Living with Art Series

Living with Art Series – Dining Room Vignette – Artwork by Fernand Leger & Carlos Luna

By Dorothy Willetts

Knowing that the same art can inform the sensibility and overall feeling of multiple room designs, I created two dining rooms using Fernand Léger’s “Le Femme Et La Fleur” and “Marie L’Acrobate” and Carlos Luna’s “Talavera Plates”. This is one of them.

Luna, a Cuban born artist, attended the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts, The National School of Visual Arts, and the Instituto Superior de Arte in Cuba before immigrating to live in Puebla, Mexico for 10 years. From Mexico he moved to his current home in Miami. Combining his Cuban art school background, influenced by both Picasso and Léger, with his time in Puebla, Mexico, Luna’s beautiful Talavera plates contain images from both Cuban and Mexican folklore.

Authentic Talavera pottery only comes from the city of Puebla and nearby communities. The quality of the natural clay found there, the tradition of production, and the type of glaze used define Talavera pottery. To compliment the Luna plates, I added a hand-embroidered bright blue and white Otomi tablecloth commonly known as a Tenango. This style of embroidery can be traced back to pre-Aztec Meso-America and contains symbolism representing man living in harmony with the natural environment. And I love the bright colors, and hand-embroidered images of all the little creatures.

The Louis XIII in styled dining chairs made with more casual Rush seats, and a simple white table cloth creates a comfortable and relaxed vibe that works well with the art and tablecloth. The French hand-forged wrought iron chandelier mimics the bold black outlines of Léger’s lithographs and completes the room.