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Though New York based artist Casey Baugh’s oil paintings are generally described as realistic, there is a wonderous quality about them as well that does not exist in real life. First featured on our blog here, Baugh once compared his unique sense of reality in his paintings to one his first passions, photography, an art form that portrays a parallel universe or a version of reality that is “slightly off.” As seen in his instructional videos at his website, he works like a photographer does in a dark room when it comes to painting, building from values and highly saturated colors until his subjects start to take form. The result is a vivid reality that takes realism to a higher, almost unsettling level with a narrative that taps into our complexities and insecurities. 

In the first five minutes of the film, the throughlines of Cher’s wardrobe are established: bright or rich colors, plaids, and some variation on the four Fs: feathers, fuzz, fur, or frills, which all tend to highlight her fussy nature and princess-like attitude. (…)

Her entire wardrobe suddenly changes almost exclusively to romantic pinks and lavenders as she tries to make herself into a better person, a person worthy of Josh. There are no frills here, no ruffles or feathers, no plaids or thigh-highs, no bright or rich colors. Pastels—and especially pinks—are not just the colors of romance for Cher, they’re the colors of maturity and growth as well.  (…)

This final bit of costuming illustrates why Clueless has had such long-lasting impact and has inspired fond memories for an entire generation of viewers. Clueless isn’t a film about vapid mean girls or trendy fashion or even about young women pinning all their hopes and self-esteem on finding love. It’s Cher Horowitz’s coming-of-age story, plain and simple.

Hiroshige (1797-1858)   広重