The characteristics of critical realism in Alexander McQueen’s fashion collection

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In this study, the artistic background and formative nature of representative 19th century realist artists Gustave Courbet and Honore Daumier were analyzed and applied in a fashion context. By displaying representational desires (necessary adhesions of man and society) in their work, they became characteristic matrixes of critical realism and to perceive critical realism. The purpose of the study was to apply the characteristics of critical realism to the contemporary fashion collections of Alexander McQueen. Research was conducted to analyze the characteristics that appear in the field of fashion and to review methods of expression and internal aesthetics displayed through various aspects of fashion design. Characteristics of critical realism were analyzed by researching the formativeness and periodical background of the paintings of Courbet and Daumier. Based on these characteristics, analysis was conducted to identify critical realism in the fashion collections of Alexander McQueen. Data and scope included fashion information sites, internet photo data, and video material. Critical realist characteristics were categorized into five types as follows: ‘The proper borrowing of extremely realistic subjects signifies’, ‘satirical reconstruction and narrative composition’, ‘antipathetic distortions and abject representations’, ‘critical reproductions based on technology’, and ‘the maximization of ambivalent sexuality’. It was concluded that the characteristics of critical realism (recognized by the common formation of Courbet and Daumier) also appeared in Alexander McQueen's fashion collection but were inherited in a form that transcended pictorial expression due to the overall difference in use of visual arts.