Art: Story in a Medium

I'm Back!!!

2011-08-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

Wow! It's been too long. The time has just flew by but now I'm back! I've graduated from college and I'm not in grad school but I have sometime now to get back to you all.

I hope everyone has been fine and I'm just surprised that people actually still come to this site and comment on the post even if I've been gone long.

Starting today, I'll get back into the groove of posting one post a week and see where it goes from there. Maybe even most post will come.

Please keep visiting and keep commenting. I really appreciate it.

Thank you!

Shronda

School & Mess....

2010-11-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

So sorry for not update for MONTHS! School has really taken over and I am graduating next year(hopefully) with my Bachelor's! I hope to update again soon during Thanksgiving break but I will have to see. The 2 yr anniversary of this blog has come and gone. I didn't do anything special. Ididn't know it had passed until yesterday. =_= Just to make up for not updating for you guys, I wanted to post this video that I found on YT. It's "Women in Art" and the morphing in the video is awesome and if you might recognize some of the artists from this blog featured in the video by looking at their style. <---that might have been confusing. Just enjoy the video and hope for updates soon!

Shronda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDIoN-_Hxs&NR=1

Sorry for the lack of updates Y_Y…

2010-08-04T16:12:00.001-07:00

I really am sorry for the lack of updates. The procrastination monster just grabbed hold of me and told me to go off and do other things. I will try and get back on track(which might not be possible…) but I am truly sorry. OTL<---죄송합니다, I’m sorry!

Cranach: Venus

2010-08-04T16:07:00.001-07:00

A subject matter that never is tiring and has been a muse for artists since the ancient Greeks, the Goddess of Love has been depicted on an seashell, a sleeping beauty, a temptress, and a thing of beauty in marble. She has attracted much praise and criticism and even the possibility of being banned.

Lucas the Elder Cranach’s Venus is no different. Being one of the first painted versions of the Love goddess, Cranach’s Venus is beautiful seductress that stands in dark surroundings, full frontally nude and smiling innocently toward the audience. Painted in 1532, Cranach was part of the Northern Renaissance movement, painting subjects of religion and a figures of the time including Martin Luther. Cranach did a few Venus paints, by herself and with her son Cupid. This is possible one his well known paintings of the Love Goddess.

Venus stands in a dark background with a delicate transparent gauze that she holds open to the audience to see how body for all that it is. Her only other accessories are golden necklace and choker, a headdress piece and a seductress glance. Cranach depicted Venus, Goddess of Love, as a proprietor of "love", a courtesan.

She is to look erotic, seductive, and sexy. The curves of her body, not seen as beautiful to today standards, are there for all to see. A hair-fine brush picks out the rosebud points of her nipples as her skin has a rosy pink color that glows in the darkness. Her facial features are small from her thin eyebrows to her pursed lips as she smiles. She seems to be in a dance for the audience, enticing them to watch her peepshow.

Cranach was one of the richest men in Wittenberg during his time, show that he was very successful as he could easily and quickly make his paintings. His son, Lucas the Younger, carried on his tradition.

His pictures play precociously on the brink of taboo. Spiritual subjects are painted with sensual glee. Flattened surfaces are embroidered with glittering colour. Subjects are taken in context to the point of being place high above others. Cranach's paintings are his signature and keep him in the history books.

Canova: Cupid & Psyche

2010-06-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Psyche, the most beautiful woman on Earth, has angered one of the vengeful Roman goddess Venus. Venus, jealous and angry over competition for her beauty title, sets in motion the plan to destroy Psyche. Cupid, Venus' son, was put on the duty to do so, shooting her with an arrow so that when she awakes to a vile creature(placed by her side by Venus) she will fall in love with it, but something happened. While invisible and in Psyche's room, Psyche awakens before Cupid can scratch her with his arrow and startles him. Cupid scratches himself and falls deeply in love with her. He became enamored with the beautiful Psyche. Cupid became Psyche anonymous lover, which angers Venus. She curses Psyche that she will not meet her a suitable husband or any husband. This upsets Cupid, vowing to shoot any arrows, which will cause no creature to fall in love, mate or marry and in turn cause Venus' temple to fall to ruins. After months of this, Venus gives in to Cupid's desires for Psyche. Cupid goes back to work shooting his arrows, restoring everything as it should be. Every creature mates and fall in love and the Earth is becomes young.

Though as all this is happening, no one desires Psyche as their wife. Psyche's parents consult an oracle who tell them to leave Psyche on the nearest mountain, saying her beauty is so great it is not meant for mortal man. The West Wind comes and carries Psyche to a far away palace where she is attended by invisible servants until nightfall, where her promised bridegroom comes and consummates their marriage. Cupid visits her every night to sleep with her but demands that she never light any lamps. Psyche is convinced by her spiteful sisters that she has married a serpent who will devour her and her then unborn child at the right time. They tell her to conceal a knife and lamp so that once her husband is asleep she is to light the lamp and slay him. She does this. As she lights the lamp, Psyche sees not a serpent but the fair Cupid himself, however she accidentally pricks herself with one of his arrows and falls madly in love with him. She begins to kiss him but a drop of oil falls onto Cupid's shoulder and wakes him. He flies away quickly, leaving Psyche to fall from the palace, sick at heart.

Psyche searches for her love, even asking Venus for help. Venus decides to trick Psyche by sending her on dangerous and life-threatening quest, where she gets help from creatures to succeed. Venus is angered by this and decides to send Venus to the Underworld to as the Queen of the Underworld to give her a box with a bit of beauty in it, since Venus' beauty is waning from carrying for her distraught son, who is upset over Psyche's distrust.

Psyche thinks the quickest way to the Underworld is to kill herself by jumping off a tower. The tower stops her and tells her of a way to get into the underworld, get past Ceres(the three headed dog) and to return alive. She is to do as she told and not eat anything but coarse bread will there. She does this and returns to the Living World alive with the box but becomes curious and greedy. She opens the box to take some of the beauty but finds not beauty but sleep that engulf her.

Cupid, who has forgive Psyche, flies to her and awakes her with a kiss. He flies her to Mount Olympus, after begging Jupiter - king of the Gods - to help him. Psyche becomes immortal and stays forever with Cupid, giving birth to Delight, goddess of pleasure.

This is the story of Psyche and Cupid that is instilled in the sculpture by Antonio Canova. The story was told within the 4th, 5th, and 6th book of Apuleius' "The Golden Ass", the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. A mix of an allegory, myth, and fairytale, Cupid and Psyche's love is one that has enamored the world for ages.

Created in 1796, this is the first of two statutes Canova sculpted of the couple. With his wings outstretched, Cupid is seen swooping down to his sleeping lover, Psyche. The focus of the sculpture is created by their interlocking arms and Cupid's loving gaze. The life-like feel of the sculpture similar to that of Bernini and Rodin. Canova's execution of Neo-Classical is an example of perfect form and finish. The flesh of Cupid and Psyche is almost real in the marble as Psyche reaches up to her love and gazes undying into his eyes.

Born in Venice, Italy, Canova was very famous for his marble sculptures that rendered the delicate nude flesh.His father and grandfather were bother stone-cutters which influenced Canova very much. Canova had a very successful career in Rome, sculpting for the Pope, and in France and England. His two sculptures of Cupid and Psyche are his greatest works, launching his fame, Canova's last work was to be a statue of Kind Ferdinand VII but he died before finishing from a illness he had suffered from throughout his life. His remains were deposited at a temple in Possagno, his home village in Venice, while his heart was interred in a mausoleum intended for Titian, the painter, in the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

Psyche Revived by Love's Kiss is located at the Louvre in Paris, France.

Basquiat: Untitled

2010-05-31T09:17:00.001-07:00

The 27 Club. Not a club that anyone wants to join but the list the who’s who of musical greats. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain are the top elitist of the list and music genius of their time. They also died at the young age of 27. This is the 27 Club, musicians who were taken away at their peak at he age of 27 but remain forever in the history books.

You might ask, “Why is the 27 club mentioned on an art blog?” One artist in particular, Jean-Michel Basquiat, is apart of this club. A neo-expressionist, graffiti artist, and founder of the band GRAY, performing around New York and even appearing in Blondie’s video “Rapture”.

Basquiat’s career began when she was a graffiti artist under the name of “SAMO”. He moved from graffiti to the neo-expression paintings in 1980s. He participated in The Times Square Show, a multi-artist exhibition. In 1981, Rene Ricard published “The Radiant Child” which launched Basquiat into art limelight. He began to show regularly. He dated Madonna, who was an aspiring performer at the time, 1982 and also met Pop Art great Andy Warhol, becoming close with him. Basquiat was involved with the who’s who of Pop during the 1980s, but it was shortly after Warhol’s death that Basquiat became depressed and feeling isolated. This procured his drug use to increase. After attempting to quit heroin use during a trip to Hawaii, Basquiat was found dead in his N.Y. apartment from an apparent heroin overdose at the age of 27 . Recently a documentary, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, directed by Tamra Davis, was screened at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

The painting featured is one of the many paintings Basquiat did during the 80s which is on display at the Fukuoka Art Museum in Tokyo. Created when he was 24, the graffiti-like symbols and letters entangled in the images speak loudly than a basic painting. It tells of the energetic, crowded, and busy New York streets.

Bazille: The Artist’s Studio

2010-05-31T06:35:00.001-07:00

French Impressionist, Frédéric Bazille was one of the greats of his time, in the same tier as Monet, Manet, and Renoir. Born in Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, Bazille came from a wealthy family who encouraged his love of painting only if he studied medicine. So 1859, Bazille began studying medicine, moving to Paris in 1862. There, he met Renoir and Alfred Sisley, drawing him into Impressionism. In 1864, he failed his medical school exam and began painting full-time. He began close friends with Sisley, Monet and Manet as evidence in the painting shown here.

The full title, L'Atelier de la rue Condamine, Bazille’s Studio on 9 rue de la Condamine, was completed in 1870 and shows the artist and his friends within his apartment studio. Inside the studio, Bazille is showing one of his paintings to friends and fellow painters, Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Pierre Auguste Renoir(who he shared the studio with) and famed French writer Émile Zola. On the left, we see Renoir in conversation with Zola who stands on the staircase. In the center of the painting is Bazille himself showing one of his works to Manet and Monet, who stands behind him. At the piano on the right of the painting is one of Bazille’s musician friends, Edmond Maitre, who is entertaining the artistic geniuses present. The painting is a clear example of Impressionism, showing the details of studio and the features of the artists present. This en plein air painting shows the artist in an open area to give the views the sense they are there, in the moment. Ironic enough, this painting was rejected shortly before Brazille’s death.

The painting shows Bazille’s bold modeling of figures, and the broad handling of colors that became his hallmark. Dying four years before the first Impressionist exhibition by a bullet while serving in the Franco-Prussian War, Bazille is linked to the movement for his radically new way of painting that recorded his everyday life.

Andre: Zinc Magnesium Plain

2010-05-31T06:00:00.001-07:00

An American minimalist artist, Carl Andre has a interesting art and life. His “sculptures”, like many minimalist, are simple but speak loud for the artist. Born in Quincy, MA, Andre had an American life, serving in the U.S. Army and even working on the railroad in life.

Andre was influenced by artist Constanitin Brancusi, Hollis Frampton, and Frank Stella, who Andre shared a space with and helped him improve his sculptures. There was time where Andre wrote poetry that appeared in a book by him and Frampton called 12 Dialogues. Andre’s first exhibition was “Shape and Structure” at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in NYC.

One of Andre’s most controversial, though this blogger doesn’t see how, pieces was his 1966 Lever, 137 fire bricks lined end to end stretching 400 ft (122 m) across the floor.

Today’s piece is very minimal and as Andre described his art, a “sculpture as place”. Directly on the floor, 36 individual industrially produced pure magnesium and zinc plates are arranged like a chess board, alternating in order. Like the rest of Andre’s pieces, Zinc Magnesium Plain was not built vertically but flat on the floor and not attached to anything. The pieces could easily be rearranged. Andre did similar works like this(Steel Zinc, 1969 & 144 Magnesium Square 1969). The roughness and the industrial look of the piece is very interesting. Though it is stepped on and ignored sometimes, if seen one it will bring interest in the viewer to what and why the piece is there.

One of the few artist from the movement that was a protest against Abstract Expressionism, Andre’s art piqued interest as did his life. First meeting in 1979, Andre encountered Ana Mendieta, a Cuban-American sculptor, and married in 1985. Eight months later, tragedy struck as Mendieta fell from their 34th floor apartment in Manhattan. The only witness being Andre, he became the prime suspect. He was tried and acquitted for the death in 1988.

Alma-Tadema: A Coign of Vantage

2010-05-19T18:28:00.001-07:00

Romanticism painter born in 1836, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was one of most well known painters of the late 19th century. In the category with artist like Waterhouse & Leighton, Alma-Tadema was born in the Netherlands but moved to England in 1870. There, he spent the rest of his career becoming one the most famous and highly paid artist of the time. Alma-Tadema is part of the distinguished few that are in the Royal Academy of Arts along with Alfred Waterhouse, Joseph Wright, & 77 other “Royal Academicians”. Alma-Tadema is also part of the Order of Merit until his death in 1912.

A Coign of Vantage, painted in 1895, shows three Roman women watching from the high vantage point of a home on the cliff as galleys returned home. The “Coign” ,or corner, they stand in has a wonderful and perfect view of the ships as their loved ones and others return from either battle or trading. The warm bright sunlight gives the painting a soft feel with each woman depicted. One kneels on a sitting ledge as she looks over; she seems young with the black curls tied on her head with flowers encircling it. It seems as if she can see each man and is specially looking for her young lover to wave and greet him home.

The other two ladies look a little older but still young, draped in flowing cloth as they try to peer out. One stands on the ledge to see over the edge along with the other girl as the redhead stretches in the sun looking out into the sea. The gradient of the sea can be easily seen as the color changes from the lightest of blue that almost blends with the sky to a peaceful mix of blue-green of the sea. Much detail was put in the garments of the ladies, the marble ledge and even the great bronze beast that faces out to the sea with his yellow flower necklace.

An interesting fact is that Alma-Tadema organized his paintings into an identification system by including an opus number under his signature and assigning his earlier pictures numbers as well. The number can not be identified on the print I’ve posted but I would love to see it.

Alma-Tadema’s portrayals of Roman and Greek life in a Neo-Classical way made for his success in Victorian England.

Alphonse Mucha: Four Seasons

2010-05-10T20:21:00.001-07:00

Born in the Moravia, now present day Czech Republic), Alphonse Mucha was not an artist but a choirboy and amateur musician growing up. Singing his way through school, Mucha soon found his love of drawing. Moving from Moravia to Vienna, he furthered his artistic abilities. Moving back home and then to the city of lights, Paris, Mucha was in every way an aspiring artist. Mucha joined the Académie Julian and Academie Colarossi while also producing magazine and advertising illustrations.

It was during the Christmas of 1894 that Mucha encountered his first job; producing a theater lithograph for a play starring Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous actress in Paris at the time. He was set to finish in two weeks and on January 1, 1895, the poster for “Gismonda” was on the streets. The people of Paris were astonished by the work and Ms. Bernhard was so satisfied with the work that she signed a 6-yr contract to work with Mucha. Mucha gained recognition and work around the city with his style known as Art Nouveau(New Art in French).

Mucha's works frequently featured beautiful healthy young women in flowing vaguely Neoclassical looking robes, often surrounded by lush flowers which sometimes formed haloes behind the women's heads. His style was often imitated.

Displayed today are a set of drawings Mucha created in 1895. Four Seasons depicts the four seasons with each name at the bottom in French.

The first panel is of Winter or Hiver. A white landscape of snow, a beautiful maiden sits, shivering almost, clothed in white to match her background. The trees are bare except for snow that weighs them down and few animals are around, accompanying the maiden in the wintery time.

The second panel is of Spring or Printemps. A more floral feel, the maiden stands as flowers bloom at her feet and the trees begin to blossom. The innocent feel of this panel is felt to bring about the feeling of Spring, renewal and new beginnings.

The third panel is of Summer, Eté. Sunflowers are in this maiden’s background as she lounges lazily in the summer sun. Her fiery hair also inspires summer along with a summer harvest.

The last panel, Automne, is Autumn. The playful maiden skips around the colorful leaves as she holds a bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables in her hands.

Each panel is different yet similar as the border is somewhat like that of wrought-iron glass displays. Above each are the flora of each season in bloom. The maidens differ also as their hair color and styles. One with hair of brown, red and blonde( I believe the Winter maiden has blonde hair also) brings about the feeling of the seasons that Mucha has displayed.

Mucha went on with his style and changed the world of art with the classical and ethereal drawings and paintings he created. His creations still inspire today.

Sorry! Busy again!

2010-05-10T19:44:00.001-07:00

미안해! I became busy again and I forgot about the art blog. I’ve been on campus (unable to go home) for the past 3 weeks…so no extensive art blogging! But to make it up to you all, I will post two entries tonight/today. I will catch up over the summer break starting Friday(or Saturday), after all my finals are done. Once again, I’m so sorry! 죄송합니다!

Edgar Degas “Four Dancers”

I’m Back…with a special surprise!

2010-04-24T07:26:00.001-07:00

Hi all!

Sorry I’ve been gone for so long. As summer break nears for me, I will be getting back to all that I had to set aside to do my studies which includes my Korean lesson, my stories, and of course this art blog.

Now for the special surprise! I bought an art book!

Now, I’ve been doing this art blog for about 1 1/2 years now I have an extensive knowledge on art but I must say; There are some artist out there that I don’t know about. With this book, I can actually tell you, readers, the story of the art & behind the art. Now the surprise surprise of the this special surprise is that in the next 52 entries(had to calculate it for two blogs a week) of a new series of Art: A to Z. The book has artist in alphabetical order and for the next 26 weeks, expect to see artist that are rarely talked about and the famous among famous. The first entries will be in the next few days with Sir Lawrence ALMA-TADEMA. Stay tune and 안녕!

Stevie DV: AnD Artist

2010-03-07T16:33:00.001-08:00

(Once again being lazy, but have class work to do soon. 미안해!)

The paintings displayed are called “Paint” and “Shhhh”. Both are done in the mediums of acrylic and spray paint on canvas. Check out more of Stevie DV’s work on his websites.

