Behind the art
Lets deepdive into the stories behind the masterpieces that echoes through time..
Breaking the Rules – Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
In 1907, Picasso dropped a bomb on the art world. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon wasn’t just a painting of five women — it was a direct assault on everything art was supposed to be. Gone were the soft curves and elegant proportions of classical beauty. Instead, Picasso gave us jagged lines, fractured bodies, and faces inspired by African masks. It was art stripped down and rebuilt, primal and unapologetic.
At the time, even Picasso’s friends were shocked. Some called it ugly. Others called it insane. But history would call it the beginning of Cubism — and the starting point for a century of modern art.
Why it mattered
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was controversial because it broke every rule. It rejected perspective. It abandoned realism. It blurred the line between beauty and distortion. Picasso dared to show the world that art didn’t have to imitate life — it could reinvent it.
Why it matters now
Today, the painting feels less like a scandal and more like a manifesto. It’s about confidence. About refusing to be boxed in. About standing out even when people don’t “get it.” And that’s why it fits so perfectly into the Footnote world: socks that don’t just cover your feet, but challenge the idea of what fashion detail can be.
Picasso. Controversial then. Iconic forever. Every step tells a story.
Nature in Bloom - Gustav Klimt
When most people think of Gustav Klimt, they think of gold: the glittering shimmer of The Kiss or the luminous portraits of Vienna’s elite. But Klimt had another side – one that traded golden leaf for living green. In Flower Garden, painted around 1907, he turned his eye to nature itself, creating a riot of color that feels as alive today as it did over a century ago.
A mosaic of blossoms
Klimt didn’t just paint flowers – he built them into a pattern, almost like a textile or a tapestry. Daisies, marigolds, roses, and asters crowd the canvas, every petal vibrating with color. It’s not a still life. It’s a symphony. A celebration of abundance, beauty, and the sheer joy of being surrounded by life.
From Vienna to your steps
At Footnote, we believe in details that make you pause. Translating Flower Garden onto socks is like carrying a piece of Klimt’s lush world with you – a reminder that art isn’t only for walls and museums. It can live with you, walk with you, and bloom with every step.
Klimt. Where art meets nature. Every step tells a story.
