Anita Berber ♡

Anita Berber

Anita Berber, was the most decadent and controversial woman of the Weimar Movement.  She was from a broken family of creatives and at the age of 16 she moved to Berlin to pursue her dream of being a Cabaret singer. By 1919 Berber was shockingly dancing in the nude on stage, she made a name for herself by having an androgyny style and sporting black lipstick and charcoaled eyes.

I think Anita Berber epitomises the females of this time,  she was the queen of decadence and lived a life without inhibition. To the untrained eye, these women lived a glamorous life, but deep down, they were barely getting by, financially, emotionally, physically and mentally. I think it was a really difficult time for everybody in Berlin at this time.

As a performer, the shows she put on broke boundaries and word of her provocative and exotic dancing spread like wildfire and she fast became the talk of the town. It is believed Berber began her naked dancing after a few too many drinks at a friends party and stripping off whilst dancing on the tables, (we've all been there). This incident became a platform for her future career, but it is also believed Anita was delving into porn and soft porn long before the naked dancing.

I seen this description of Berber on a website, and reading it painted an incredibly accurate picture of who and what she was;

'Weimar cabaret goddess Anita Berber led a life that would be considered shocking even today. Berber embodied decadence: she was an unapologetic spendthrift drug addict and alcoholic sometime prostitute whose many high-profile bisexual and S&M affairs remain the stuff of legend. An electrifying avant-garde dancer, she often performed nude or wearing androgynous costumes.

She also acted in several movies, including Different from the Others (1919), the first film to sympathetically portray homosexual relationships. This human volcano of scandal and creativity expired in 1928 at the age of 29.'

http://brucesterling.tumblr.com/post/60888693735/nitratediva-weimar-cabaret-goddess-anita-berber

'Unapologetic', 'high profile bisexual', 'electrifying avant-garde dancer' and 'the human volcano of scandal and creativity' - These are the most stunning descriptions, they're dripping in glamour and grit and make me wish I could have gone to at least one party with Anita Berber.

Berber had an addiction to cocaine, opium, morphine and was dependant on alcohol. She was the ultimate party girl but what really drew attention to her, was her sexuality. Berber married a man who's surname was Nathusius but later left him in order to pursue a relationship with a woman called Susi Wanowski and officially became apart of the Berlin lesbian scene.

In 1922 Berber married again, this time to a man named Sebastian Droste. This marriage lasted barely a year and ended in 1923. Berber wasn't shy about making another commitment in wedlock as she married an american dancer named Henri Chatin-Hofmann.

Reading this now, it doesn't seem as shocking as we're more familiar to multiple marriages within society, but back in the 20/20s it was unheard of and to be honest, society and other women would have been totally disgusted.

I am fascinated by the middle image of Berber, she looks sensational. I believe she was a woman of great creative intuition. Looking at photos of her, its incredible to see how ahead of her times she was, in particular regarding the androgyny attire. Berber was a performer but I think that is the biggest understatement. She was a creative genius, a master of the arts and above all the fact that her legacy and outlandish tales are still being told today, speaks volumes. Whether she knew it at the time, she was paving the way for independent, strong minded and wild women of the future, 

Beber starred in a film 'Metropolis' and having watched it, its just so bizarre. You can't help but be captivated by her appearance and my favourite scene in the movie is the one below of her dancing. Surrealism was at its height and Berber was the leading lady for many surrealist films. There is something hypnotic about this dance, and I can't believe this is the first time I have come across it.

The bizarre dancing reminds me of a crab or lobster, its so mesmerising and frantic and I can't help but feel in a way, it could be a representation of the state that Berlin was in at that time. Like a never ending nightmare, but at the same time the film is so full of glitter and glamour, and terror that you can't bare to look away.

It is believed that this film, is one of the most influential of all time spawning a huge knock of effect of futuristic and surrealist films. This film not only influenced cinema, it impacted pop music tremendously. Madonna for instance, has imitated so many of the scenes in different music videos. 

Watch the youtube video to the left for the for the comparisons, they're actually uncanny. I think this in itself is a prime example of how influential the art movement of the 20/30s really were. From the art deco titles to the neon spiral in Rotwangs lab, this is surely one of the first films with people communication through a screen?