I grew up in what is considered not ideal for children. My mother was very young when she had me and not up to the responsibility of raising a child. This led to me having to grow up a lot faster then I would have liked to.
Fortunately, I do not use my childhood experiences as a crutch, rather use it as a tool.
I have seen things growing up that seem unreal to a child. The feeling of pain in my stomach, not due to hunger, but worry was common. Wanting things to change, but unable to do anything about it.
I have always felt that I am on my own. Maybe I prefer it like that.
I am attracted to those who are beautiful, not physically, but as a person in general. Those are the people I try to paint. Those are the people I try to stay around.
Let me show you what I see through my eyes with my brush.......
-Stevie DV

http://www.alivenotdead.com/steviedv

http://www.myspace.com/steviedv

http://stevie-dv.com

www.artofsteviedv.bigcartel.com

Beth Frey: The Three Brothers

2010-03-07T16:19:00.001-08:00

Taken from her website: (I was a little lazy, sorry!)

Beth Frey is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist. After shifting around from coast to coast (and back to coast again), she decided something looked familiar but strange about Toronto, and there she stayed. Although she primarily works in ink on paper, much of her past work has included soft sculpture, video, painting, and performance. She would like to soon revisit all these forms (except maybe performance – she thinks she’s become too introverted over the years).

Four years after completing her BFA at the University of Victoria, Beth is a little weary from travelling and decides to get back to her favorite thing. She’s simplified a bit over the years, but still wants to get to the core of all things human by telling stories and making pictures. “Ha ha,” laugh her imaginary detractors, “good luck trying to convey the universal.” Beth straightens her shoulders and tries to un-crick the crick in her neck, “I’ll never claim to know it all, but I would really like to explore it. Surely everybody experiences loss and loneliness and confusion from time to time. And we try to distract ourselves from that through love or religion or television. I just want to put that in pictures.”

Beth Frey’s work are very interesting and caught my eye one day. With figures almost with doughy features, the drawings are like reading a child’s storybook with characters and their interactions record on the pages of Frey’s drawing book. “The Three Brothers” from Frey’s blog is based off the Brothers Grimm story of the same name. It depicts the youngest brother as he brandished his sword against the rain to remain dry and gain the family home. The story is loving as is the painting.

Another piece depicted here is a piece from her 2009 collection. What is depicted is a girl in what looks like a desert as three birds circle over head. The simple colors and lines are dramatic and pull the viewer in as a story comes forth of a girl who wonders the desert and maybe imagines the birds and the shapes they make. Whatever the story, Frey’s drawings are a fresh new look for the art world.

Her websites:

http://www.bethfrey.com/beth/

http://www.artistaday.com/?p=5231

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bbeetthh

Harlem Renaissance

2010-03-07T15:37:00.001-08:00

Renaissance n. A rebirth or revival.

This is what Harlem and the African American community of the United States when through during the 1920s and 1930s. The Harlem Renaissance was a renewal to the inspirational and influence of art on the Black community and the community’s influence on the world. Greats like Scott Joplin(Ragtime)and Josephine Baker were the stars of the time along with Langston Hughes and artist such as Sargent Claude Johnson, Archibald Motley, Jr. and Lois Mailou Jones.

Sargent Claude Johnson, born 1888, was one of few first West Coast African American artist to receive national recognition. A painter, potter, graphic artist and sculptor, Johnson worked with a variety of medias.

Oprhaned at a young age, Johnson was raised by his uncle and aunt, who herself was a sculptor in Black themes and influenced Johnson. in 1915, Johnson moved to San Francisco and expanded his art knowledge. He began to show his art in New York in 1926, at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, with the Harmon Foundation which spread Johnson’s name around the nation. Johnson's early work focused on racial identity. According to Johnson, "Negroes are a colorful race; they call for an art as colorful as they can be made." He continued with his art until his death in 1967.

Archibald Motley, Jr., unlike many of the Harlem Renaissance artist, was born in New Orleans and spent most of his life in Chicago. He was the first African-American to have a one man exhibit in NYC and is one of the first to launch the Harlem Renaissance. Inspired by his roots of jazz, Motley showed the world a beautiful world of Black culture and called into conscious the African-American race and its many shades.

With pieces such as The Octoroon Girl, depicting a woman who is 1/8th Black but has the features of a member of the Caucasian race, and Bronzeville at Night which showed an urban black community as any other community to bring unity with all races at the time.

Lois Mailou Jones was one of the few female artist of the time, inspiring others with her works and continuing into her nineties with painting and teacher until her death. Jones went through the discrimination to get her name known and became well-known at a young age, traveling to London and Paris. She won many awards and had a few of her paintings collected by President Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Jones was one of few African Americans at the time who went to France and helped many realized that racism was not a world known. Many Parisian embraced African Americans such as Jones and Josephine Baker and helped their art become world-renowned. Jones has produced work that echoes her pride in her African roots and American ancestry.

From November 14, 2009 to February 29, 2010, a retrospective exhibit of her work entitled "Lois Mailou Jones: a life in vibrant color" will be held at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC. The exhibit will include 70 paintings showcasing her various styles and experiences: America, France, Haiti, and Africa.

The Harlem Renaissance was a time ,like the other Renaissance, of enlightenment to the world of not only another race but of the culture and the inspiration that still within the world.

Masaccio: Holy Trinity & The Expulsion

2010-02-21T15:12:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of the artist named "Big Ugly Tom"? Probably not or most of you would know him as Masaccio. One of the well known early Italian Renaissance artist, Masaccio (Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone Cassai) had a short 6 year career in the fresco painting, being the first great artist of the Quattrocento period.

The fascination of Masaccio’s paintings is the Humanism that he incorporates into them, the realism and human feelings that radiate from them. Many of Masaccio’s frescoes, like many artist in the Renaissance, were of religious figures such as the Holy Mother and Jesus. His first work was the “Cascia Altarpiece” which depicted the Madonna on her throne surrounded by angels and saints in with the Christ child in her lap.

Two of Masaccio’s masterwork are displayed today. The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden is a single scene part of a larger fresco on the wall of the Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, Italy. Masaccio, along with a fellow fresco painter Masolino, were commissioned to do the chapel which is world known. The scene, Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden(Genesis 3), is seen as one of Masaccio’s great works, being studied by those at the time and later on for inspiration. The agony and despair upon Adam and Eve’s faces shows the shame they felt after betraying the Lord, giving into the temptation of the Serpent and eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Behind them, an angel(within the bible it is cherubim, meaning more than one) holds a sword and points into the desert where Adam and Eve would live our their lives until their death, away from Paradise. Adam covers his face as Eve cries out in sadness, covering herself in modesty. Adam and Eve within the fresco were actually covered, as ordered by Cosimo II de Medici, with fig leaves which were later removed during a cleaning during the 1980s.

The second piece is The Holy Trinity. One of his most celebrated works, The Holy Trinity of the matrix, with the Virgin and Saint John and donors, is also included with the Brancacci Chapel. Masaccio employed trompe l’oeil giving the fresco a feel that is part of the wall with the coffered ceiling in a barrel vault.

The fresco depicts, from the top, God supporting the cross that Jesus is on. Behind the main figures the barrel vault pulls the audience in to a vanishing point into the beyond but brings focus to them. Off to the left side of the fresco, looking out into the audience is the Virgin Mother Mary, showing the audience and telling them of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit). Across from her on the right is St. John the Evangelist as he looks up at the Trinity. The couple that is a step down from them are the donors that helped to commission the fresco, Berto di Bartolomeo del Bandeario and his wife, showing that with a little wealth, you can be immortalized to show your love for the church.

The most interesting point of the fresco is at the bottom where most people would be eye level. A sarcophagus is painted with a skeleton lying entombed below those above. Latin words are engraved about the skeleton which read: I WAS WHAT YOU ARE AND WHAT I AM YOU SHALL BE.

Masaccio died in 1428, possibly from being poisoned by a rival painter, after a six year career that was inspiration to fellow artist to follow including Michelangelo. Only four frescoes remain in the world that were undoubtedly painted by Masaccio’s hand but there more have been recognized as having some help from him while others have been believed to be destroyed.

Kim Dong-Yoo: Two Faces…

2010-02-17T18:08:00.001-08:00

Pop art was introduced/pushed into the mainstream thanks to the silk-screens of one Andy Warhol. Today, his influence is still present. Dong-Yoo Kim(김동유), born 1965, has taken contemporary art to a different level. I’ve actually seen Dong-Yoo’s work before at NOMA and it was amazing to see it person.

Dong-Yoo began his art career in 1988 with his graduation from the College of Fine Art, Mokwon University. He has many art exhibits over Korea and many of his pieces are being sold and exhibited around the world. His unique painting process results in paintings that somewhat redefine pointillism and pop art.

The paintings shown here are just a few of Dong-Yoo’s collection. Just looking at them, they look as if they are pixilated paintings of images of legends that we know worldwide. Van Gogh, Monroe, Mao, and Queen Elizabeth are people that we have seen in contemporary art many of times including through Warhol’s art but Dong-Yoo’s take on them needs a closer look.

Titles such as “Marilyn Monroe vs John F Kennedy” or “Monroe vs Mao” is just that. Looking closely at the “Monroe vs Kennedy”, one can see the many mini copies of JFK’s face to make up the beautiful face of Hollywood’s big star, Marilyn Monroe. The unique

Audrey Hepburn vs Audrey Hepburn

and clever way that Dong-Yoo has made the image is also amazing as each is an oil on canvas painting, meaning very time consuming and stressed on details. Please search for more of Kim Dong-Yoo’s paintings and try to see them in person. It’s a sight to see.

Mao & Monroe taken while I visited NOMA

Eric So: AnD Artist

2010-01-09T09:03:00.001-08:00

I really like this artist’s work, especially the Bruce Lee works. It’s amazing how detailed his figures are! Check his websites!

Official Website

AnD website

From AnD profile:

Born in Hong Kong 1968, where he based. Eric is a creator.
After graduating from design school, Eric joined an advertising agency. Ten years later Eric headed down a new road in create freelancing that marked the beginning of his work in freestyle illustration. In 1996, he launched his first exhibition, "Sex, sex, sex, and more sex", mainly composed of illustrations and paintings. In 1998, he began creating figures. Over the course of 1999 - 2000, he premiered "The Art of Bruce Lee" in New York City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The exhibition brought him success and critical acclaim, and led the Japanese brand Medicom Toys to release 24 variations of the 12" inch Bruce Lee figure.

Between 2001-2003, Eric continues working on his "So Fun" project with Revolver (Japan) & LMF (Hong Kong). And he had expanded his work to many other areas. He joined forces with Sprite and created two seasons of characters to promote the Coca-Cola Company beverage. He undertook a major commercial co-branding with Toyota, in which he vividly captured street culture in a television commercial for Toyota's new concept car, the Voltz. Designed figure for his pop artist friend "Sam Lee" and "Edison Chen".
Eric also collaborated with Chemistry, a famous Japanese pop duo, and created Chemistry figures, which were immensely popular in Japan and Asia. This popularity led to another major television commercial tie-in with Meiji's Chelsea candy.

2005, Eric just held his "Sology" exhibition. It's come with 4 exhibitions Included:
"Stand by me" - painting exhibition
"Stand by me" - figures exhibition
"Actor"
"The Art of Bruce Lee 2005"
2006, new series "Sign Language" mini figures for the promotion of KFC. "Cup Dolly" for 7 Eleven & created Jay Chow & Zhou Xun figures for Motorola new moblie promotion. Beside his figure creation, he continues his work on So Fun concept. The name "Ren Ge Pin Wei" eyewear series & exhibition launched.

Eric currently has four private brands: "So Fun", which is strictly an outlet for his personal expression, "Estate", a co-venture with his best friend, Sam Lee a famous Hong Kong movie actor, and "Designed by Eric So" for commercial and crossover projects. "Papamamason Limited" is a production house.

Caravaggio: Judith Beheading Holofernes

2010-01-05T13:54:00.001-08:00

“Judith was left alone in the tent, with Holofernes stretched out on the bed, for he was overcome with wine… She went up to the post at the end of the bed, above Holofernes' head, and took down his sword that hung there. She came close to the bed and took hold of the hair of his head, and said: "Give me strength this day, O Lord God of Israel!". And she struck his neck twice with all her might, and severed his head from his body… After a moment she went out and gave Holofernes' head to her maid” (Judith 13, 1-10)

Found in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, This is the story of Judith’s triumphs for her town of Bethulia and the driving out of the Assyrian army using the head of their commander Holofernes.

This story has been depicted many times from Botticelli to Klimt. The one most people are associated with is that of Baroque artist, Caravaggio. Judith Beheading Holofernes shows the second that the sword cuts across Holofernes’ neck, taking his head off. The painting has a Caravaggio style, a dramatic feel that comes from the canvas.

This is the first time Caravaggio did highly dramatic subject, setting the scene in the darkness of the tent. It is set almost as a dramatic stage play with Judith and her maid along with Holofernes’ body lit from the side for shadows and effect. A deep red curtain frames the scene along with the (death)bed of Holofernes.

On the right side, one can see Judith as she is in the act of beheading Holofernes, her face in almost disgust as does the task at hand to save her town. Though she looks a little fearful she gives off the strong aura that is told in the text. Onside of her is her old maid, waiting to receive the head.

The details of the painting are truly realistic from the sun wrinkled skin of the maid, the stranded muscles of Holofernes, the furrowed brow of Judith, to the physiology seen at the cut on Holofernes’ neck. The sword that Judith holds reflects the light and shadows of the room. The only theatrical thing of the painting one could say is the blood as it sprays from Holofernes’ neck. A fiery-look, almost web-like look, the blood falls to stain the white sheets of Holofernes.

On the left, we see Holofernes in his dying moments as he stares up at his killer his mouth agape in amazement, shock and his eyes pleading as he breaths his last breathe. He clinches the sheets as he screams a silent scream for help.

The feel of the painting tells of the dramatic scene in trepidation and anticipation that is felt from Judith and the maid and the fear from Holofernes. Caravaggio captured the dramatic and stunning seen in only the way he could.

Bernini: Rape of Proserpina

2010-01-05T11:17:00.001-08:00

Playing near the Pergusa Lake of Sicily, Proserpina, Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, caught the eye of Pluto, Roman god of the underworld who was struck by the arrow of Cupid. There was only one way for her to be his, he would steal her away. Pluto forced Proserpina to marry him, as her mother looked for across the Earth and Jupiter worried, sending Mercury- the winged messenger of the gods, to demand that Pluto release his daughter.

What Jupiter did not know was that Proserpina has sealed her fate. She had eaten three pomegranate seeds. It is said that if you have eaten the food of the dead, you can not return to the world of the living, but Pluto made a deal. Proserpina was allowed to return to the Earth but she must spend three months, for the three seeds, with her husband. It was agreed upon and so is the reason for the change of the seasons. Spring occurs as Ceres celebrates having her daughter, letting flowers bloom and crops grow. Summer, the crops flourish until the three months before Proserpina must return to her husband. These months, Autumn, the crops wither and the Earth begins to sadden until Winter when Proserpina is gone.

This is the mythological story behind Bernini’s Rape of Proserpina. Sculpted in 1621, the detail and exquisite sculpture captures the second at which Pluto is stealing Proserpina away. Though called “The Rape of Proserpina”, Proserpina is not raped, which was an archaic definition for kidnapped.

Bernini’s The Rape of Proserpina

With some remnants of Mannerism, the sculpture is in movement, evident from Proserpina’s flailing arms as she fights off Pluto and Pluto’s stride with his right toe just about to lift from the ground. Proserpina is crying out as her face is in horror and tears fall from her eyes and the wind blowing in her hair. Pluto struggles but he is triumphant from his tight grasp on Proserpina’s thigh, which is an amazing feature in the marble medium.

The dimpling produced in the marble is just example of the detail and genius of the artist of the time. Like Michelangelo, Cavaggio, and others, Bernini’s detailed work still brings amazement from audiences today. One could almost feel the hands of Pluto pressing upon their flesh as they look at the sculpture and picture the second this scene which Bernini has depicted happened.

Above: Detail of Pluto’s hand pressing into Proserpina’s flesh

Almost like a play with dramatic music and stage workings to show the pair descending into Hades with Proserpina’s cries for her mother being drowned out by Cerberus’ barking.

The smoothness of the marble is a great medium to depict the baroque interpretation of such a Roman classic.

Bernini (1598-1680) was a Renaissance man, writing, painting and working in metal along with doing many commissioned work for the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Gregory XV. The Rape of Proserpina is one of Bernini’s detail and fascinating sculptures that as helped him become one of the great sculptors of his time and now.

The Rape of Proserpina is on display at the Galleria Borghese in Rome, Italy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has a wonderful and eventful holidays and a great 2010!

Brueghel the Elder's Hunters in the Snow

Gunderson: You are the Sun & It's not about that

2009-12-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

"The Origin: A point is a location in space. Points are dimensionless. That is, a point has no width, length, or height. We locate points relative to some arbitrary standard point, often called the "origin"." This is the definition on Patrick Gunderson's website aptly named "The Origin".

If you travel through Gunderson's paintings, you will get to the origin as you look at the extravagant canvases.

"My artwork attempt to take order, ordered systems and ordered patterns and shake them up. Nothing is perfect, even though things are modeled in perfect mathematics there are always tiny, sometimes microscopic, imperfections. Incorporating these imperfections into pure algorithmic systems creates a sense of order that we crave visually, but provides a warmer more natural feel that is unavailable through equations alone."

That is exactly what you will see looking at Gunderson's art. Experienced in animation and logic, Gunderson is actually the senior designer for NFL.com. "I’m an artist who specializes in pixels, but have been known to make pretty things in the analog world as well." Gunderson is a art geek to the top tier. The amazement is that his art is actually digital art with its expanded and contracted geometric shapes and the mathematical concept that is involved in creating them.

Flikr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gunderson/sets/72157604969557101/

Website: http://pat.theorigin.net/

Enoch Cheung: AnD Artist

2009-12-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Enoch (Hong-sang) Cheung graduated from the University of RMIT, jointly with the Hong Kong Art School, with a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) and received his Master's in Fine Art at the RMIT University in Australia. He taught at the Hong Kong Art school and continued his studies in Europe.

