts tantalizes us with an explosion of scent, taste, and visual beauty. For those of us who have been lured by the decadent patisseries of French pastry chef Cédric Grolet’s in Paris or London, we would surely be dreaming about his fabled desserts once back home. Grolet was infatuated with the pastry world from a young age, lending a helping hand at his grandparents’ hotel in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, in the Loire Valley and enrolling in a pastry school and art classes. This combination infused him with so much creativity and passion, eventually leading him to master a form of trompe-l’œil artistry, wherein the chef recreates a pastry that is so life-like with a finesse of a painter.
His themes are always fanciful, celebrating both flowers and fruits, to create a mouth-watering menu. To illustrate, his lemon dessert looks like a real-life lemon, except it is made from homemade lemon curd, white chocolate and yuzu ganache, and yellow lemon coating. A quick look at his menu online would surely leave you craving for his extraordinary selections. My personal favorites are many, including the Framboisier, which is layered with Japanese biscuit, raspberry coulant heart, vanilla mascarpone mousse, raspberry jam, and raspberries. Or how about the Red Fruit Millefeuille, which is comprised of a crispy filo pastry, vanilla cream, and red fruit marmalade. His extraordinary rendition of a Flat Peach looks like a peach, containing within its folds homemade peach purée, cubes of raw peaches and chopped verbena, and verbena peach mousse.
There is nothing more poetic than conjuring a dream and creating it with your bare hands. Artisans probably have one of the most exquisite jobs out there; for they capture everything beautiful in our daily world, thereby manifesting it in their creations and elevating us from the pressures of modern life. The de Gournay luxury interiors company sells exquisite and ethereal hand-painted wallpapers, fabrics, and porcelains for the aesthetes amongst us. Founded in 1986 by Claud Cecil Gurney in an effort to preserve the fading art of making hand-painted wallpapers that are reminiscent of romantic bygone eras.
Today, its studios house artisans who are skilled in hand-painting over 50 unique designs, drawing inspiration from Royal Palaces across the Western world, scenic and whimsical worlds, and botanical dreamlands. Their notable scenic collections are inspired by a unique technique named Papiers Peints Panoramique, in which wallpapers depicted panoramic whimsical and exotic vistas from a number of locations around the world, popular in France during the first part of the 19th century. A caress through de Gournay’s catalogue will introduce us to detailed scenes of a nostalgic Eden garden, an English landscape, a reimagining of the Incas, glorious India, and flamingos in a pristine Shangri-la. Artisans and artists are expertly trained in the techniques, artworks, materials, and production methods to ultimately produce a piece of art that will surely create an abode worth coming home to.
While the specificity of these wonderful artisanal creations is unique to their masters’ craftiness, there’s a universal resonance that appeals to aesthetes – those of sublimity, ingenuity, and imagination. Whether you come across a dainty piece of jewelry, an objet d’art that would add beauty to your home, or savor a dreamy dining experience, artisanal creations will surely bring a dose of delight to your life. They are an expression of cultures at any given moment in time, like an immemorial series of fascinating stories interweaved with artisanal works. Indeed, they deserve the loveliest corners of our hearts.
Published in Shawati magazine.
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