I thoroughly enjoyed watching Metropolis as it was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and it gave me an insight into the insane and obscure world that Anita Berber knew as her norm.

This is my favourite of Anita's poses. Despite her grit and grime, I think she seemed to hold a real stance of elegance and sophistication. This one in particular reminds me of a regal swan, majestic and bold. I love the use of headpieces, and the option I chose this year was Hair Design, so I plan to do a lot of research into headpieces and hairstyles.

This contemporary song reminds me of Anita Berber and her girlfriend.

Initial Designing

From left to right; This is a look inspired by the decadence of the colour green, as seen in the choice of fallen glitter. I have exaggerated the lips and smudged them as though Anita had been kissing people and reapplying throughout the night. I like to exaggerate the thin elongated eyebrows as for me, they're my favourite thing about the 20s/30s style makeup. I can't get enough of them. I added a pink blush to the apple of the cheeks and following up the cheekbone and up to the temples to add warmth and contrast to the pale face.

Products used;

Face - Illamasqua finishing powder all over the face, Illamasqua pressed powder blusher in Promise.


Lips - Lined in MAC Basic Red, filled in with MAC Lady Danger lipstick, smudged with cotton bud.


Eyes - Smashbox palette M3, M7, M1 and M6


Brows - Blocked out with Illamasqua Rich Liquid and Illamasqua finishing powder, MAC brow pencil in Coffee




The second look is inspired by Anita Berbers actual style of makeup. The over exaggerate smokey black eye, is definitely done to a more finished standard than hers would have been, but the racoon style eye makeup really works with a skinny red lip. Again I went for a a rose cheek and have kept this look really matte as this would have been a 'freshly applied' look as opposed to the end of the night.

Products used;

Face - Illamasqua finishing powder all over the face, Illamasqua pressed powder blusher in Promise.


Lips - Illamasqua finishing powder, then Illamasuqa Rich Liquid Foundation, then Illamasqua finishing  powder, Lined in MAC Basic Red, filled in with MAC Lady Danger lipstick


Eyes - MAC black eyeliner pencil, SmashBox palette - M7


Brows - Blocked out with Illamasqua Rich Liquid and Illamasqua finishing powder, MAC brow pencil in Coffee

From left to right; This is a look inspired by Sally Bowles and her false lashes. I wanted to do a contrasting eye look with the smokey black eyeshadow laying under her eyes as if its all slid down in her sleep. The typical 20s style brows and skinny theatrical lip.

Products used;

Face - Illamasqua finishing powder all over the face, Illamasqua pressed powder blusher in Promise.


Lips - Illamasqua finishing powder, then Illamasuqa Rich Liquid Foundation, then Illamasqua finishing  powder, Lined in MAC Basic Red, filled in with MAC Lady Danger lipstick


Eyes - MAC black eyeliner pencil, SmashBox palette - M7 false lashes on top.


Brows - Blocked out with Illamasqua Rich Liquid and Illamasqua finishing powder, MAC brow pencil in Coffee



The second look is a more natural one, in comparison to the others. I suppose this would have been one of the most accurate in terms of historic looks. The eye colour is warmer and I would top it with vaseline as this was a popular look back then. I quite like the smudged lip, as I have previously said this could have been due to kissing or just reapplying without precision.



Experimentation

This look was inspired by Anita Berbers surrealism. I wanted a really exaggerated eye make up and wanted to incorporate green in as the most decadent of colours. In my face chart I liked how the glitter looked as though it had fallen off the eye, so wanted to frame the the sockets and surrounding structure and also cover the brows so I could draw them above. I wanted a heavy contour to reshape my structure and and as I developed with this design I found that the exaggerate blush really seemed to work. I wanted the lips to be squiggled and in parts faded to represent the previous lips from my face charts. I think it turned out quite clown like, but that is how the showgirls would don their looks, caked and drag queen-esque.

Product list;

Face - SmashBox primer, MAC Studio Fix NW22 mixed with Illamasqua Rich Liquid, Illamasqua finishing powder. MAC Contour Palette using dark+light to create contour. Illamasqua pink pressed powder in Promise.