Cheung has experience in graphic design and along with teaching at the Hong Kong Art school, he gave workshops in Digital Imaging, Creative Imaging, Photography, Film and Digital Arts, and much more. "These experiences widen my vision on imaging and culture.

Cheung's work has been shown in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and elsewhere in Southeast and East Asia with his first solo exhibition in 2001.

The piece shown here is from his exhibition called "Walk 100 to Peach Flower Garden". The Peach Flower Garden is famous in Chinese literature and is a reflection upon seeking Utopia.

From Cheung's website
"There is an ancient and interesting place named the Peach Garden.
Its provenance is ancient, its hypothesized is interesting."

Check out Cheung's website and AnD profile.

http://www.alivenotdead.com/enochcheung
http://www.enocheung.net/

Magidson: Desire, Temptress, Memories

2009-12-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Fascination that I found recently that is just amazing! Ingrid Magidson grew up in Texas surrounded by art. It was no wonder this mixed media artist, daughter of an inventor/artist and another artist, is making headway with her unique twist on classic art pieces. One can see the imagination and wonderment that goes into Magidson's paintings with each lay er that is used

to create the piece.

Three pieces are shown today. The first is titled Mortal Desires as it takes it's inspiration from the Spanish painter Diego Velasquez. A mixed media portrait similar to that of the Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain is seen through the fruits, patchwork and lines. Close examination of the work shows that the hem of the princess's gown is shimmering from accentuates of spoons and paintbrushes while her brooch is a monarch butterfly with a snake across her torso. Much likepointillism, up-close, it is near impossible to see the image clear but far away, one can definitely see the beauty and amazing work Magidson has done.

The second piece is The Temptress. A part of Magidson's private collection, The Temptress depicts just that, a woman who is tempting the view to come to her, with her seductive eyes and lounging pose. In the Neoclassical styling, Magidson creates the tempting beauty dressed in Romanesque clothing with a cityscape in the background. I wish I had more in-depth information on the painting especially the flowers that are onside the woman and within her hand. The mixed layers of the painting are very interesting. Music sheets, an imprint of a flower and a fan are just a few of the things that make parts of the whole.

The third piece is called Aspen Memories. Magidson spends her days now working out of Aspen and the painting must have a lot of meaning behind it for her. This painting is what intrigued me the most out of all of Magidson's work. The beauty that lounges, her body facing away from the audience while she looks, smiling slightly, at the viewer and a fan covering her posterior. This painting intrigues me and just makes me think! I've seen a painting that could possibly be the inspiration for it somewhere before. With help from my friend, we could tell that it is definitely Renaissance (or maybe Mannerism) style and somewhere in the region of Italian or Spanish. If I could, I would love to ask Mrs. Magidson the inspiration of the painting.

Features of the painting included butterflies with a gorgeous Morpho butterfly. This insect gave me proof that this is a piece depicting Venus, goddess of love. The goddess is resting outside, from the forest that surrounds her and the curtain that converts it into her bedroom.

Three paintings are just a bit of Magidson's work and just a taste of the amazing work she has been recognized for.

The Temptress are part of Magidson's private collection where as Aspen Memories was recently sold with Mortal Desires still available for purchase on Magidson's website.

Ingrid Magidson

Duchamp: Nude Descending a Staircase, No.2

2009-12-07T11:53:00.001-08:00

Painted in 1912, Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 is a mix of cubist and futurist genre with stroboscopic feel of multiple photographs layered upon one another. Composed of five superimposed silhouettes, Nude was a new phenomenon that showcased the early imagination of stop-motion and cinema. Though named "Nude" there in fact is no nude but a representation of a nude body in the form of Cubism which takes in affect with the surroundings and staircase.

First submitted in a cubist show in Paris, it was taken out by Duchamp after criticism. Duchamp reintroduced the painting in 1913 in NYC thinking it would be accepted but was surprised by the reaction.

Julian Street, an art critic for the New York Timeswrote that the work resembled "an explosion in a shingle factory." It was a joke for the Americans and as so was parodied and joked about through the art circles.

When Duchamp learned of the scandal, he was delighted. It was just what he wanted and this excitement and interest over the painting and the painter himself sparked Duchamp's move to New York two years later.

The Nude's destiny as a symbol of avant-garde cubo-futurism stemmed from its remarkable aggregation of concerns: the birth of cinema; the Cubists' fracturing of form; the Futurists' depiction of movement and heavy influence from stop-motion photographer, Étienne-Jules Marey.

Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 is on permanent exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Boucher: Madame de Pompadour

2009-11-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

Not one of my favorite genres, Rococo was a lifestyle more than an art movement. Prominent throughout the 18th century of France, wealthy middle-class mixed with the royalty and nobility and flaunted their riches that were incorporated into the art of the day. The term Rococo comes from the French word "rocaille", meaning pebbles, referring to the stones and shells used in the interior decoration of caves. If looking at the motif of Rococo design, one can see that the shell is a prominent symbol used. Fancy and very ornate, Rococo ruled over France with Louis XV and one of its great painters was Francois Boucher. Boucher was the 18th century painter and engraver whose works are perfect examples of French taste in the period. One (or rather few) of Boucher's great paintings, commissioned for the French royal court was the many exquisite paintings of one Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV. Very influentical in the French court, Madame de Pompadour, also known as Marquise de Pompadour- a title given to her by Louis after she purchased the estate, made her place known. She was very involved in politics of the courts and very close to the king, standing out from his other mistresses as she acknowledge the queen(Marie-Josèphe of Saxony) and keep the king company to his dying day. Her official title was Maîtresse-en-titre to Louis XV, chief mistress to the King of France.

Pompadour commissioned Boucher to paint her portrait for one reason only: to always remind the king of her lovely beauty even in her aging days. Displayed here is one of the portraits the was painted by Boucher. At first for me, it was confusing to tell the difference in this one and the others of her. The reason is her position. In all the paintings, she look in off to her right (audience's left). With a coy smile and elegant neck, Pompadour poses as regal as the queen would with her lace and frills.

I've taken a liking to this portrait in particular because of the setting. We are in Pompadour's apartment as she lounges around reading. The gorgeous teal and rose gown she wears is exquisite and rich. The details of the gown are refined as in the style of Rococo. Sitting at her feet are two roses and a black spaniel (I could be wrong). The details are wonderful and the painting is one of Boucher's best of Pompadour but the position of her head is somewhat an annoyance. If you look up any other portrait of Pompadour, you can see from her shoulders up, she looks off to the right. It might be her good side for portraits but it is a mystery to why she posed this way and if there was a problem with the right side of her face.

The background had much details with a large mantle clock ornate with a cherub and below it a enclosed bookcase. Just behind Pompadour, the viewer can see a slight reflection of the back of Pompadour's head. Surrounding Pompadour are things found in a bedroom or sitting room. A side table holding an inkwell, a candle, and papers and lush fabric surround her to bring the focus onto her.

The emphasis of roses (the two at her feet) is expanded to Pompadour's dress with rosettes embellished all over and roses surrounding her with some even hidden under the side table in the dark.

Though Rococo originated in the purely decorative arts, the style showed clearly in painting. Painters of the time used delicate colors and curving forms, decorating their canvases with symbols of love. Pompadour's portraits were gifts of love to the king. Though they did not remain lovers until the end, the love they had for each other remained in their friendship.

Yeah!! One Year! (kind of late...)

2009-11-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!

Just wanted to write and say that it has been one year since I started my art blog! Yea! I want to thank all who have followed the blog and those who have just dropped by to read the stories behind the classics and little known paintings. I really do appreciate it. I promise you, I will be updating soon. School has been taking hold of my spare time and I really miss writing on here. So look forward to about...2....yeah, 2 more entries(maybe more) coming up by this weekend and let's hope I can do more work on the next year.

Once again...
谢谢你
감사합니다
THANK YOU!

Cassanova: OLWW & Exchange

2009-10-01T19:54:00.001-07:00

"Born and raised in the New Orleans area, Jeanne Cassanova has spent much of her life submerged in environments with deeply rich cultural experiences and exaggeratedly exuberant visual heritages. Her childhood was steeped in an odd conglomeration of the excess of Mardi Gras, the guilt of Catholic faith, the overindulgence of an Italian family, the richness of the French Quarter, and the awareness of fragility every hurricane season. All of these elements swirled together and are now very apparent in the work Cassanova creates in which she regurgitates much of the overwhelming daily experiences in life in order to recreate her own definitions of personal culture and beauty. Cassanova received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus in both Painting and New Media from the University of New Orleans in 2004, after which she was accepted into the Graduate Painting program at the University of Houston where she is currently studying and will receive her M.F.A. in 2008."

This multimedia artist is setting out to capture the eclectic and wonder that is a influence of the world and New Orleans. Taking her surroundings, Cassanova captures the world and expresses in a down to earth feel that anyone can relate to and also keep people thinking.

In Our Luck was White, a "Holy Mother Mary" image is the main focus with the red acrylic paint against the paper. From the sketches and imprints on the painting, the audience's eyes are immediately and always drawn to the red image.

In Exchange the experience, the different experience and lives of the people in the painting (actually painted on a bedsheet!) is told through their expressions and actions. Some might notice in the background, the impression of Hokusai's famous print of "Great Wave off Kanagawa"

http://jeannecassanova.com/

Kalis: Opheila and other

2009-10-01T19:04:00.001-07:00

Ethereal, mesmerizing, and fluid. These words come to my mind as I move through Elena Kalis's photography. Russian-born, Kalis now resides in the beautiful Bahamas with her husband and children. Educated in art, Kalis became more interested in photography, taking underwater pictures of her family and friends.

The beauty and calmness in each photo is unbelievable and just surreal. The underwater world is a world rarely explored and with Kalis's photos it a whole new world with fantasy mermaid-like girls. The stillness of the water along with the crystal blue color glow iridescently through the camera lens. Here are a few of Kalis's photos that can be found on her website.

http://elenakalisphoto.com/
http://elenakalis.carbonmade.com/

My Trip to New Orleans Part II

2009-09-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Recently made another trip to New Orleans and this time I actually got to go into NOMA(New Orleans Museum of Art)! I was really excited! I didn't stay long but I got to see some great art. Here are a few of the pieces on display.

This one caught my eye right away. Influenced by Warhol's "Mao" and "Marilyn", Kim Dong-Yoo(김동유)'s Marilyn Monroe vs Chairman Mao

I hope to go back again to see more of the art that I didn't get to see and to see new exhibits. I just love museums!
(I have no idea what this was suppose to be but it was interesting...)

www.noma.org

Hi All!

2009-09-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Sorry I've been away for some time. School has taken over along with a story but I have a treat! 3 new entries of art! I've been researching and finding interesting stories. Hope you enjoy them!

감사합니다! 谢谢你！

Flavitsky: Princess Tarakanova

2009-08-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

The water is filling the room slowly. It has already reached the bed, waves from surges slouching around her feet. The young woman stands in the corner, frightened. Not of the small mouse on the bed, who is trying to save himself from the flood waters, but from the flood waters themselves. desperation and fear etch her face as she looks to the heavens for salvation. What runs through her mind? The lies she told, the men she has seduced, the country she might have lost...The flood waters are growing higher. Her red dress, tattered and torn, but still beautiful, is soaked and clings to her body as she tries to take her final breaths.

A nice story, huh? This is what is depicted in the 1864 painting by Konstantin Flavitsky. A Russian painter, Princess Tarakanova, in the Peter and Paul Fortress at the Time of the Flood, is his most famous painting. The painting is based off the legend of the "false empress", Yelizaveta Alekseyevna Tarakanova, who claimed to be the daughter of Aleksey Grigorievich Razumovsky and Elizabeth of Russia . Her appearance was during the reign of Catherine the Great, Empress Catherine II (1762-1796) and she was a threat to the empire. Little is known about her but much has been written about this impostor. She traveled the empire, claiming her birthright to the Russian empire but she was finally arrested by one of Catherine II's men and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The fortress is depicted as the last room of Tarakanova in Flavitsky's painting. According to legend, in 1777, the Neva River that runs through Saint Petersburg flooded. At that time, Tarakanova was imprisoned in the fortress and captured in the flood where she died. This not true as Tarakanova died 2 years earlier in the fortress of tuberculosis.

Flavitsky's depiction of the tragedy is overwhelming and awe-inspiring as the audience is taken aback by the anguish and suffering on the young woman as her prison becomes her watery grave.

Koons: Puppy & Rabbit

2009-08-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of kitsch? Lawn gnomes, flamingos, those little porcelain figures; they are all know as kitsch, objects that are seen as worthless junk to many and to a few, precious art. Jeff Koons's art is kitschy but is seen as great art around the world. An American artist, Koons is known for his neo-pop art of balloon animals that are produced from stainless steel and often seen in bright colors.

Metal balloon animals?

Master art that can be seen around the world in galleries from the Bilbao to New York's Smithsonian, Koons's art work is appreciated as a way to look at the fun side of the world for a little while. Besides balloon animals, Koons has created sculptures including one of the late Michael Jackson and his chimp, Bubbles. One of Koons's largest art is a 12.4 m tall topiary sculpture of a West Highland White Terrier puppy which is titled Puppy. Created in 1992, the piece was erected at an art exhibition in Germany but was dismantled and reassembled in Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia at the front of the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is now it permanent home. The flowery dog is a large attraction and is seen as "kitsch" but is very appealing to the eye.

Another one of pieces is an early work of the balloon theme. His 1986 piece, Rabbit, is seen as a cuddle-worthy inflated bunny cast from stainless steel. Standing at over three feet, the rabbit has a polished surface that reflects its surroundings. As the audience surrounds it, their reflection is seen the round body of the bunny as it holds on to its tiny metal carrot. I have the feeling this bunny is not says "What's up, Doc?" but it's a cute bunny!

Koons's work has sold for millions at auctions. His sculpture "Diamond (Blue) sold for $11.8 million and his magenta "Hanging Heart" sold for a record $23.6 million becoming the most expensive piece by a living artist to be auctioned at the time.

Kitsch or not, "Art" is in the eye of the beholder.

Ingres: Comtesse d'Haussonville

2009-08-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

I've done plenty of entries featuring J.A.D. Ingres portraits and each are a masterpiece and a wonder to look at. Most recently I came across a very beautiful painting that is closely related to Ingres' painting, Princesse Albert de Broglie. The princesse's sister-in-law to be specific, Louise de Broglie, Comtesse d'Hassuonville.

Married at the age of 18, Louise was the wife of a diplomat and writer and a writer herself, publishing a number of books including a biography on Lord Byron. She was very outspoken and liberal, a rebel to a point.

The portrait shows the Comtesse in her boudoir , turned to the audience with her chin tilted downward slightly. She stands in front of the mirror with her surroundings featuring that which could be found in a lady's bedroom during the 19th century. She leans against an clothed fireplace, her arms crossed with her left hand resting on her chin coyly. Upon the fireplace, we can see the precious trinkets of the Comtesse including vases, a painted music box and her opera glasses. On the chair near the Comtesse, we can see that she has thrown her shawl across the arm of the chair as if she had did so recently.

The Comtesse herself is a beauty as her white porcelain skin shines softly in the painting. Ingres uses a wonderful technique in his paintings, leaving no brushstrokes or disruptions on the canvas. The smoothness of the Comtesse and the portrait are almost realistic from the silk ribbon in her hair to the velvet feel of the upholstered fireplace. The Comtesse stands before us in a wonderful baby blue gown, the folds of the gown billowing around her. Jewelry adorns her from a golden bracelet to the rings on her fingers that give the audience a taste of how rich she is. Gold surrounds the Comtesse in the painting from the framing of the mirror, which reflects her back and the beautiful braided bun she wears, to the gold in the trinkets on the fireplace.

Ingres created many drawings before having the final portrait, analyzing the position of her left arm, head and the reflection. Ingres was a great artist of his time and his paintings are a wonder to look at.

Peterson: Hyperrealism- "Don't Shed No Tears" & "Walkin in New York"

2009-07-19T13:23:00.001-07:00

Learning the art form of drawing, painting, and restoration from his grandfather who himself was a restorer of Rembrandts, a master painter, and a protege of Claude Monet, Denis Peterson earned his BFA as he worked as a restorer of 16th and 17th century art and then as a commercial illustrator in NYC. He when received his MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute where he was awarded a fellowship by Richard Pratt.

Hyperrealism, the genre in which Peterson is known for, is the genre of paintings and sculptures that resemble a high resolution photograph and is an advancement of photo-realism. Beginning in the early 21st century, hyperrealism came into the mainstream and international art world as Peterson was the first to use the term to describe the new movement.

Author Graham Thompson wrote "One demonstration of the way photography became assimilated into the art world is the success of photo-realist painting in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is also called super-realism or hyper-realism and painters like Richard Estes, Denis Peterson, Audrey Flack, and Chuck Close often worked from photographic stills to create paintings that appeared to be photographs."

Peterson's subject matter ranges from political statements to confronting the human condition. His most recent collection depicts detailed New York cityscape. One of this most profound series is his "Don't Shed No Tear" collection that showcases paintings of natives of Darfur and the conditions in the stricken country. One painting depicts a crying woman, her skin sun weathered as she looks out to the audience. The collection is used to provoke America's involvement with the conflict that threatens Darfur and its people which is growing everyday.

Peterson continues to paint full time in New York as his art work is displayed international.

http://www.denispeterson.com

Marie Chao: AnD Artist

2009-07-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

"For the past decade, Marie has worked as a camera person on hit TV shows and films in Hollywood alongside award-winning filmmakers. Her experience in the film industry has led to a keen sense of cinematic visual style, which was invaluable and evident in her stills photography. Currently, Marie has returned to Asia, seeking fellow artists who share her vision of storytelling to collaborate on various projects: features, shorts, and music videos."

Marie Chao, a native of Taiwan, is an excellent photographer and cinematographer, working on as many as 40 movies in her career. Her cinematic view is indeed seen in her photographs, as seen on her website, from a photo spread featuring singer Chris Brown to her coverage of the LA Film Critics Award this year for Sina.com.

Chao has a keen eye for the exotic and interesting as she captures the things around her and have the audience interpret them into the stories they can be. The beauty of each photo with smiles and action captured through the lens of her camera is extraordinary and breathtaking.

Though I have never seen any of her movies, it is evident in her photography that she has a keen eye and an eye to capture what needs to be seen and what can be felt in that period of time. An AnD artist, Chao displays a few of her photos on the site with a link to her website. Check her out!

http://www.alivenotdead.com/mariechao
http://mariechao.com/Home.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152051/

Yuko Adachi: Exhilaration and My Wish

2009-07-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

In my work, I want to externalize my appreciation of being alive, celebration of freedom in human creativity, and my interest in expressing the spiritual journey during the process of creating art...Art is love and it is my life.
-YUKO ADACHI

Yuko Adachi's works are being compared to the like of Wassily Kandinsky with the colorful and spiritual feel of the abstract art. The spiritual and freeing feel from Adachi's mixed media art can be felt in clearly as she blends the mediums and colors to create a colorful wonderland for the eyes. On her website, named "Super Fine Artist", you can see all of her artworks and the comments she makes for each. One can see how environmentally conscious Adachi is from her works in mixed media such as her 2000 work "Can't See it, Can't Smell it, Can't Taste it" and also how much she enjoys her Japanese background and the country through her photography in the Art section of the site.

Starting out at the Sophia University in Tokyo, Adachi, as an exchange student, then studied at Georgetown University and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts. She continued to be recognized in the art world with many awards and reviews as she participated in exhibitions and competitions. Her first solo exhibition was in 2001 in Cambridge Massachusetts. Adachi continues to have exhibitions with her compelling art, received acclamation from many sources on her colorful and often seen as candy coated art.

http://www.yukoadachi.com/

http://www.keikogallery.com/yukoadachi_exhibit.html - Her exhibition at the Keiko Gallery in Boston, MA

http://www.photocabi.net/yukoadachi/ - Japanese website

Picasso: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon & Cézanne: Les Grandes Baigneuses

2009-07-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Pablo Picasso is seen as an influential artist with hundreds of paintings to his name. Each of his paintings can be split into different periods of his life with names such as the Rose Period, Surrealism and his two famous ones, Blue Period and Cubism. One period that is not heard of as much is the African influenced period and his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, The Young Ladies of Avignon. Depicted are five nude female prostitutes in a brothel on Avinyó street in Barcelona. Les Demoiselles would not be exhibited until 1916, when it got its formal name from an art critic; Picasso always called it Le Bordel ("The Brothel"), and not widely recognized as a revolutionary achievement until the early 1920s. It was painted as a reaction to Henri Matisse's paintings Le bonheur de vivre and Blue Nude, who was Picasso's rival and would always battle for the better art. Picasso was vying with Matisse for the preeminent position of being the perceived new leader of Modern painting and toppling the art movement that Matisse led, Fauvism. Upon the painting's completion, the shock and the impact of it propelled Picasso into the center of controversy and all but knocked Matisse and Fauvism off the map, virtually ending the movement by the following year. Picasso received much praise for his avant-garde painting and bold movement, pushing Matisse out of the spotlight and away from being seen as controversial of a painter as Picasso.

The painting shows the five figures, prostitutes from a brothel, as they are "on display" showing their "wares" for the customers. Their eyes, somewhat deadpan, make the painting feel flat. The painting, though during Picasso's African influenced period (1907-1910), Les Demoiselles is seen as the first cubism painting for Picasso. Along with the two figures on the right having faces similar African mask, the bodies of the women are at geometrical angles, with sharp angles to create their body parts. They give off a somewhat menacing look with a rough feminine feel. Les Demoiselles was deemed immoral, but In July 2007, Newsweek published a two-page article about Les Demoiselles d'Avignon describing it as the "most influential work of art of the last 100 years".

Les Demoiselles has resemblance to Paul Gauguin's statue Oviri, and El Greco's Opening of the Fifth Seal, but is usually compared to Paul Cézanne's Les Grandes Baigneuses, or The Bathers. Painted in 1906, this painting is part of a series and was usually called The Large Bathers to distinguish it from the smaller of the series. The abstract females surround a pond as they bath with abstract surroundings. Trees that bend into an arch above them and clouds and the sky pull all focus on the women with their round bodies, very much different from Picasso's painting. The females are somewhat similar to Les Demoiselles as they are on display but there is a stronger female feel from Cézanne's painting.

Painted around the same time but completely different feels, Les Demoiselles and The Bathers are influential paintings and have given the painters their distinguished recognition around the world.

Prager: Ellen & Lust

2009-06-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

"Kitschy, Retro with a hint of quirkiness." This is what is generally said about Alex Prager's photography. With exhibits named "Polyester" and "The Big Valley", what you can expect from Prager's photography is something that is eye-catching and lasting.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Prager has made much progress in her art career with many shows and awards including the London Photographic Award in 2006. Mostly exhibiting in Los Angeles, Prager has been shown across the US and in London and included on artistaday.com. Mixed reviews, Prager's photographs are something of wonderment as each photo tells a whole story of the surroundings usually a day in California. Some of the figures of the photos are dressed in 1960s and 1970s clothing and hairstyles giving the pictures a retro and for a few a doll-like look.

Posted here are two of Prager's photos, one from her Polyester collection and another from her archives.

With a doll-like look to her, Ellen is very eye-catching and amazing. A photo of a single girl standing with a Big Gulp drink is simple and a conversation starter. With her constant stare into space and the irregular lighting from behind and in front, the capturing of Ellen in this state is somewhat odd.

The retro clothing, a floral frock and sun-kissed blonde hair of hers, paint a story of a California girl who is out at night with friends when she sees something off in the distance. Ellen's round face with her mouth slightly open give her a childlike aura as she stands in front of a camera that she doesn't know is there.

The other photo maybe uncomfortable for some to see as it is somewhat controversial but what art isn't?

Lust depicts a young girl in a small pool staring provocatively at the camera. Her hair slicked back and ruby red lipstick is painted on her lips. The dark background emphasizes the subject and the shot. Part of a collection that Prager was involved in with Mercedes Helnwein called “The Book of Disquiet: a story of the Seven Deadly Sins”, Lust has a Lolita complex to it as the young girl is put in a mature setting with mature looks.

The look she give is somewhat ridiculous but in all a reflection on how Western markets are pushing young girls, as younger version of the mature females of the world, which create weird perverted people in the world. That’s not what Prager is trying to do but is trying to tell us.

Prager’s art is something one must study and examine with its doll-like figures and extraordinary stories.

http://www.alexprager.com
Artist-a-day: Alex Prager

Qwek: Guanyin (AnD Artist)

2009-05-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ben Qwek, also know as Mr. B, is a visual artist who works in multimedia mediums with his art touching on traditional art, comics, and commercial art. Singapore resident, Mr. B has made his name known with his art over Southeast Asia and in the States with companies such as NIKE, DC Licensing, and Qais Consulting. His art is eye catching and just wonderful to look at.

from his AnD blog: Mr.B is a self proclaimed visual stylist. Growing up in a cosmopolitan Singapore, influences are diverse and cultures converge. Aspiring to bet a multi disciplinary artist, he is always striving to create distinctive visuals that fuses various influences and design communication. Empathies in areas of both conceptual thinking and idea generation are what he enjoys most as he believes that designing is a dynamic process of thought. He worships good solid art foundation that allows one to be well versed in all mediums of art except performing arts. A crossover artist from the world of graphic design and street art, Mr.B straddles between mainstream illustration and adding a street edge to his projects.

Check out Mr. B's sites: Carbonmade
DeviantArt AnD blog Official site

Johnson: Queen Mab, Bringer of Dreams

2009-05-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies
Over men’s noses as they lie asleep;
Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut
Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub,
Time out o’ mind the fairies’ coachmakers....

This is the beginning of the poem recited by Mercuito to his best friend within Shakespeare's romantic tragedy "Romeo and Juliet". The bringer of dreams, Queen Mab is referenced as the queen of the fairies and consort to another one of Shakespeare's characters King Oberon(A Midsummer's Night Dream). Queen Mab made her literary debut within Shakespeare's play of star crossed lovers in what was a comical speech made by the tragic Mercuito to Romeo before his first encounter with Juliet at the ball.

Posted is Mab, Bringer of Dreams by Howard David Johnson. Johnson depicts the queen upon her woodland throne surrounded by her subjects of fairies, wood nymphs and the forest itself. From the simple crown upon her green haired head to the lush red velvet gown she wears, Johnson's painting is remnant of that of the Pre-Raphaelite era of painting. The exquisite details, such as the golden thread design on the hem of her gown and the unique and ornate wings of the smaller fairies.

Within the painting, we are looking at Queen Mab as she looks into the portal to the dreams of the people of the world. Her wand in hand, she readies herself to bring about good dreams to those entering the dream realm. The queen smiles as she looks down into the bowl at her work. The table that holds the bowl is ornate with gold and mahogany wood with golden birds and what looks like a silver vase under the bowl. In the lower left hand corner, we see two fairies, one standing as another sits on a rock. They wait on the orders of their queen as they watch her work. The detailed delicate wings of the fairies make them more beautiful within this work of art. In the right hand corner, the viewer can see a goblin as he looks out into the audience with a grimace look on his face.

Queen Mab, seen in Mercuito's speech, as a tiny creature who brings about dreams and good thoughts to those who sleep whatever they may be. She is a creature who is sought out by all who wish for a good night's sleep and a pleasant rest. Johnson's depiction is one of exquisite beauty that would make anyone wish for the queen of the fairies to visit them. May Queen Mab visit you and grant you pleasant dreams.

Raphael: The Sistine Madonna

2009-05-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Two angelic faces are what most people can recognize from the large painting but "The Sistine Madonna" is much more with the Holy Mother, Christ child, two saints and the faces of cherubs that are hidden in the background.

Painted in 1513, The Sistine Madonna painted by Raphael was commissioned by Pope Julius II, The Sistine Madonna is seen as one the most recognizable paintings and one that most people would not know much about. With pop culture taking hold of the painting, the two cherubs at the bottom of the altarpiece are what most people associate with the Sistine Madonna. They sit as observes looking up at the Madonna and the Christ child as they descend from a heavenly space. The innocent looks upon their face is deemed to look of angels.

Besides the two cherubs, there are four other heavenly beings within the large alter painting (265 cm × 196 cm). On the viewer’s left, we see Martyr Pope Sixtus II. He looks up at the Holy Mother and child as he points out to the audience saying something of “look at those who come to pay worship to you and the Holy child” as his hand almost is out of the frame and out of the painting. Looking closely at the pope's right hand, one can see that it appears that he has five fingers and a thumb. It is unknown why this is this way but it is a weird phenomenon. His pope miter rest down below where the cherubs sit as he has taken it off to pay respect to the Holy Mother. Sixtus II’s wardrobe is gold and white, the colors of the pope and Holy church but he does not stand out even with the golden color of his robe, as all attention is drawn to Mary and the Christ Child.

On the viewer’s right we see the patron saint of artillery gunners, lighting, and those who risk their life in working, Saint Barbara. Unlike the cherubs and Pope Sixtus II, she is not looking at the Holy Mother but down at the cherubs. The look on her face is one of sadness but she still smiles. She smiling slightly as she looks down at the two cherubs. Hidden in the background behind a curtain near the saint is a tower which is a representation of Barbara as she was locked away in a tower for her belief in Christianity though her father was a pagan.

The main focus of the painting is Mary and the Christ child. The painting was said to be painted for the Epiphany which usually includes the 3 kings of the East but instead The Sistine Madonna shows Mary and Christ hovering on clouds. In her traditional red and blue, Mary holds the Christ child as she looks out to the audience (which Pope Sixtus II has pointed out for her). The mother and child have their heads touching as they look out with Mary holding Christ very close to her and wrapped in the veil of her many layered dress. Their faces show no expression as they look out and lock eyes with the viewer. The Holy Mother, Christ Child, Pope Sixtus II, and Saint Barbara each have halos over their heads but is barely visible from years of fading.

What most people don’t know but notice very quickly is the background above the figures. Painted lightly are faces of cherubs that blend into the clouds. It has been discussed whether these are cherubs(angels) or unborn children as their faces are expressionless and their pupils are not visible. The feel of the faces is that of lifelessness even with the colors and warming feeling coming from the surrounding figures. Raphael has painted the faces before in Madonna di Foligno (The Madonna of Foligno).

"The Sistine Madonna" is painted with the illusion of being on a stage. It is visible from the plank that the cherubs rest on and the curtain and rod that frame the painting. The curtains are open for the showing of the Holy Mother and the Christ Child for the audience as Pope Sixtus II shows the Madonna all who have come to see her. The primary colors of the picture are white, red, green and gold, the colors of Italy, and the placement of each figures is like that of the Cross.

Einaudi: Necropolis

2009-05-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Necropolis- Noun; origin: Late Latin, city of the dead, from Greek nekropolis, from nekr- + -polis -polis; defined as : cemetery ; especially : a large elaborate cemetery of an ancient city.

A macabre title for a painting but that is the somewhat feel and sense we get from Fred Einaudi's surreal paintings. Not much is known about this artist on the internet except a simple entry: "Fred Einaudi was born in 1971, lives in San Francisco, and plans to one day die." Simple and to the point, and that can be said about Einaudi's paintings with titles such as "The Chocolate Donut" and "Extintion(study)". Seen as bizarre yet beautiful, Einaudi's works are a mix of innocence and the macabre of death with apocalyptic views and grotesque design. Not afraid to show the world as it is, this surrealist artist has no fear as he paints.

Einaudi's painting, Necropolis, is a beautiful yet decrypted look at a "city of the dead" with a whole new representation. A snowy night under what everyone could see as a graveyard during mid-day traffic jams. The highway stands as a guard over the "tombstones" that are represented by old cars that have seen better days. A path winds through the graveyard passing each car that stands to represent a tombstone and passing era. It is a representation that as the years pass, we throw away that is seen as old and never looking back. The surrealism of the painting is that it could be seen as the graveyard that one might pass by.

The snow covered grow, the starless sky and the eerie feeling the painting gives is just a taste of what Fred Einaudi gives his audience through his fearful, surrealist mind. Check out his website. Don't let the simplicity fool you. As they say, pictures speak louder than words and Einaudi's paintings are like blood cuddling screams.

http://fredeinaudi.com/

Asia Eng: An AnD artist

2009-05-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

An featured artist on AliveNotDead has caught my eye. Her art is outstanding and just incredible. The imagery of her art is awe-inspiring. Asia Eng’s art has graced websites, commercials and even the engine cover of a M35 Infinity. Quoted from her site, Asia is “female + Gemini + hippie artist = 3 types of crazy = you lose". From her art, it can be seen.

From her AnD site:

At the age of five, Asia Eng was diagnosed with a hearing impairment and speech impediment that made it hard for her to communicate. As a result, Asia relied on drawing and writing as a form of communication and self-expression, being that she was also a terribly, shy child. Inspired by her artistic, older sister, and encouraged by her parents, Asia pursued art as a career path. By the time she was nineteen, Asia moved from her home in Oakland to Los Angeles in order to attend the Otis College of Art and Design. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, concentrating on Illustration and Minoring in Creative Writing.

Before graduating, Asia accepted an internship at Disney Children’s Place in Pasadena. At Children’s Place, Asia worked on an internship group project and Tween apparel (i.e. Hannah Montana and High School Musical). After the internship, Asia focused on gallery work. She had her first group show with Cannibal Flower at Hangar 101, sharing the spot with another rising artist and fellow colleague, Mia Araujo.

It has been a year and a half since she has graduated from Otis and Asia has already worked with such clientele as Disney Children’s Place, Disney Imagineering, Harley Davidson, Warner Brothers, NZXT, Jones Edition, and Jakk’s Pacific. At this moment, Asia is also focusing on the artwork for the apparel line 3rd Law (www.The3rdLaw.com). In addition to her work in clothing, Asia recently picked up a job teaching at the art and portfolio school, Visual 21. She anticipates several gallery shows in 2009, including two solo shows at Alphacult (January 10th) and Pueblo Nuevo (June). Asia also highly anticipates working with Cerasoli leBasse, participating in a traveling show, and being one of the featured artists for the Hive Gallery (December).

Check Asia’s sites for more info:

http://www.alivenotdead.com/asiaeng
http://asiaengart.com/
http://asiaengart.carbonmade.com
http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/59759-asia-eng
http://www.bluecanvas.com/asia/

Velazquez: Las Meninas

2009-04-24T08:33:00.001-07:00

Royalty is seen as the great among greats in history especially art history. From the great emperors Caesar and Alexander to European kings and queens, royalty have been immortalized in the art world by the famous artist of the centuries. One painting stands out from the rest. It depicts the Spanish royal family but its title is on another subject, the ladies in waiting.

La Meninas, painted by Diego Velazquez in 1656, is somewhat a snapshot of the royal family of King Philip IV of Spain in a large room with several other players who are part of the court. There are a total of 11 figures in the painting, each playing a major role in the painting and in the Spanish royal court. The first figure and the center figure is princess Infanta Margarita, Margarita Teresa, at the time, five years old. She was the only surviving child of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana at the time. The young princess is accompanied by a chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs, and the namesakes of the painting, las meninas or ladies in waiting.

Margarita is attended by her ladies, doña Isabel de Velasco and doña María Agustina Sarmiento de Sotomayor. Velasco, on the princess' left (viewer's right) is set in a curtsy as Sotomayor, on the princess' right (viewer's left) is kneeling while offering her a drink.

On the Infanta's left are the two dwarfs, Maribarbola and Nicolas Pertusato. It is known, mostly from Velazquez's paintings, that King Philip IV had a clearly good relationship with the dwarfs in his court, which he had about 110. Maribarbola looks out at the viewers along with the artist making her facial features very clear. Unlike the faces of most in the painting, hers and Velázquez's are shown both clearly defined and directed fully forward; their glares meeting ours: artist and dwarf are alert outsiders, observers and witnesses. Behind the princess is her chaperone, doña Marcela de Ulloa who is seen dressed in morning and talking to a unknown bodyguard in the darken background. In the far background is the court chamberlain during the 1650s and a possible relative of the artist, Don José Nieto Velázquez. Nieto stands on the staircase in the background looking out to the viewers. It is unknown why he is present in the room or what he is doing. Velazquez, the painter, positioned Nieto on the steps, halfway stepping either coming or going but mostly supervising. Only the viewers know of Nieto being there as everyone else is looking out at the viewers or elsewhere. The painter included himself in the painting standing to the side in front of a large canvas as he paints the viewers or as we can see in a small mirror on the back wall, King Philip IV and Queen Mariana, who are the subjects of the painting Velazquez works on within this one.