Lips - Lips - Illamasqua finishing powder, then Illamasuqa Rich Liquid Foundation, then Illamasqua finishing  powder, Lined in MAC Basic Red, filled in with MAC Lady Danger lipstick. Deep Purple painted on with thin brush to outline and scribble.


Brows- Real brows Brows - Blocked out with Illamasqua Rich Liquid and Illamasqua finishing powder, MAC brow pencil in Coffee


Eyes - Eyeshadow primer on the lids, MAC charcoal black pencil, SmashBox M7, S7 and S6, Emerald glitter.

Surrealism is my favourite art movement, and the quote above with the painting by Rene Magritte from the 1920s really reflects the life of Anita Berber for me. 'Everything we see, hides another thing', Anita Berber, yes a performer, an extrovert and a wild child, but I can't help but think that in order to put yourself through such a physical roller coaster, there had to be something she was running from.

Here are a few more images of an artist I discovered on Instagram called - Who's work I absolutely adore. Her work is so perfectly thought out and if I could, i'd have every inch of my home walls covered in it. Surrealist artwork, has the ability to take your mind to another place, simply by looking at shapes and imagining what it is, a lot like watching clouds go by.


ARTWORK

This is an ad campaign for Illamasqua, and one of the pigments from the collection, (I believe the one used around the eye) is called 'Berber' in homage to the wild and decadent party girl herself. I adore the modern take to the 20s style make up, I think the dewy textures and complementing warm colours just really work. I hadn't thought about a rustic colour on the eye, I had been more fixated on creating a black smokey eye, however I think i'm going to try a rouge eye with a black lip.

Anita Berber practical 

Continuety 

Presentation Work/Ideas ♡

Chosen Character -

Fraulein Kost is a German prostitute, living in Berlin in the late 20s/30s. She is a blonde, curvaceous lady with sharp whit and resilient attitude. Her family once owned a successful millinery company, specialising in hats and hair pieces for showgirls and cabaret performers. Like a lot of families at that time, working within a luxury, specialist industry they went bust and lost everything. Fraulein Kost had to resort to fending for herself and took to lodge at a boarding house. In Berlin, prostitution came in every kind of specific requirement you could ever imagine and it is there that she resorted to selling her body under the prostitution bracket of being a 'Hüte' prostitute. This meant that she worked from home performing many sexual acts to music for sailors, gentleman, upper class men, and lower class men all with a fetish for young girls in decorative, beautiful, showgirl-esqe hats.

This specific style of prostitution came to rise due to the increase in showgirls out of work, as there were so many Cabarets and the competition was fierce. In order to help make ends meet off stage (if they were lucky enough to have been on it), young girls sporting only a headpiece would turn their bedrooms into 'mini cabaret clubs',  and be expected to have at least 3 'costume changes' per session, so having an array of beautiful hats was a requirement and one that not many girls could realistically afford, making this one of the rarer types of prostitution, therefore it being a luxury.





Chosen Scene - 

The scene I have chosen, that I feel best represents Frl Kost, in all her patriotic glory is Act 1 Scene 12 when she begins to sing 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me'. This song, is a turning point in her character for me. The lyrics when spoken (without the joyful backing music that give it a really odd and humorous feel) makes you feel an overwhelming amount of empathy for her, and truly lets you connect with the reality of the survivor she is. 

During this scene, at the party, I want Frl Kost to be immaculately turned out, donning one of her infamous headpieces, with possibly a Nazi swastika in rhinestones? I like the idea of something beautiful representing something evil, exactly like Fraulein Kost.

Actioning -  to deceive.










Influences -

Feedback Given -

Sharon gave me great feedback regarding my ideas, and was really positive and encouraging of the route I was heading. The main concern was that my ideas wouldn't have been historically accurate, like the glamorisation of the Nazi swastika. Also, that Frl.Kost wouldn't have been an over extraverted person if you she was planning to join the Nazi party. These are ideas I now need to mull over once more and get a clearer idea of who she was.

I also need to create a mood board for what Frl. Kost's bedroom would have been like, and who the top milliners were at that time.

Choosing My Character ♡

I have found it difficult to decide on the historic recreation I'm going to choose. I have been drawn to Fraulein Kost but I have noticed her character to change between each screenplay/film/script. I have found it difficult to completely pin point who she was as conflicting scenes have conveyed two totally different people.