On Velazquez's chest is the red cross of the Order of Santiago, the Spanish order of knighthood, which he received 3 years after the painting was complete. It is said that King Philip ordered or painted the cross himself over the painting.

Of the nine figures depicted clearly, five look out at the royal couple/viewers. The assumption is that the couple is posed for a painting by Velazquez as their daughter watches and the painting is through their eyes. Looking at the painting, one can see that the vanishing point of perspective is the doorway as the lines branch off from there going along the wall. Also the painting has been cut down on both sides (reason unknown this writer) and retouches have been done over the years from fire damage and aging.

Originally titled "The family of Philip IV" or "La Familia", the Prado, where the painting currently resides, first recorded it as Las Meninas. It is seen as the most analyzed work of the Western art world and a great piece with similar works by John Singer Sargent, Goya, and Picasso.

My Trip to New Orleans

2009-04-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

I've been away for sometime, guys! (I think about three weeks now). I posted yesterday as part of the Art of the Week and just wanted to say, I'm getting the break I so needed. I've been going to school for four months now and nothing but school work has been on my mind. I check AnD every once and a while, saying to myself "I will post another blog today!"

Well three weeks has come to today (well... yesterday). I'm on Spring break for the remainder of this week and I've been loving it. I would have loved to have been in Panama City Beach but can't always count on things. Well, my friends and I decide the other day to visit an old adviser of ours in New Orleans.

Well after a surprise lunch, we decided let's spend the rest of the day in the Big Easy. I was reminded of why I love New Orleans (I attended school in N.O. before Hurricane Katrina in 2005). Not just the music and the friendly people but THE ART! So many art galleries and the architecture is just breathtaking.

While in the N.O., we tried to visit NOMA (New Orleans Museum of Art) but is was closed[Note: never visit NOMA on Mondays and Tuesdays-they are CLOSED] and we visited a few art galleries. Two stood out to me the most. Lyon and Lyon Fine Art and Craig Tracy Fine Art Bodypainting gallery. Both were astonishing and just a great place to view the best art of New Orleans, besides the street art surrounding Jackson Square.

At Lyon and Lyon, we saw art of mixed media from the simple to the complex. One that was really "cool" was Liberte' est Bleu by R.R. Lyon. The oil on Plexiglas was refreshing look as 35 squares hung from the wall in 5 x 7 rows, each with a different design with different shades of blue. The feeling you get is as if you are looking out over a crystal blue ocean, the sound of the ways and the freedom of colors. Translated from French Liberte' est Bleu means 'Liberty is blue".
Visit the website to see other artist such as Aryan Hart, Pascal, and Brian Tull.

Lyon & Lyon on Fine Art

Craig Tracy gives another meaning to "living paintings". A member of the World Body Painting Association and the 2005 Grand Winner of the World Body Painting Festival held in Austria, Tracy is a New Orleans native leaving an imprint on the art world. Not your traditional paint and canvas, Tracy gives his audience a look at the beauty of the body and the wonder of art all in one.

"Nothing even comes close to the beauty and complexity of the human canvas," says Tracy as each of his subjects are exotic and beautiful to see as you get mesmerized by the mixture of the body form with colors and shapes of painting. Two magnificent pieces that are just hypnotizing are Butterfly and Speed.

Butterfly is a close up of a snow leopard. Can you figure out where the body is? It took me sometime, I will admit but it just amazing how well the body can be a great canvas and morph into the painting. According to the artist, the title comes from the butterfly used as the leopard's nose.

Speed is another amazing painting. From Tracy's website: Considering that my model, Cara, is an olive skinned brunette with waist length hair, one might appreciate this image for its transformative quality alone. I find its simplicity compelling and its composition harmonious yet paradoxical. Created in the winter month of January, the unheated studio was so cold that I actually painted Cara in the studio's heated dressing room.

Two other paintings that caught my eye were the collaborative paintings of "Sister" and "Brother" painted by Tracy and fellow artist Carolyn Roper. The bare bodies are painted black with silver paint with details across their abdomen. Seen in almost all of Tracy's works is the symbol of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana, the Fleur De Lis. The designs on the two "canvases" are clearly mesmerizing and profoundly New Orleans.

More exceptional art is available at Tracy's website:
Craig Tracy

Both galleries are located on Royal Street in New Orleans. Visit sometime and enjoy the art!

ARTIST UPDATE! COUNTERF!T(Foon and Arne Venema)

2009-04-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I'm doing this but here is an artist update.

The guys of COUNTERF!T have come up with a new sick design that has become a toy. Digidude!

(From Arne Venema's AnD's site:)

Digidude first made its appearance in a painting by the name of Shibuya Acid by the art and design crew (now company) Counterf!t. The image/character was so popular that it was decided to turn the character into a designer toy. The story behind Digidude is somewhat of a mystery however what we DO know is that his father was a pair of head phones and his mother was a popular mp3 player (as a result characteristics of both can be seen in his design). Counterf!t is also set to launch a t-shirt line featuring Digidude, and other characters from its Neo-Hong Kong universe.

Check out the first blog I did on Foon and COUNTERF!T (Shibuya Acid featured)

Foon and COUNTERF!T- 081218

Check out the guys of COUNTERF!T here on AnD and more on Digidude:

http://www.alivenotdead.com/FoonWong http://www.alivenotdead.com/arnevenema

Michelangelo's La Pietà

2009-04-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Easter has come and passed as those of the Christian fate are reminded of what Christ did for our sins. With in the history of Art, many artist have depicted the Passion of the Christ and his Crucifixion. Michelangelo Buonarroti, most known for his David and painting of the Sistine Chapel, created one of the most highly recognizable and highly finished work of his.

La Pietà, finished in 1499, depicts the Holy Mother Mary holding Jesus after he was brought down from the Cross. The marks of the Crucifixion are limited to very small nail marks and an indication of the wound in Jesus' side. Michelangelo's interpretation is that different from his predecessors (He created the statute before he turned 30). Most depictions are that of Mary as she would have been at Jesus' death, an older woman, with features of a woman who has seen time pass. Michelangelo's Pietà is that of a young Mary, pure and innocent and serene as she looks at the body of her dead son.

The style of the sculpture is pyramidal, with Mary's head being the point as it goes out to the head and feet of Jesus.The statue widens down the drapery of Mary's dress, to the base, the rock of Golgotha. There was much controversy of the statue as Mary is not depicted as the older woman she would have been but a young woman, almost the same age of Jesus. The look on the Virgin's face is almost sensual as Jesus lies almost as if he is asleep in her arms instead of dead. As Mary cradles Jesus, they seem the same high which seems impossible for her to hold up the full gown man.

Like many pieces of art, Pietà has gone through damage with the Virgin missing four fingers and a mentally disturbed geologist taking a hammer to the Virgin. Currently, the statue rest behind a glass wall with in St. Peter's Bascilla. There are replicas around the world including one in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis in the United States and the St. John's Cathedral in Bundang, Korea.

La Pietà is an important work as it balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism.

David: Death of Marat & Baudry: Charlotte Corday

2009-03-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Viva la Revolucion!

This was the cry of the 18th century as France, fed up with the aristocrats and monarch of Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette. It began with the Fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. From that point, powers turned, people raised their voices and...heads began to roll. Much like the American Revolution, the French Revolution saw death, turmoil and success for the French people as they moved toward independence. But the fight against the bigger power gave onset to fighting between those who wanted the revolution. The Reign of Terror was a fight for the top between the Girondins, the group of individuals who held certain opinions and principles in common rather than an organized party, and the Jacobins, the largest party of the two who were more radical and had more left-wing and extremist views. With each group fighting, more and more people were sent to meet Madame Guillotine. Each side lost players in the game of Revolution but it was not until July 13, 1793, almost four years since the beginning of the Revolution.

The Death of Marat, painted by Jacques-Louis David in 1793, depicts Jacobin leader and radical journalist, John-Paul Marat in his last breath as he laid assassinated by Girondin follower, Charlotte Corday. It was known that Marat, because of a skin disease, would bathe in a cold bath to be soothe himself. Marat was in the process of taking one of these comforting baths when he was murdered by Corday. At the time of Marat, who is seen as a martyr during that time and in this painting, was penning his letter to his peers titled, L'Ami du peuple ("The Friend of the People"). Marat was seen as a righteous leader who would bring down the tyranny for a greater established government though he and his followers were more radical than those of the monarch. The image of his death is designed to commemorate a personable hero: although the name Charlotte Corday can be seen on the paper held in Marat's left hand, the assassin has been withdrawn.

The background is dark as a light source, unknown, brightens the death scene of martyr Marat. He lies in the bathtub, a green cloth covering him as a white sheet envelopes him. The sheet and the position of Marat's body is a mirror image of Michaelangleo's La Pieta as Marat lies in the position such as Jesus did as he laid across Mary's lap. Within Marat's hands are his papers and his pen, showing that he worked for the revolution until his dying breath. It is strange as we look upon his face that it seems as if he is smiling, as if he knew that he was to be a martyr for the Revolution in the eyes of other Jacobins. Seen as an "awful beautiful lie", David's painting not only depicts Marat in the sense of a martyr but also not as accurate as that day. It was said once Corday entered his home, the third try with lies of a Girondist uprising. She was turned away at noon but returned later and was admitted by Marat himself. Marat took the names of the Girondist that Corday gave him on the uprising and then pulled out the six inch knife she had and plunged it into Marat. Within David's painting, the knife is seen on the ground not in Marat's body as it was left by Corday. Also Corday never ran away but remained in the room with the body until officials came and arrested her. Marat's last words were Aidez, ma chère amie! ("Help me, my dear friend!").

Widely admired during the Terror whose leaders ordered several copies of the original work, The Death of Marat had begun to fall into disfavor after Robespierre, another Jacobin leader and seen as the most radical and terrifying during the Reign, was overthrown and executed. It was returned to David in 1795, before he himself was prosecuted for his involvement in the Terror as a close friend of Robespierre (he would have to wait for Napoleon's rise to become prominent in the arts once more).

As to any story, there is another side. The story of the Girondin heroine, Charlotte Corday. A young woman of 25 years old, Corday believed that Marat was threatening the Republic, and that his death would end violence throughout the nation. Corday was named the l'ange de l'assassinat or the Angel of Assassination. Painted by Paul Jacques Aimé Baudry. Titled Charlotte Corday, the painting shows the young girl in the corner of the room, Marat's body still in the tub, as she stands bravely over the deed she has done. The room is clearly seen in Baudry's painting with a chair overturned and papers scattered everywhere. Marat was seen as a revolutionary monster and Corday as a heroine of France, represented in the wall-map behind her. Marat's assassination provoked reprisals in which thousands of the Jacobins' adversaries – both royalists and Girondins – were executed on supposed charges of treason. She was guillotined on 17 July 1793 for the murder. During her four-day trial, she had testified that she had carried out the assassination alone, saying "I killed one man to save 100,000."

The assassination did not stop the Jacobins or the Terror: Marat became a martyr, and busts of Marat replaced crucifixes and religious statues that were no longer welcome under the new regime. The misogyny of many revolutionary leaders was increased by Corday's act. The iconic pose of Marat dead in his bath has been reviewed from a different angle in Baudry's painting of 1860, both literally and interpretively: Corday, rather than Marat, has been made the hero of the action. History will tells that the Reign of Terror and the Revolution continued until the uprising of Napoleon Bonaparte and the coup d'etat on November 9 1799 in which Napoleon first stepped into his dictatorship position.

Note: David's Marat-Note on the writer's block Marat's name above David's as a tombstone and memorial to the revolutionary. Baudry's Charlotte- unlike David's painting the knife is still plunged into Marat's body.

Goya's Two Majas

2009-03-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

Francisco Goya was one of the great painters of the 18th century and is still known today. A Spanish artist, Goya is seen as the last of the Old Masters and as the first of the moderns. The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint gave inspiration to later great artist.

A court painter and historian for the Spanish crown, Goya was a rebel in his paintings, painting subjects so gruesome and out there. One, or should I say two, of Goya's most famous painting is called La maja desnuda (The Nude Maja) painted in 1800. It depicts, as the title tells, a nude woman, who seems to be of high status, posed reclined across pillows and smiling at the artist. The story behind the painting is that a duchess entranced by the Maja image, meaning harlot, she asked Goya to paint her in this way. Seen as the first paintings to depict female pubic hair, though earlier paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder show it, Maja is an interesting painting of its time and now.

Nudes were outlandish and unique at that time in the Spanish art and a risky chance that Goya took, but he was smart. He refused to paint clothes on her, and instead created a new painting. Along with La maja desnuda, Goya painted La maja vestida, or Clothed Maja. This was the young woman in the same position except...clothed. La maja desnuda was displayed privately but if guest were to be entertained, La maja vestida, by way of mechanical devices, was lowered down for proper eyes to see.

Without a pretense to allegorical or mythological meaning, the painting was "the first totally profane life-size female nude in Western art". Thre are rumors behind who might be the maja including María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duchess of Alba, with whom Goya is rumored to have been romantically involved and PepitaTudo, who most historians believe is the famed Maja and who's lover owned the paintings.

In 1815, the Spanish Inquisition questioned Goya on who commissioned the paintings and why he painted him. No just reason was given or record. It was accepted as both paintings were saved from the fire and now hang in Prado in Madrid.

Takashi Murakami

2009-03-04T23:31:00.000-08:00

Takashi Murakami

-founder of the KaiKai kiki Co.
- born in Tokyo
-contempoary artist
-one of the most thoughtful-and thought-provoking-Japanese artists of the 1990s.

Takashi Murakami is one of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking Japanese artist of the present time. A contemporary artist, the Tokyo born artist’s work is a reflection of the popular crazy of anime and manga art. What developed was Superflat, the style Murakami is credited with creating, which was formed from Poku or pop + otaku, a rejuvenation of the Japanese culture. Disappointed with the lack of Japanese art influences in the Western art world, Murakami hopes to change that wit his art.

He founded the company KaiKai kiki LLC in1996 with it’s predecessor, Hiropon Factory. It officially became KaiKai in 2001 and as the website says, it began “laying the foundation for a Japanese art market” with such artist as Aya Takano, Chinatsu Ban and Mr.(His name is Mr.)
In 2008, Takashi Murakami made Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" list, the only visual artist included.

Featured today is Murakami’s design for western fashion designer Louis Vuitton called, Monogramoflage. The repetition of VL on the canvas reminds us of Warhol’s like of repetition in his silkscreen pop art like his Butterflies. Looking at his art, what comes to mind is another artist who changed the art work and make spectators give a second look and a second thought about what was going on. Taking pop culture and “throwing it back in the world’s face” was what Andy Warhol did during the 1960s, much different from Murakami’s plan of bringing forth Japanese art but both artist have been influential in their art.

“Over the years, I have encountered many hurdles in my path. But in clearing them, I have taken each challenge as an opportunity to expand my dreams and goals....Art is a journey where the path is long and the end is sometimes hard to see. But I am happy to have others join me, standing together and looking forward down the road,” —Murakami Takashi (http://english.kaikaikiki.co.jp/whatskaikaikiki/message/)

Scorel vs Titian: Mary Magdalen

2009-02-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry this week's art is late. I was actually busy sketching (along with school work). Here's a little of my progress. The painting is The Penitent Magdalen by Georges de la Tour

This was totally a coincidence but the two paintings that are being compared is Mary Magdalene in Penitence. Seen as a woman and a saint for women of penitence(fallen women), Mary is actually a mix of three women from the Holy Bible. Mary, sometimes named Maria, is a combination of Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany(wife of Lazarus), and the unknown woman who anointed Christ's feet in the house of Peter. These three women are very present in the paints by Titian and Flemish painter, Jan Van Scorel.

Painted in 1530, Scorel's Mary Magdalen, is one of Scorel's influenced paintings. Scorel is credited with introducing High Italian Renaissance art to the Netherlands but little is known about him. He studied with in Italy with the famous artist of the Renaissance including Giorgione. Seen as a Netherland Romanist, Italian influences are very much seen within Scorel's painting of Mary.

Mary sits in the foreground, dressed in an extravagant gown, very much like a Venetian courtesan. Her skin is very pale, which contrasts with the reddish color of her hair. As Mary is a mix of three women, she holds within her hands an ointment jar which she used to anoint Jesus's feet. Also in the background is a tree that is growing form a dead stump. This symbolizes a new beginning in the way that Mary was converted to a follower of Jesus. One portion of the painting was not painted by Scorel himself. The top corner with the sky and tree branches were painted after Scorel's death.

Titian's Maria Magdalen in Penitence, painted in 1530 shows Mary within her sanctuary, a cave in St. Baume. The painting is seen as sensual yet lustful as she is nude. The Renaissance with its classical nudes and romanticized views within the paintings are well known and seen in the paintings of Titian. Unlike Scorel's, the jar that holds the anointing oil is behind Mary as she looks up to heaven. Mary stands modestly as she tries to cover herself with her arms, hands and reddish golden hair but is unsuccessful, showing her as the lusty and sexual woman that she is seen as today.

There is also another version of Maria where she is covered by a clothed. Possibly done so during the Reformation.

Scorel's Mary Magdalene, 1530

Titian's Maria Magdalen in Penicent, 1530

"Sunset": Monet vs Lichtenstein

2009-02-02T23:28:00.000-08:00

It seems so long ago since I last posted but I am not without art for you all!

The other day I came across a Monet painting that I studied in Art class my freshmen year and thought "that would be good to compare and contrast but against what?". Then I remembered a pop artist that I also studied by sophomore year of college. Looking at the two paintings, it's clear on their differences but also their similarities.

Monet's Dusk,1908, is one of 37 that he painted over week-turned-four year stay in London. The subject of the painting is that of the Thames river, obviously, at sunset. The sun basks over the river and the skyline of the city, setting the city a flame as it was so long ago. On the left side, what can be seen is the outline shadow of Parliament and Big Ben as an orange glow offsets it. Big Ben is then reflected in to the river as Monet paints the ripples and waves of the famous river. The colors are a mesh of vibrant red, orange, and yellow, each blending into the other and reaching the blue sky above and the reflected waters below.

Monet said, "I had a devilishly hard time of it. I ruined more than a hundred canvases. It kept changing all the time, and from one day to the next I would never find the same landscape. What a blessed country! After four years of work and retouching on the spot, I had to resign myself only to making notes and to doing the real work here, in the studio."
Though finished in a studio, the finished painting is that of Monet's style and a great observance of an artist's surroundings.

Roy Lichtenstein is a influential pop artist, his work heavily influenced by both popular advertising and the comic book style. He himself described Pop art as, "not 'American' painting but actually industrial painting".

Lichtenstein was known for using "pops" of colors that were vivacious and bright that could grace any cover of a comic book. The same could be said for his rendition of "Sunset". Heavily outlined but beautifully painted "Sinking Sun", painted in 1964, is one of Lichtenstein's great paintings, selling in 2006 for nearly $20 million.

Using a somewhat same color scheme as Monet, Lichtenstein's sunset is one that is seen by comic book heroes in a Utopian work as the finely sharp and defined lines outline the clouds, hills and the sun itself. In the medium mostly used by Lichtenstein, magna and oil paints, Sinking Sun is painting that is unique as its artist. An actual powerful piece, "Sinking Sun", quoted by the auctioneer, Tobias Meyer, "With its immaculate, exquisite finish, Sinking Sun is the epitome of the artist's painstaking hand-painted process that insistently removed all expressionist gesture."

Monet's "Dusk, 1908"

Lichtenstein's "Sinking Sun"

Manet's "Luncheon on the Grass"

2009-01-26T23:22:00.000-08:00

First off, Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快乐！

One of Manet's most controversial paintings, "Luncheon on the Grass" painted in 1863, is an example of artistic influence as a French Realist takes on subject matter of the Renaissance. A painting of the artist's own influences, Luncheon caused controversal and an uproar when first exhibited at the Salon des Refusés under the name “La Bain” or “The Bath”. Napoleon III called the painting “immodest” as well as many criticized the painting.

The style of the painting breaks with the academic traditions of the time. He did not try to hide the brush strokes: indeed, the painting looks unfinished in some parts of the scene. The nude is a far cry from the smooth, flawless figures of Cabanel or Ingres. He also used one of his favorite models, Victorine Meurent, and his wife, Suzanne Leenhoff, for the female nude in the foreground. Meurent was also used in the painting Olympia.

The scene is not seen as everyday. Manet used darker tones to give more focus on the subjects, mainly the three figures in the foreground and especially the female nude. Along with the darker tones, Manet place a still life (fruits, basket, and clothing) in the foreground with the subjects. The background goes on forever with a peek at a blue sky. The subjects of the painting are contemporary by Manet’s standards in the late 19th century like most of his paints.

The subject matter behind “Luncheon” is that it is a lazy summer afternoon as a group of people, possible friends sit around to have lunch. Though Manet tried to portray a similarity to Titian’s “Concert Champêtre or Pastoral Concert”, it was a small attempt. Many scholars have actually contribute the main subjects of the painting, the nude female and two clothed gentlemen, to a drawing/ectching composed by Raphael and Marcantonio Raimondi called The Judgement of Paris based off the Greece legend of Prince Paris and the Contest between the goddesses Hera, Venus, and Athena. In the bottom right corner of the engraving, a female sit with two men, just like Manet’s except they are all nude. The position of the subjects are the same, even with the male on the far right holding a stick of some kind (a cane in Manet’s painting) in his foreground hand.

Compared to Titian’s Pastoral Concert, Manet’s Luncheon is very silmar with two nude females and two clothed gentlemen. The difference is the feel of the paintings. The feel of Titian’s is that of classical, whimsical Grecian/Roman romance that is found in “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” while Manet’s is a realism freedom of the artist with his influences and values painted onto a large scale.

“Le ‘Déjeuner sur l’herbe” renders the female figure not classically nude but rather shamelessly naked. Having the female in the foreground, surrounded by dark clothed men gives a rather scandalous feel to why she is there in the first place.

Though Manet’s “Luncheon” was seen as a scandalous and inappropriate painting of the time, it is now world famous and is seen as a masterpiece.

Manet vs Titian

2009-01-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

The goddess of love has always been seen as a subject of beauty as she is immortalized in paintings and sculptures. Titian, an artist of the Italian Renaissance, was one of the most versatile of Italian painters, equally adept with portraits and landscapes (two genres that first brought him fame), mythological and religious subjects. His painting methods which included his use of deep colors included others and still do in Western art.

His painting, Venus of Urbino, is one of his most recognized paintings, depict a young woman, nude, lounging in a lush Renaissance palace. Actually based off of Giorgione's Sleeping Venus, Titian's interpretation of the goddess is sensual and outstanding. It is very clear that the painting is unapologetically erotic. It is also known that the landscape and sky of Sleeping Venus were later finished by Titian.

The young "Venus" stares out into the audience, a slight smile upon her face as in the background, two servants await her command,looking thorough a cassone. Titian's Venus is in the similar pose as Giorgione as she has one arm resting across her body, covering her vulva in a similar fashion as in "The Birth of Venus". Another characteristics of the painting is the sleeping dog upon the bed near Venus. The dog is to represent faithfulness and fidelity. The fact that it is asleep hints that the woman portrayed is unfaithful.

The second painting is French Impressionist, Edouard Manet. Olympia. Actually one of his realism paintings, Olympia is another one of this interpetations of classic paintings, his first being "Luncheon on the Grass".

Painted in 1863, the main subject of the painting is once again a nude female but this female is a prostitute. The painting was controversial partly because the nude is wearing some small items of clothing such as an orchid in her hair, a bracelet, a ribbon around her neck, and mule slippers, all of which accentuated her nakedness, comfortable courtesan lifestyle and sexuality. This modern Venus' body is thin, counter to prevailing standards; the painting's lack of idealism rankled viewers who noticed it despite its placement, high on the wall of the Salon. A fully-dressed black servant is featured, exploiting the then-current theory that black people were hyper-sexed.

The flatness of Olympia is inspired by Japanese wood block art. Her flatness serves to make her more human and less voluptuous. Her body as well as her gaze is unabashedly confrontational. She defiantly looks out as her servant offers flowers from one of her male suitors. Although her hand rests on her leg, hiding her pubic area with her legs being crossed. The alert black cat at the foot of the bed strikes a sexually rebellious note in contrast to that of the sleeping dog in Titian's portrayal.

Manet's interpretation is seen as controversial as Titian's is seen as great art. Each made an impact during their time. The realism and fantasy of the paintings have inspired the art world as students continue to compare and contrast the paintings in the contemporary world.
Titian's Venus of Urbino

Manet's Olympia

Giorgione's Sleeping Venus, the inspiration for Titian and Manet

Klimt vs Hayez "The Kiss"

2009-01-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

There are possibly countless paintings and sculptors with similar names and similar subjects that are in the art world. It is only a few that are so similar that there are discussions of which is a good representation of the subject. Whether a homage, a parody, or the artist's own interpretation, this week's art will be a comparison of some artwork that focus on similar subjects.

Seen as one of his best works, "The Kiss" painted by Francesco Hayez in 1859 is a symbol of the Italian Romanticism. The painting is to celebrate the victory from the Franco-Austrian War fought during that time. The painting depicts a Risorgimento patriot, one who fought to get unification in the Italian peninsula, saying goodbye to his wife before going to war. The painting is somewhat anachronistic: The couple is wearing 14th century clothes, but the subject is the Risorgimento which is the 19th century unification of Italy. The main focus, being the kiss, is very passionate but hides the lovers' faces, but the passion is felt as he gentle cradles her face in the dark corridor before he goes off to fight.

This canvas has quite rightly become one of the symbols of Italian Romanticism. It sprang from the sentimental and melodramatic strand of medieval costume drama that Verdi so beautifully captured in his operas.

The second representation of the passion between two beings is Gustav Klimt's aptly named "The Kiss" painted between 1907-1908. Painted during his "golden period", it depicts a couple, in various shades of gold and symbols, sharing a kiss against a bronze background.

The Kiss is a discreet expression of Klimt’s emphasis on eroticism and the liberation.This painting demonstrates Klimt’s preference for mosaic designs, curling background lines, and angular, two-dimensional characterizations.

To honor the painting, Gustav Klimt and "The Kiss" were selected as the main motif for a collectors' coin, the 100 euro gold The Painting coin issued on 5 November 2003. The obverse depicts Klimt in his studio with two unfinished masterpieces on easels, while the reverse shows "Der Kuss" (The Kiss).

Women of Art: Tamara De Lempicka

2009-01-11T23:15:00.000-08:00

Born in Poland in 1898, Tamara de Lempicka, born Maria Gorska, was from a wealthy, prominent family. Growing up Lempicka had a privilege life even when her mother divorced and remarried. It was then that she met the man she was determined to marry. Seen as a ladies' man and gadabout, Tadeusz Łempicki fell in love...with Maria's dowry.

The two married and lived in Paris where Tamara's family had fled as Russian refugees during the Russian Revolution. This is were she developed art style from a soft cubism into Art Deco. She thought that many of the Impressionists drew badly and employed "dirty" colors. De Lempicka technique would be clean, precise, and elegant.

De Lempicka's first major show was in Italy in 1925 which pushed her into being the most fashionable artist among the rich and snobby aristocrats. Through her network of friends, she was able to display her paintings in the most elite salons of the era. During the 1920s, De Lempicka was part of the bohemian life becoming friends with Picasso, Jean Cocteau, a French poet, and André Gide. a French author. Famous for her libido, she was bisexual, and her affairs with both men and women were carried out in ways that were scandalous at the time.

De Lempicka ignored her family including her only daughter but painted her countless times (Kizette on the Balcony). She spent most of her time in America and with her art friends, traveling the world and mingling with everyone. She became a mistresses of a baron and lived in high society once again. She continued her high life of art and travel until the baron died which sent De Lempicka to live with her daughter in Texas until she died.

De Lempicka lived long enough, however, for the wheel of fashion to turn a full circle: before she died a new generation discovered her art and greeted it with enthusiasm. A 1973 retrospective drew positive responses. At the time of her death, her early Art Deco paintings were being shown and purchased once again.

De Lempicka's painting "Young Girl in Green" is a perfect example of her clean and precise painting style. Sharp lines define the young girl and her dress with each ruffle and fold. Though sharp and neat, the girl and her clothing have a soft feminine touch. High class New York style of the girl is seen as she makes her way through the city. A chiaroscuro affect on the girl as light shines upon her face and light brown hair with her background in the dark.

Tamara de Lempicka, a leading Art Deco artist and someone who was ablaze during the 20th century, painted elegant women who emanated allure. Her art is still adored today.

Women of Art: Lady Godvia

2009-01-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

Lady Godiva took pity on the people of Coventry, who were suffering grievously under her husband's oppressive taxation. Lady Godiva appealed to her husband effortlessly, who obstinately refused to remit the tolls. At last, weary of her entreaties, he said he would grant her request if she would strip naked and ride through the streets of the town. Lady Godiva took his words seriously and, after issuing a proclamation that all persons should keep within doors and shut their windows, she rode through the town with only her long hair clothing her body.

Only one person in the town, a tailor known later as Peeping Tom, disobeyed her proclamation. In the story, Tom bored a hole in his shutters so that he might see Godiva pass, and is struck blind by "the wrath of God".

This is the story of Lady Godgyfu, name meaning "gift of God". Lady Godiva, the Latin version of the name, Lady Godiva was the wife of Leofric, the Earl of Mercia. Earl Leofric was one of the all-powerful lords who ruled England under the Danish King Canute. Lady Godiva was a rich landowner in her own right and one of her most valuable properties was Coventry. Her name occurs in charters and the Domesday survey. Leofric was a tyrant, bullying the Church and heavily taxing the people of Coventry.

As the story goes, Lady Godiva begged her husband not to tax the people of Conventry anymore and so he made a bet with her. If she would ride through town with nothing but her hair covering her body, he would not tax the people. She agreed and rode through town. The original story had the lady riding through town with two knights at her side and the whole town assembled. The "Peeping tom" version came along during the 17th Century.

John Collier depicts the scene beautifully as Lady Godiva is mounted upon her horse. The main color within the painting is the rich red from the cloth the drapes the horse to the rosy color of Lady Godiva's skin. The details of the painting are rich as a golden glow of the sun upon Lady Godiva's skin and the design upon the horses cloak.

Lady Godiva was a strong woman of the time that is still known today. From her stand against her husband to the courageous way of riding through time, Lady Godiva is a lady of history and a woman of art.

Women of Art: Venus, Goddess of Love

2009-01-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

The depiction of women in art has changed over the centuries from women with ghastly pale skins which was seen as heavenly to those draped in extravagant jewelry and gowns. There is but a few women who are painted in not the jewelry or gowns but their bare skin.

A goddess in myth and legend, Botticelli gave the world a vision of love and beauty in The Birth of Venus. Painted during the Renaissance and during a time when nude women were not displayed on the canvas but Christian icons, Venus is one of the most treasured pieces of the time. The paint is of Venus, Roman goddess of Love, coming from the sea by seashell as according to her legend. As in the legend, Venus, or Aphrodite in Greek myth, is born from the foam of the sea from the castrated genitals of Cronus, a Greek Titian and predecessor to the Gods and Goddess we now know. Venus born from the foam and pushed to shore on a shell by the God Zephyr to the waiting arms of horae, Spring, as she is waiting to cover the chaste goddess.

Scholars believe Venus was painted for a member of the De Medici family, a very powerful and influential family at the time with inspiration being Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, who lived in Portovenere, a town by the sea with a local tradition of being the birthplace of Venus. It was also believed that Simonetta posed for the painting as well as Botticelli was in love with her also.

In 1497 monk Savonarola carried out his infamous “Bonfire of Vanities” to destroy the trappings of luxury and immoral excesses that he preached against, like makeup, jewelry, hairpieces, and “lewd” paintings. Thanks in large due to Botticelli's friendship with Lorenzo de Medici, the painting was spared for views today.

The Renaissance paintings of Da Vinci and Raphael depicted that of realism of men and women's bodies and facial features. Unlike his cohorts, Botticelli painted Venus with strange features. Most obvious is her long neck and her left shoulder sloping at an anatomically unlikely angle. Some have suggested it predates mannerism.

Another feature that stands out is the pose the Venus striking. As mentioned, during the time when painted, only paintings of Christianity and religious figures are seen including that of The Virgin Mary. The stance of Venus, her hand covering herself with chastity and her hair becoming almost a veil, is that of Mary, Mother of God as she is depicted in many of her paintings.

Botticelli put much detail into this large painting (172.5 × 278.5 cm) from the floral wrap the Horae hopes and the roses that fall, the soft curls of the goddess's hair, to waves that she floats upon. The Birth of Venus is one of great importance in the art world and if you are ever in Uffizi, Florence, stop by the Uffizi Gallery and set your eyes upon the Goddess of Love.

Women of Art: Mona Lisa and Frieda Kahlo

2009-01-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry about yesterday for not having an "Art of the day". Very much busy getting ready to go back to school and I completely forgot but no worries! Today is a double feature of "Women in art"

Seen as a great beauty of art, mystery that surrounds the artist and subject, Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is possibly the world most recognized painting. Painted during the Italian Reniassance, La Gioconda being it's Italian name, Da Vinci painted a woman plainly sitting as she looks out into the world, an expression on her face that has puzzled the world to this very day.
The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome him to this silent communication.

Mona Lisa is named for Lisa del Giocondo, a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.The painting was commissioned for their new home and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea. It was unknown of her name until 2005 when it was found within a margin note by Agostino Vespucci from October 1503 in a book in the library of the University of Heidelberg. Italian for happy or jovial, Gioconda was a nickname for the sitter, a pun on the feminine form of her married name Giocondo and her disposition.

Unmistakable about the painting is the expression of a "smile" upon Mona Lisa's face but also her absence of facial hair (eyebrows and eyelashes) and the continual Italian landscape in the background.

Some researchers claim that it was common during that time for women of the higher status to pluck out the eyebrows and lashes, since they were considered to be unsightly. For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the mystic and beauty of the sitter. As the observer looks into the background, one can see the winding paths and constant change within the landscape, ending behind icy mountains. Sfumato, the "smoky" effect over the painting, contributes to the allure of the painting and Mona Lisa herself.

Though stolen and vandalize (thrown at a rock), Mona Lisa has survived for over 500 years, with cracks, weathering, and warping. The beauty now is home with The Louvre in Paris, France. Speculations of Da Vinci using his likeness for the painting to Lisa being pregnant, to their being numbers of parodies by Duchamp and Warhol, the painting is great art of the world.

The next artist is seen as a opposite of The Mona Lisa, painting in the field of surrealism with herself being the main subject and everyone being attracted to her main feature: Her eyebrows.
Frida Kahlo, born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, is one of the few Mexican artist known world wide for her surrealist art. Born in Mexico, Kahlo's childhood was something that could be associated with America during WWII. Kahlo grew up during the Mexican Revolution (though she says she was born during to have those associate her with the event) and later contracted Polio. Later diagnosed with spinal bifida, Kahlo was in a terrible accident that put her in a full body cast for sometime. Kahlo was plagued by relapses of extreme pain for the remainder of her life. The pain was intense and often left her confined to a hospital or bedridden for months at a time.

Kahlo actually wanted to study medicine but after her accident took up painting, which she did while in her body cast to occupy time. She did her self-portraits that express her feelings during her immobilization and afterward. Drawing on personal experiences, including her marriage, her miscarriages, and her numerous operations, Kahlo's works often are characterized by their stark portrayals of pain. Of her 143 paintings, 55 are self-portraits which often incorporate symbolic portrayals of physical and psychological wounds. She insisted, "I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality."

A few days before Frida Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, she wrote in her diary: "I hope the exit is joyful - and I hope never to return - Frida".
The official cause of death was given as a pulmonary embolism, although some suspected that she died from an overdose that may or may not have been accidental. An autopsy was never performed.