In the screenplay Rehearsal Resource Packet, in the description about Fraulein Kost it says 'Frl.Schroeder really quite likes Frl.Kost and certainly hasn't any moral objections to her trade' but
this contradicts the idea I had been given from script -

In this scene, there is a dispute between Frl Kost and Frl Schroeder regarding her prostitution activities within the house. Frl Sch expressed how she was disgusted and that she would have to inform the police if this happened one more time. Frl Kost tells her  to not expect any rent if she isn't selling her body, her response to Frl Sch is confident, self assured and brazen. This gave me the impression that Frl Kost was outspoken and this particular scene really painted an impression of her that I liked. I was drawn to how  upfront she was regarding her trade and that in order for her to pay her rent, she needed to continue with the sailors. The fact she sees what she does a means to and end says a lot about her character.

Frl Kost, is a comical character, and it is easy to overlook her hardship with her witty one liners and  assume that she she is just a prostitute.  The character is a metaphor for the economic problems facing Germany in 1930s. The country was bankrupt with rampant inflation and high unemployment. Kost is in theory a comedic character but she is also a tragic character who has no choice but to sell her body if she is going to survive. 

I don't want to focus on the fact she is a prostitute, so my chosen scene will be one that reflects her as a person. With this character, you have to read in between the lines to discover who she is, as opposed to Sally Bowles who's persona can be identified and sussed within a few sentences. 

I have already touched upon the fact Kost is a typical German stereotype, but in Act 1 Scene 12, they are at a party, and Kost makes a comment regarding the Jews - 'They have all the money, the Jews'. I think this is a really interesting concept, that such a likeable character can have this opinion. I suppose there is no way to dress up racist comments, and I guess its hard in this day and age to look back and imagine that people genuinely believed it was the Jews who were at fault, but I suppose it would have been a very common opinion, especially to an every day German lady.

The scene I have chosen, that I feel best represents Frl Kost, in all her patriotic glory is Act 1 Scene 12 when she begins to sing 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me'. This song, is a turning point in her character for me. The lyrics when spoken (without the joyful backing music that give it a really odd and humorous feel) makes you feel an overwhelming amount of empathy for her, and truly lets you connect with the reality of the survivor she is.

'But gather together to greet the storm, Tomorrow belongs to me' - This shows that despite her bouncy blonde bob and late night romps, she is totally aware that the worst is still to come,  but that there is hope in her voice, and strength. It also shows that her inner confidence and self worth hasn't been tainted by her career.

Visual Inspiration, Research + Practical Work ♡

Pat McGrath

On researching for inspiring makeup images for this project, Pat McGrath just kept cropping up. Her style so naturally leans toward the 20s and 30s and in so so many of her runway show looks, the blocked out brow has become her trademark. I think she is going to be a great starting point for 20s inspired influences, especially just to get the creative thinking flowing in regard to the never ending possibilities of this project. Despite Pat McGrath's work being so contemporary, there is always an underlining nostalgic feel to it, and I love that.

I have chosen these images to the left, as I feel they really have a stunningly 20s/30s feel to them and all so different. I particularly liked the bottom two looks, and they really stood out for me as reminiscent of Theda Bara, who after discussing in class I think is incredible. I'd like to focus more on her and try to recreate some styles in homage to eccentric lady herself.

I think that there is also a fine line between between Geisha and the 20s in terms of an editorial take on fashion, so this is something for me to bare in mind for my Party Monster project.

Exploration of makeup 

These images were from a practical makeup lesson, and I really enjoyed the freedom of experimenting with textures and products I wouldn't normal use. I enjoyed the medium of the stippling sponge and feel that it gave a really interesting effect, that could be related to a galaxy images, because of the colours chosen. I also found that the stippling sponge was a great way of building up colour and texture in a softer, gradual way as opposed to the roughness of a brush. 

The products that I used for this - 

 Kryolan Supra Colour - white, blue, black, gold. 

Kryolan Aqua Colour - red, light blue.