The painting displayed her is Las Dos Fridas or The Two Fridas painted in 1939 . It depicts the hurt pain the Kahlo went through after the divorce of her husband, Diego Rivera. Though their marriage was not peaceful or perfect, Kahlo was still hurt from their separation. On the left is the traditionally dressed, weaker Frida, her broken heart exposed. On the right is the stronger, cosmopolitan Frida, whose intact heart feeds the other Frida. Both hearts are connected to a locket containing a picture of Rivera. Despairing, the weaker Frida attempts to staunch the blood flow from Rivera, which endangers her life. The sky is filled with stormy clouds that convey Kahlo’s agitation, and in profound loneliness, she holds her own hand and is her sole companion.

The art of Kahlo is fascination and allure that have keep the interst of the world for many years. Though no longer around. Kahlo and her La Casa Azul (The Blue House) will always be a proud figure in Mexican and art society.

Women of Art: Girl with Pearl Earring

2009-01-06T23:05:00.000-08:00

Known as the "Dutch Mona Lisa" Johannes Vermeer created a masterpiece that is just as great. But the focal point is the female's smile but her eyes and a single pearl earring.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" was painted by Vermeer during the 17th century who painted with the Dutch Baroque period, focusing on domestic life. Vermeer's work was known for exquisite details and exceptional use of sunlight and bright colors.

The painting is a mystery just as its predecessor with questions surrounding its subject and the painting as a whole. Not only is the date of the painting not known but who commissioned it. The subject is an unknown female who is dressed lush clothing and a cornflower blue turban. The distinct focal of the painting, as said in the title, is the pearl earring, which is barely visible with in the shadows of the painting. Though the gleam from the light of the pearl is bright and accentuates the beauty of the subject.

There has been much debate over who the mystery girl is within the painting. Of Vermeer's 40 or so representations of women, the Girl with a Pearl Earring is the most broadly rendered. The most frequently mentioned candidate for the model has been Vermeer’s eldest daughter Maria. With no evidence other than the apparent but unproven compatibility of age, Maria would have been 12 around the time of the painting, critics have hinged their theories on interpretation of the girl's expression, which is, perhaps, no less enigmatic than that of Leonardo's Mona Lisa.

Another candidate was Vermeer's principle patron, Pieter Van Ruijven's daughter, Magdalena. She was the same age as Maria and it would have been likely that Van Ruijven commissioned the painting. Was it Van Ruijven, Maria or another female?

The subject of a novel with the same title of the painting and film have put forth the idea that Vermeer hired a maid or Griet as she was named, to pose for the painting. There exists absolutely no historical evidence that supports this idea. The premise of the movie was that Vermeer had somewhat of a relationship with the maid, having a unpleasant marriage with his wife. It was untrue, as Vermeer and his wife Catharina had a marriage of troubles but was a good one.

The identity of the girl remains an open question. Even her widely accepted identity with the pearl was not always so obvious as it appears today. In fact, the word "pearl" appears in the picture's title only after the first half of the twentieth-century. Until then. the painting had called "Girl with a Turban," or "Young Girl."

With the many questions that frame the painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring will remain within the history books and art books as a masterpiece and art at its greatest.

Women of Art: Edie Segwick

2009-01-05T23:04:00.000-08:00

Artist have used their imagination to project their models into their media of art. From animal, plants, to the different shapes within their mind, but the woman is what is the subject of most painting. From the hazy glimpse of women in Renaissance paintings of Titian to the broken figures of "ladies of the night" in Picasso's art, women have graced the canvas of art to be appreciated by all. The women of art are the images of the "perfect woman" of those times.

Today we focus on Edie Sedgwick (http://www.alivenotdead.com/smscott/Art+of+the+Day-profile-455497.html ) known as "Andy Warhol's Superstar" during the Pop Art Movement. A model, actress, and socialite, Edie moved from California to New York to become a star, which Warhol turned her into. Though her life was filled with sex, drugs, and partying, Edie was immortalized during the movement through Warhol and her own actions. Though it is more than 30 years since her final film before her death by overdose, her name and impact on the world is still strong.

Displayed here are a short clip from her final movie "Ciao! Manhattan" and a few snapshots of Edie while she was with Warhol in her studio called The Factory.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoiXZ8ejXGA&feature=channel

Warhol's films

2009-01-04T23:02:00.000-08:00

Known for his art, Andy Warhol was also a filmmaker creating short movies of also everything to his "version" of "A Clockwork Orange (Vinyl)" to sexual experiences (Blow Job and Eating too Fast). Between 1963 and 1968, he made more than sixty films. Getting acclaims from being great works of art to worst films ever.

Warhol's most famous film is Chelsea Girls which starred many of Warhol's "superstars" in the Hotel Chelsea and around New York. It is said that Edie Sedgwick, Warhol's most famous "superstar" , was in the movie but once their ties began to deteriorate, she asked to be removed from the film.

Once principal photography wrapped, Warhol and co-director Paul Morrissey selected the twelve most striking vignettes they had filmed and then projected them side-by-side to create a visual juxtaposition of both contrasting images and divergent content (the so-called "white" or light and innocent aspects of life against the "black" or darker, more disturbing aspects.)

As a result, the 6 1/2 hour running time was essentially cut in half, to 3 hours and 15 minutes. However, part of Warhol's concept for the film was that it would be unlike watching a regular movie, as the two projectors could never achieve exact synchronization from viewing to viewing; therefore, despite specific instructions of where individual sequences would be played during the running time, each viewing of the film would, in essence, be an entirely different experience.

The two videos shown here are clips from Warhol's film Chelsea Girls, Vinyl which is the first movie of Edie in the background, and Poor Little Rich Girl which is the movie that made Edie famous and associated with Warhol.

Video: Vinylhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IKoPViGmGI&feature=related

Video: Poor Little Rich Girlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoTOm29pZ-c&feature=related

Video: Chelsea Girlshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvOnRdMi4OM&feature=related

Warhol was an enigma with in the world that made an impact. It was said that he was showing America how it really was through his repetitive art and his quirky way of doing things. Whether the world will continue to love or hate him, Andy Warhol and his Factory superstars will forever be in the history books for the future to know their impact.

Warhol: Edie Sedgwick

2009-01-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

Within Warhol's career, he has painted many world famous people and created a lot of celebrities for the time. One woman who came out into the spotlight was socialite and heiress Edie Sedgwick. Edie's family had an impact since the American Revolution with her great great great grandfather being a signer of the American Declaration of Independence.

Edie met Andy in March of 1965 and became a regular at Warhol's Manhattan studio named The Factory. The infamous studio were anyone within Warhol's circle would hang out , was known nationwide and was the setting for many if not all of Warhol's underground films which Edie became a star in. Some of her films are Face, Vinyl, and one of more famous ones Poor Little Rich Girl. Her last film was Ciao! Manhattan, produced by John Palmer and David Weisman, before her death in 1971 and was release posthumously.

Lupe is thought to be Sedgwick's last Warhol film, but Sedgwick filmed The Andy Warhol Story in 1966, almost a year after she filmed Lupe. The Andy Warhol Story was an unreleased film that was only screened once at The Factory. The film featured Sedgwick, along with Rene Ricard, satirically pretending to be Andy Warhol. It is thought to be either lost or destroyed. It was then, after their relationship had become almost non-existent, that Edie left Warhol and his circle.

Throughout most of 1966, Sedgwick was involved in an intensely private yet tumultuous relationship not with Bob Dylan, but with Dylan's closest friend, Bob Neuwirth. During this period, she became increasingly dependent on barbiturates. Although she experimented with illegal substances including opiates, there is no evidence that Sedgwick ever became a heroin addict. In early 1967, Neuwirth, unable to cope with Sedgwick's drug abuse and erratic behavior, broke off their relationship.

Edie's life was something of a regular life during the Pop Art movement with parties that invovled drugs and sex and her health deteriorating from the use of barbiturates. This use would lead to her death in 1971.

Though her death was at a young age (28 years old ), Edie's name is still famous today with recently Sienna Miller playing her the 2006 movie Factory Girl.

Taken within the photobooth at The Factory

Warhol: "The World..."

2009-01-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

Known for the famous quote, "The world fascinates me", Warhol had this shot taken in a photobooth in 1963. Founder of Pop Art, Warhol invented silkscreening, which created mass-produced images by mechanically inking a photo overlaid on a large canvas. Best known for his multiple images, Warhol is a persona that has made a movement and lifestyle.

Warhol: Gold Marilyn Monroe

2009-01-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Everyone!

May you leave all troubles in 2008 and have a pleasant 2009!

Today's art is on one of the most iconic stars of American history and star within herself. Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jean Baker, became a household name and sex symbol in the 1950s and a legend soon after her suicide in 1962. The image that she set was that of a blonde bombshell that every guy wanted and every girl wanted to be like. Her blonde locks and curvy body are what set her to be the sexy star she was. Though mystery still surrounds her suicide death, Marilyn Monroe will always be the star she set out to be and more. It was because of her impact on Hollywood and America as a star, Warhol embodied her image into his paintings, sending her into the iconic stratosphere and making her a Hollywood Goddess.

Warhol did many images of Monroe but the first is his Gold Marilyn Monroe that was painted in the year of her death. It was with this painting that Warhol made her as a martyr. Monroe's image, taken from publicity photo for her movie "Niagara" in 1953, is placed on a gold background and is the only image on the large canvas (actually painting is 6' 11 1/4" x 57" (211.4 x 144.7 cm)).

As the surround for a face, the golden field in Gold Marilyn Monroe (the only one of Warhol's Marilyns to use this color) recalls the religious icons of Christian art history. Warhol placed her as a religious icon in the way of Mary, Mother of Jesus, or a matyr. What Warhol did was turn Monroe into an iconodule turning her into someone that is to be idolize and worship. Monroe is somewhat idolize today as young stars try their best to immulate her success and fill the shoes that she left. It is unclear who will be the next Marilyn Monroe but it is clear that because of Warhol, her status as a star and icon rose from the Gold Marilyn and other paintings that he did.

"The face in Gold Marilyn Monroe is much like the star herself—high gloss, but transient; bold, yet vulnerable; compelling, yet elusive. Surrounded by a void, it is like the fadeout at the end of a movie."

Warhol: Strawberries

2008-12-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

Warhol's duplication and replication of objects have made his art unique and famous in this day and age. Somewhat his signature on his art, the repetition of the main subject is what can be seen in many if not all of his works from Marilyn Monroe to today's painting.

Strawberries was printed in 1959 and similar to other paintings of Warhol which have the repetition from butterflies to shoes. Warhol had his hand on as many subjects that he could and infused them into his art works. Each strawberry is different but the same as they are stamped on the white canvas, creating a simple but expressive painting.

Warhol: "Art is..."

2008-12-30T22:55:00.000-08:00

What is art? Anyone can look up the definition or define it from their own experience but only Andy Warhol could explain it in one simple sentence.

"Art is What You Can Get Away With."

Done in 1963, this photograph is one of many by Warhol from his candid shots from a photobooth. The orange photo depicts Warhol shying away from the camera, blocking his face with his hand. "Art" as it is called is part of a set of photographs with titles like "Everybody", "Love Affair", and "Waiting". Each having one of his infamous quotes that are all around "Warhol". One of his well known photos of this set is his "In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes". The quote is stated in almost everyday life in the lives of stars who have risen and then fall, losing out on their "Fifteen minutes". Warhol's "groovy" designs and concepts are what the Pop Art movement was all about. Expressing what was on the mind of the artist and not caring what the world thought. But what the world thought was in the same ways of those in the movement.

The quote was the epitome of the Pop Art movement with any and every thing being displayed in the art world and being see as the high art of the time.

News: It just came out that Taiwan will be the first stop in the Asia tour of Andy Warhol's Art

Warhol: Campbell's Soup Can

2008-12-29T22:51:00.000-08:00

Innovator and a main figure in the Pop art movement, Andy Warhol (1929-1987) had many titles being known as a painter, avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure. If you wanted to be known and was anyone during the 60s, you were in the social circle of Andy Warhol.

Today's painting is one that he is infamously known for. Campbell's Soup Can 1965(Green and Purple) is one of his repetitive paintings of the famous brand soup can with the original paint of the can in its simple red and white being painted three years later. Produced in a studio called The Factory, Warhol’s repetitive soup cans, Coca Cola bottles and dollar bills represented mass production and assembly line objects that demand quick recognition and consumption. These silkscreens were hot merchandise as avant-garde became the movement of a generation and an era.

Not of simple green and purple, the soup can painted with shades of pink and gold. Warhol had a way with his paintings that in the simplicity of them upon their canvas, they spoke a message that was loud and clear for the world to hear.

Warhol had variation of Cholrea, a nervous system disease that causes involuntary movements of the extremities, which is believed to be a complication of scarlet fever and causes skin pigmentation blotchiness. He soon became somewhat of a hypochondriac even though he was a bed-ridden as a child. He became an outcast among his school-mates and bonded with his mother very strongly. When in bed he drew, listened to the radio and collected pictures of movie stars around his bed. Warhol later described this period as very important in the development of his personality, skill-set and preferences.

Warhol's life was all social as he gained recognition and a following throughout the 1960s and 1970s. From critics that couldn't understand him to the fanatic deeming to shoot Warhol, The swinging 60s and 70s were about Warhol and his lifestyle in New York surrounded by sex, drugs, and art.

Art of the Day w/Note

2008-12-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

Edgar Degas, La classe de danse (The Dancing class), 1874

Hope everyone had a nice Holiday break! Starting Monday, we start on pop art with the infamous innovator of the movement, Andy Warhol. So tune in and enjoy the art!
再见！

AnD Tattoo Artist: Kenny Chin, Ivan Chen, & Joey Pang

2008-12-21T22:47:00.000-08:00

Not seen as a art form but plenty of genius goes into it, tattoo artist are one of a kind. Here on AnD are a few that are outstanding and passionate in what they do. Here are a few.

Kenny Chin: 紋身工房 Solo Tattoo
http://www.solotattoo.hk
http://www.alivenotdead.com/kenny_chin

Ivan Chen: Tribal Bodyworks Tattoo Studio
http://www.alivenotdead.com/ivanchen

Joey Pang: Tattoo Temple
http://www.tattootemple.hk
http://www.myspace.com/tattootemple
http://www.alivenotdead.com/joeypang

[Note: Next week is the week of Christmas here in the US. i will be taking a break . So just keep checking and Happy Holidays!]

Justin Lim

2008-12-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

"Spying on Hong Kong life through the lens of Nokton", is one way to describe Justin Lim's photos. Looking through his art, you get the sense of being on the streets holding the camera as wondering what's going on in the lives of those in front of the lens.

Justin Lim is a well traveled photographer. Being born in Malaysia by way of Kuala Lumpur, Lim lived in England with family in Australia. He now resides and works in Hong Kong with his subject matter being the streets and residents of Hong Kong. Something else you don't hear about photographers is their other occupation. Lim is, according to is profile, "a lawyer by day, photographer, videoblogger, writer, and graphic t-shirt designer by night".

Directly from his AnD profile:
"Lim's digital photography has appeared in Kee Club Magazine, Elle Decoration, the Clockenflap.com website and various other journals and magazines. He also periodically shoots designer shop and apartment interiors.

Notable people he has shot include celebrity chef Bobby Chinn of Discovery Travel and Living.

Justin has experience in shooting products and most recently was assistant photographer at the world premiere product shoot of the Mass Effect figurine (from the xbox360 game of the same name).

Despite this small but growing body of work he remains committed to the preservation of film photography and regularly organizes and participates in informal gatherings of photographers who continue to use and develop medium format and 35mm film.

In addition, Lim has also produced viral videos for various websites. One such Youtube short movie went on to receive 200,000 hits but was subsequently removed - for reasons he prefers not to go into!

In his spare time, he plays way too much eight-ball at Racks, dragon boats, and tries to revive his rock dreams by playing the guitar badly." (I couldn't write this any better than how it is!)

Check out Lim's websites:

http://www.alivenotdead.com/justinlim

www.flickr.com/photos/justinlim

Here is one Lim's photographs

Digital Photograph (copyright J. Lim 2006-08 )

Emily Eldridge

2008-12-19T22:45:00.000-08:00

"Slightly addicted to art and all things eye-catching - a visual raccoon, if you will."

This is the actual quote from Emily Eldridge's profile as she describes her art and in all means, it perfectly puts her art into words. An American born, Eldridge studied at Savannah College of Art & Design before moving to Hong Kong three years ago. A mixed media artist, Eldridge works in the world around her, illustrating different characters from girls with pink hair to large pieces that are set to look like dragons.

Eldridge has been featured around Hong Kong including in U-Magazine for her exhibition on "A Taste of France" to Galleri Magazine which featured pieces from her "Classic Dirty" and "Yumlart" exhibitions. The faces that Eldridge draw are that of faces in the crowd that you may see on the street as they have their own personalities and sense of thought.

Eldridge has also moved into fashion, collaborating with Kanchan Couture for wearable art, pendants and such with illustrations by Eldridge.

Eldridge not only works in paint but digital illustrations. One of her works, "Filling one's capacity" is that of six heads, each one being filled to its capacity with knowledge which is represented by watering cans. Simple in the drawing but a impressionism painting never the less. Another one is also a digital illustration called "A shard vision" of two individuals who are overlapping one another as they look into one pair of binoculars as they look off into the far corner into space. They look at the thing, sharing in the experience and the understanding of what they are looking at. Both illustrations, according to Eldridge, are based on the nature of education in Hong Kong. As students strive to get high in the working world they somehow do share a common vision and sometimes fill their minds and work levels to capacity.

Eldridge continues to make her name in Hong Kong as she expands her work and get her name out into the art world. Check out her websites.

http://www.alivenotdead.com/emilyeldridge

E + E

http://www.behance.net/EmilyEldridge

"Filling One's Capacity" and "A Shared Vision" by Emily Eldridge

Foon and COUNTERF!T

2008-12-18T22:44:00.000-08:00

Bringing style with crazy designs, Foon Wong, artist and designer of COUNTERF!T, has a style of his own as he paints and designs. With his partner, Arne Venema, Foon makes a kind of art that is video game, anime, and music inspired. Foon's artwork for COUNTERF!T has been featured in galleries and his handiwork appears on hats.

With such names as "Luigi is Dead" and "Shibuya Acid", the influence of gaming world is present. Foon, with his signature headphones around his neck, works his magic in not only paintings but also as a comic illustrator and musician and a toy designer.