Stippling Sponge 

Here are a few images I found that reminded me of the look I created, by an artist Elise Crombez. These images are simply stunning, I love the freedom and colours used. There is a lot to be said for having a freer approach to makeup design, I feel really inspired but these images and want to try and take it further, possible for my contemporary character.

Here is another example of some playing around with texture, but this time I looked at the famous artist Otto Dix. I wanted to take elements of the painting, i.e; the colours and texture, and manipulate it in a slightly different way to make it more my own. If I were to do this again, I would have used a lot more product in areas and really worked into the skin to manipulate the features, such as the bags under the eyes a lot more. 

The products that I used for this - 

Kryolan Supra Colours - Mustard + White

Kryolan Water Colours - Grey, Black

I used a sponge to create a pale base of white, and then a large, square paintbrush to paint with.

Theda Bara 

Here is a piece of writing describing the life of Theda Bara, I'm going to highlight the particularly charming parts that I believe paint the most vivid picture. This information was taken from

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Bara.html

Theda Bara was a Jewish American silent film and stage actress. Hollywood's first and most notorious Vixen, Theda Bara became synonymous with exoticism. She was alluring and unusual, a wide-eyed siren, a gold digger...and eternal Vamp. In fours years (1915 - 1919), Theda vamped her way through 39 films and millions of dollars for Fox Studios. The studio built her up with such a tremendous publicity campaign, that when they pulled the rug out from under her in 1919, her career fell so far, that she was unable to revive it. Pre-World War I's film-going audiences were presented with Foxs' version of their starlets mysterious and elusive upbringing by proclaiming she was born of an Italian artist and an Arabian princess and that her first name was an anagram spelling "death" and her last name spelled backwards was Arab. They claimed her mystique was the result of being born in the Sahara desert in the shadow of a sphinx. They further stated her mother left the family to become a well-known actress on the European stage and that Theda was brought up by her multitalented father. The story continued on that she was sent to Europe to be trained for the stage where she became a popular Parisian stage actress who played the most renowned theatres of the time. The general public ate it up and her agent's continued to create her persona as their "Serpent of the Nile".

In reality, she was born Theodosia Goodman in Cincinnati, OH on July 29, 1885. She was a blonde haired girl born of a Jewish tailor and a Swiss mother. Upon graduating from high school she followed her dreams of becoming an actresses. She dyed her hair black, adopted exotic makeup and a wardrobe to match. Her first stage performance was of a cast member for Molnar's The Devil, which opened in New York City on August 18, 1908. She continued to play the stage and in 1914, on making her usual round of casting calls, she met up with Frank Powell, a new film director for William Fox. He was so impressed by her potential he immediately cast her in his film, The Stain, but she was so far way in the background as an extra she was not recognizable. Powell, pleased with her ability to take direction, convinced Fox to let her star in his next film, A Fool There Was. Although Theda swore she would never play such an "unvirtuous and daring" role, it proved to be her lucky break. Although well known in theatrical circles for her high-strung ambition and fascination with spiritualism her abilities as an actress were never overly praised. Powell and Theda devised her new name Theda, a shortened version of Theodosia and Bara being extracted from the middle name of her Swiss grandfather, Francois Bar[r]anger de Coppet. Even before the release of A Fool There Was, Fox had his crackerjack publicists concoct an alluring past for their newest discovery. After all, they were paying her $150.00 a week and they wanted to make a good return on their investment. Fox did just that, and in doing so, created the first truly fabricated screen star.

A Fool There Was was a box office success, making Theda and instant star and paving a path for Fox's impressive new film company. Aside from "creating" this new starlet, Fox introduced a new stereotype to the burgeoning film industry...the Vamp(ire) woman, who mercilessly uses her feminine wiles to bring any man to subordination and impoverishment. Furthermore, besides making more follow-ups for his newest star, Fox hired second string vamps for less prestigious rehashes of the vamp formula. The final line of A Fool There Was is the stuff made of legends. Theda utters, "Kiss Me My Fool", while scattering rose petals over the body of her lifeless lover as to command him to wake from his eternal slumbers. Constantly being photographed with snakes, skulls, crystal balls and opulent anything, she epitomized a lavish evilness. She was described as "the wickedest face in the world, dark-brooding, beautiful and heartless."

Strings of vamp films would follow, although contrary to popular belief, she did not always play the wicked woman. Many of her roles featured her as a virtuous maiden, who had been wronged. At the height of her career in 1919, she was making films that cost $60,000 in production and she herself was earning over $4,000 dollars a week. However, the post World War I culture backlashed on the very themes they embraced before going to war and this upheaval into self-righteousness did not fare well on Theda's films. With dwindling box office receipts and wanting to break out of her vampish role, she demanded a raise of $5000.00 a week. Fox, unwillingly to catch a falling star, dropped her contract. Over the course of the next few years, Theda returned to the stage, where critics panned her. She married Charles Brabin in 1921 and she returned to California, so that he could direct films and she could live in retirement. In the mid 20's she attempted two more comebacks with Unchastened Woman and Madame Mystery, but neither would return her glory of years past. She attempted several more stage comebacks in the thirties and even wrote a book called What Women Never Tell, a memoir of her professional experiences, which to this day remains unpublished.

Here are some looks, heavily inspired by Theda Bara, in particular the first one. I have tried to create something with a 20s inspired look, but with a vampy and darker side.

face charts






what i did

face charts

what i did 

Exploration of Hair 

The 20/30s were an incredible distinctive time in Hair History. This is without a doubt my favourite hair era, because the styles were so chic and timeless. There was a look for whatever kind of girl you were, and all the styles were incredibly flattering on the face.

The 20/30s has recently made a huge return to the runways, in terms of elements of hair design and makeup artistry. Its an infectious period of time, as the hair was so romantic and feminine, even the incredible short Etop Crops, the way the perfectly framed the doll like painted faces.

Marcel Waves are my favourite 1920s hair style, they remind me of a mermaids hair when they're long, but I think they're the most beautiful when they're short.

I look forward to exploring the techniques in which these hairstyles would have been historically created, but also, to see if there are any ways in which I could recreate them today but give the same effect. 

Different types of typically 20s hair 

The Shingle Bob 

The shingle bob is a short hairstyle for women, introduced in 1924. Below a dome-shaped bob cut, the hair at the neck is razor cut very short in a v-shape. It is also commonly referred to as a "graduated bob."

The Marcel Wave

Marcelling is a hair technique in which hot curling tongs are used to induce a curl into the hair. Its appearance was similar to that of a finger wave, but made by a quite different means.

Marcelled hair was a popular style for women's hair in the 1920s, often in conjunction with a bob cut. One famous wearer was Josephine Baker. It is a popular hairstyle for African-American men. The foo-wop group the Marcels were named after the hairstyle.

The Finger Wave 

 A finger wave is a method of setting hair into waves (curls) that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s and in the late 1990s in North America and Europe. The process involves pinching the hair between the fingers and combing the hair in alternating directions to make a wave shape. A lotion was applied to the hair to help it retain its shape. According to "Techniques of the 1920s and 1930s":

The Eton Crop

It was named after the famous English school whose boys wore their hair slightly longer than was usual for the day. It was indeed sometimes termed the "boyish bob" 

The sleek outline was achieved by the application of brilliantine, which was an early type of hair gel.

The style was short lived. I imagine those who wore it were strong-willed and confident.

The Eton crop attracted much press comment and was often the subject of cartoons.

Experimenting

We began exploring the typical 1920s style bob, which can be created no matter how long or short the hair is.  I found this a really enjoyable exercise and the results were quick and effective. 

 We began by separating the hair into a slick side parting, then combing through and sectioning into 4 sections. Either side of the head, the top of the crown, and the middle section of the back of the head.




With the two front sections, we got the curling tongs and made barrel curls along either side, all the way down to the ears in rows.




Then on to the back section, I began back combing the bottom part of the sectioning, as big as possible. Then pinning up so it is all in a 'nest' type of style at the back of the head and secure.




With the last bit of sectioning, put into barrel curls and make sure the top it totally flat.



Start to take the pins out of the curls and run your fingers through all over, then brush through. Follow the natural ways in which the curls set, and pin in to place.


Take particular care with the front of the hair and try to make the curls frame the side of the face.

These are some of my final images, that I was actually really happy with. I found this quite a simple style and would definitely use it in the future, as I think the concept would be easy to adapt to different styles.