His painting "Legacy" is a mix of pop culture and Asian flair. A white canvas that is split with one side displaying the word in english and the other side showing it in Chinese. Each is writing in block computer style with lines streaming from them similar to a computer circuit board. Running alongside the words are different symbols including that of Napster.

Check out Foon's work here on AnD: http://www.alivenotdead.com/FoonWong along with his partner Arne: http://www.alivenotdead.com/arnevenema

Also to see the Great Foon at work check out this video:www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryugPbepXHg

Legacy
Shibuya Acid

Chan Ying Fat

2008-12-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

Chan Ying Fat was born in Hong Kong in 1973. He remained in China until he was 14 years old to learn and paint Western style paintings. Chan's first exhibition was in 1999 with many more following in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Nicknamed FATKEE, Chan works in many mediums including water colors, acrylic paint, oil paintings and mural paintings, which is his current concentration. Chan's accomplishments in his paintings have brought much recognition. He was appointed as “Contemporary Creative Artist” by the China-Cultural Department because of the work he does in the communities and schools.

Chan's major concentration is currently on murals around the community. Chan organizes art-education workshops with schools and communities for students and the public "to participate in art activities and at the same time promote local development of public art."

Chan continues his work in the community and with his murals and paintings, recently having his mural featured in Modern Homes Journal magazine.

「當我們沉浸在繪畫世界的時候，也同時正在釋放內心的另一世界。」
"When we are immersed in the art world, is also being released at the same time, another inner world."

http://www.alivenotdead.com/yingfat http://alphakee.sinaman.com/

Lim: 1000 Portrait

2008-12-16T22:38:00.000-08:00

Whimsical drawings of girls, their eyes large as bright colors creates each individual. That is the description of the "1000 portraits" that Daniel Hyun Lim has created. Each portrait, a different personality, a different story, a different person. Lim has made a name for himself and his drawings that could be summed up in two words: Fawn Fruits.

From South Korea, Lim's drawings are something of interest as they seem similar but they are indeed different from each one. The color they express are of happiness and bliss but in an interview with "House of Cat":
"I've read that your illustrations are a way of coping and expressing some darker aspects of your nature - yet they tend to bring joy and hope and humor. Can you talk more about this?
The most traumatic experience of my life happened at the start of my artistic career. My mother committed suicide when I was just barely out of High School....I channeled my fears, anger and resentment onto my own illustrations. That's when my work really flourished. With great mentors such as Rob Clayton, Alex Gross, Aaron Smith and Richard Keyes, I was able to make art that made a statement. It wasn't just a good looking illustration, it was a direct translation of my deepest feelings."

Lim's recent project is his "1000 Portrait" exhibit, displaying 1000 different faces with different stories behind them. "I first started my 1000 drawings as a rebellion to the gallery system. Being rejected from gallery directors left and right, I decided that it's really not about what sells, but what you love to draw. I love drawing portraits and this was my way of putting my work out to the masses. I have yet to show these 1000 drawings in a gallery setting, not sure if I even want to show them publicly. Luckily for me Myspace and Facebook have been my venue and I was my own curator. Lowering the cost of each drawing to $100 has enabled me to cultivate my work to the casual collectors."

Lim has done much more than the portraits including designs for t-shirts, snowboards, and book covers. All can be seen on his website, http://www.daniel-lim.com.

Lim continues to post here on AnD and on his MySpace and Facebook and his website. Check him out and purchase one of the portraits.
http://www.alivenotdead.com/daniel-lim http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=501583482

Nathansohn: Samba Dancers

2008-12-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

I've been on AnD(Alive Not Dead.com) for some time now and I've introduced and re-introduced artist and art movements to you all. Well coming onto AnD, I've also met a lot of artist here. I've become fans of these artist and a fan of their artwork. Some are Illustrator, graphic designers, surface designers, and photographers. No matter their medium, the art they created is something that needs to be recognized.

Today's artist is one of the first that I became a fan of here on AnD. He is a surface designer. Now, I will admit that I didn't know what that was. Looking it up, surface design is a mixture of different processes to create the artwork. Uses of dyeing, stitching, painting, embellishing, and papermaking are incorporated into the artwork to create whatever the artist wants to create.
Carlos Nathansohn is a native son of Brazil, from the wonderful city of Rio de Janeiro. Nathansohn draws his daily life in Brazil with his natural and cultural surroundings that are embodied in his designs. Whether it is Samba dancers or the large waves of the coast, Nathansohn's colorful and exquisite paintings are a joy for the eyes and treasure to see.

Upon his AnD profile, Carlos Nathansohn says, "Surface designer as a human. An artist in spiritual and creative drawings with colored pencil or digital free-hand tools over the transcendental Brazilian colors and movements.
Be always where we should be and ... let to flow the existential stream."

If you would like to see some of Nathansohn's art, check out his profile here on AnD (http://www.alivenotdead.com/cnathansohn). Comment, become a fan, and enjoy the art.

Jackson Pollack

2008-12-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

The aspect of abstract expressionism is for the artist to express themselves and for the observer to try and understand that. It's whatever is on the mind of the artist and what is in the eye of the observer. One of the most influential American painter and a major force in the abstract expressionist movement was Jackson Pollock.

Born in 1912, Pollock grew up in Arizona around Native American art which help influence his work. In 1930, Pollock's brother moved to New York where they both studied under artist Thomas Hart Benton. Benton was another influence upon Pollack with his American subject matter.

It wasn't until after he met and married his wife Lee Krasner that Pollock soon developed his "drip technique" for which he is famous. Other influences on his dripping technique include the Mexican muralists and also Surrealist automatism.

Pollock's technique of pouring and dripping paint is thought to be one of the origins of the term action painting. With this technique, Pollock was able to achieve a more immediate means of creating art, the paint now literally flowing from his chosen tool onto the canvas.

Pollock's most famous paintings were during the "drip period" between 1947 and 1950. He rocketed to popular status after an August 8, 1949 four-page spread in Life Magazine that asked, "Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?" At the peak of his fame, Pollock abruptly abandoned the drip style.

Pollock's work after 1951 was darker in color, including a collection in black on unprimed canvases, followed by a return to color and he reintroduced figurative elements. During this period Pollock had moved to a more commercial gallery and there was great demand from collectors for new paintings. In response to this pressure, along with personal frustration, his alcoholism deepened.

His unhappy personal life and his premature death in a car crash contributed to his legendary status.

Of any of his paintings that could be recognized, No. 5 and No. 31 are those most known to the public. No. 5 is the painting that is usually pulled up in any search on the web. Painted in 1948, this painting is the most expensive painting sold in auction going for a reported 140 million, being sold from David Geffen of Geffen Records into a private collection. The 8' x 4' painting is reportedly owned by David Martnez, a businessman.

No. 31 is famous for its expansive size. It takes up an entire wall at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, NY). Pollock was also filmed making this painting within his barn studio at the Pollock-Krasner House and Studio. The movement and energy that Pollock put into No. 31 was seen by America pushing his stardom higher. The full title of the painting is One: Number 31, 1950, being part of a three part series of wall size paintings at MoMA. One is one of Pollock's largest works to show much of his action from his drips, splats, and pours.

The abstract expressionism movement was something that showed America's influence and left an imprint on the art work. Artist such as Yamamoto, Hoffman, and Pollock influence other artist into the modern day to create what was on their mind and just express it.

Yamamoto: Untitled 1971

2008-12-13T22:32:00.000-08:00

An American-Japanese non-objective painter, Taro Yamamoto was born in Hollywood, California on October 29, 1919, to a wealthy Japanese landlord and builder. At the age of six he was taken to live in Japan, where he remained until age 19. According to the painter himself, he started painting at the age of six, and won many prizes in exhibitions at his Japanese schools. At the age of 10 he was already painting landscapes and still lives in oil.

Yamamoto studied at the Santa Monica City Collegein 1949, at The Art Students League of New York between the years of 1950-52 under Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Morris Kantor, Byron Browne and Vaclav Vytlacil and at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in New York from 1951-1953.

Krasner: Pollinations & Untitled

2008-12-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

Wife of Jackson Pollack, Lee Krasner became an influential abstract artist in the late 20th century. Born of Russian Jewish parents, Krasner studied at The Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design and was a student of Hans Hofmann. Krasner was known to cut up her paintings and revise them into new series of collages making her remaining arts very few. She was also known to sign her paintings and drawings as "L.K." to not have critics look at her as a woman or Pollack's wife but as a great artist.

Six months after her death, the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC held a retrospective of her work. In their review of the exhibition, the New York Times said that it "clearly defines Krasner's place in the New York School" and that she "is a major, independent artist of the pioneer Abstract Expressionist generation, whose stirring work ranks high among that produced here in the last half-century."

Beginning in 1940 she exhibited with the American Abstract Arts group; her first solo show was in New York at the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1951. In the 1950s, Krasner produced large-scale gestural works and collages of cut and reworked earlier canvases. Twenty years later, she made collages from cut-up drawings done in her days as Hofmann's student.

Pollinations, painted in 1968, has curves the lines that emanate a sense of feeling that could only be felt in Krasner's work. The movement of each brushstroke is a movement of her body of her heart as she moved the brush across the canvas and lifted it, leaving some drips upon the canvas.
Untitled, painted in 1949, is one of Krasner's early works. The feel of a collage as each cube is its own with different shapes and lines to create the masterpiece that it is.

Within Krasner's paintings, you can feel the energy and power behind the brushstrokes she applies to her paintings. The two paintings posted show how Krasner, along with her husband, were astonishing artist that embodied the Abstract Expressionism movement.

Frank: Untitled & April Screens

2008-12-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

That is why today's art of the day is a little late. That's right! I am at home in Louisiana and snow has fallen onto our wonderful state! I can now say that I don't wish for it to snow ever again. In my memory, it has only snowed abut four times in my lifetime in Louisiana and this has got to be the heaviest and coldest. Okay, enough about the snow, let's get to the art.

Jane Frank was an American born abstract expressionist who was actually a pupil of Hans Hofmann(See Dec 10 entry). She is known for her art in painting and mixed media. Frank grew up in Baltimore, doing much of work there. She received her initial artistic training at the Maryland Institute of Arts and Sciences (now known as MICA) and at the Park School. Frank worked in different medias including commercial fashion, department store advertising and even a children's book. She didn't start to seriously paint until the 1940s. Frank's thinking evolved during the 1960's as she began to apply materials such as glass, wood, pebbles, and plaster to her jagged, abstract-expressionist paintings, later even cutting holes in the canvas, increasingly invoking the third dimension and creating tactile, sculptural effects, while remaining within the convention of the framed, rectangular oil painting.

The overall characterization of Jane Frank's art is ultimately a subjective matter, but there is plenty of solid material on which to base a substantive discussion. A quote from Frank in a 1963 catalog for her Bodley Gallery expresses her alone-ness in art and what I think all artist put in their paintings.

"The artist must create his own space, of his own time and personal vision. The result is not a unique image for the sake of 'newness', but rather for the sake of the artist, who must be concerned with it daily. These days are spent quite alone."

"Untitled", 1963, mixed media

"April Screen" 1960s, acrylic

Hofmann: Compositon III & Cathedral

2008-12-10T22:22:00.000-08:00

Hans Hofmann was born in Bavaria and immigrated to the United States and became a staple in the abstract expressionism movement. Born in 1880, Hofmann moved to the US but was known most not only as an artist but as a teacher of art, both in his native Germany and later in the U.S. Some of his students included Robert De Niro Sr.(Robert De Niro's father), Judith Godwin, and Allan Kaprow.

Influenced by such artist like Matisse, Hofmann, was for a long time overshadowed by his immense influence as a teacher and theorist, but by the late 1950s he was beginning to be recognized as one of the major figures of abstract expressionism. Hofmann's paintings are seen as a combination of Cubism and Fauvist styles to create the feeling upon the canvas of his many paintings. Though Hofmann did move to the US until he was around 50, he soon became a staple and a figure in the Abstract Expressionism movement. Hofmann was into his 70s when he began to paint his highly recognizable canvases of the late 1950s and 1960s that assured his reputation.

Two of his paintings,Composition III and possibly his most famous, Cathedral, are seen as pennicals in the abstract expressionism work as they show Hofmann's style at his max with Cathedral expressing the cubism that is seen in many of his late works.

Hofmann, his paintings with their stacked, overlapping and floating rectangles and clear, saturated hues, is see as a remarkable artist with his long career and impact on the art world as not just an artist but teacher and theorist. Coming from Germany to be part of a movement is but just an example of the American Dream come true for Hans Hofmann.

Rothko: Untitled and No. 10

2008-12-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys about yesterday! I had a long night and couldn't really think of this week's theme. Having sometime to think and of course sleep, I have this week's theme.

Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and also the one that put New York City at the center of the art world, a role formerly filled by Paris. Artist that came out of this movement were Pollack, Hans Hofmann, and today's artist, Mark Rothko.

Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Russian Empire (now Daugavpils, Latvia) and emigrated to the states with his father, who feared that his sons would be drafted by the army. Rothko developed his art in New York as he made his way in the art word during pre-WWII. It wasn't until 1946 that Rothko's name became huge in the art world for his art form "multiform". The term "multiform" has been applied by art critics; this word was never used by Rothko himself, yet it is an accurate description of his paintings.

Many of his late works are of the multiforms with the abstract expressionism being expressed in his classic rectangular paintings of multicolors and shapes. His classics, "Untitled" from 1949 and "No.10" from 1950, are clear examples of Rothko's style and intrigue in the art world during this time.

It is undeniably hard to confuse the art of the abstract expressionist with any other art. Their art is distinct, constructive and have a flair that is both understood and misunderstood. Abstract expressionism introduced the word to art that didn't need complete meaning but a mind to think and wonder.

Dicksee: Romeo and Juliet

2008-12-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

Looking at the last two pictures for this weekend, I can say that this will be a Shakespeare weekend. The two Pre-Raphaelite of this weekend were based off of two romantic tragedies of the great bard, William Shakespeare. Each tale tells of love, betrayal, and of course tragedy.

The painting day is from the most well known and possible the most tragic play that Shakespeare could write, Romeo and Juliet. Painted by Frank Bernard Dicksee in 1884 , Romeo and Juliet depicts the parting of Romeo and Juliet after their wedding night and the last time they will see one another alive( Act 3 Scene 5). As one critic pointed out, the painting perfectly conveys the tenderness and the passion of this poignant moment when Romeo says, "Farewell, farewell! one kiss, and I'll descend." Although it was first greeted with mixed criticism, this painting came to be one of Dicksee's best known and admired pictures.

Though Dicksee is not part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, his is loosely associated with the group with most of his paintings in the Pre-Raphaelite style. Dicksee was born in 1853, the son of painter and etcher Thomas Dicksee. He was taught by Lord Leighton and Sir John Everett Millais at the Royal Academy Schools, and received many accolades for his work.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed to bring emphasis to those who painted in the similar style of Raphael and the Renaissance era. The paintings were of romance, tragedy, whimsical, and enchanting scenes. The history behind each tells of the romantic stories well-known stories that are depicted in oil upon the canvas of these famous painters and in the words of famous poets who make up the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Millais: Ophelia

2008-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

Looking at the last two pictures for this weekend, I can say that this will be a Shakespeare weekend. The two Pre-Raphaelite of this weekend were based off of two romantic tragedies of the great bard, William Shakespeare. Each tale tells of love, betrayal, and of course tragedy.

The first picture is Ophelia, painted by John Everett Millais (pronounced as Mil-lay) in 1852. Millais is one of the founders of the Pre-Rapaehlite Brotherhood.

All of Millias early works were painted with great attention to detail, often concentrating on the beauty and complexity of the natural world. In Opehlia, Millais created dense and elaborate pictorial surfaces based on the integration of naturalistic elements. This approach has been described as a kind of "pictorial eco-system".

With in this painting, you can see the scene of Ophelia's suicide, in Act IV, Scene VII of the play Hamlet, in a speech by Queen Gertrude. Ophelia's pose—her open arms and upwards gaze—resembles traditional portrayals of saints or martyrs, but has also been interpreted as erotic. There is much detail in the floral surroundings of Ophelia along with on her gown. Its beauty is admired along with the many details that Millais add in most of his paintings.

Stillman: Madonna

2008-12-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today's painting is by Marie Spartali Stillman, a British Pre-Raphaelite painter of Greek descent and arguably the greatest female artist of that movement. Stillman modeled for many of the Pre-Raphaelite artist but she mainly did her own paintings. She married an American and traveled to America, but was the only Britain-based Pre-Raphaelite artist to work in the United States. The subjects of her paintings were typical of the Pre-Raphaelites: female figures; scenes from Shakespeare, Petrarch, and Boccaccio.

Today's painting, Madonna Pietra degli Scrovegni, painted in 1884, is one that is typical of Italian Renaissance paintings.The woman is a character from the Italian poet Dante. She was described as a heartless lady dressed in green. In her hand, she holds a crystal bowl reflecting the figures of Love and Dante. This type of painting, a half length femme fatale in Renaissance costume, was initiated by Rossetti and imitated by many others.

What I've learned is that many artist, if not all, paint what they know. So in many backgrounds of paintings, the landscapes are that of Italian, Norwegian, or England landscape, though the subject would not have been in that landscape. The landscape of Stillman's painting is that of Italian landscape with the different shades of green and mountain terrain.

The painting is only one of a few of Stillman's paintings as she made an impact on the art world with being within the small group of females in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Collier: Lilith

2008-12-04T22:11:00.000-08:00

Today's painting is one that became of interest to me while writing a short story. As a Pre-Raphaelite painting, it has the Renaissance feel as the subject is one of controversy and some what history.

The painting, simple titled "Lilith" by John Collier was painted in 1887. It shows Lilith in a lusty pose as a giant snake, which in the bible was the embodiment of The Demon that made Adam and Eve be cast out of the Garden of Eden. The large boa wraps around Lilith's naked frame as the expression of ecstasy is on her face. What mainly stands out in the painting is Lilith as her skin is a pale white and what surrounds her are darken woods with a snake that blends into the background.

(Research that I found):

The Alphabet of Ben Sira, somehow attributed to the author of the Ecclesiasticus, is considered to be the oldest form of the story of Lilith as Adam's first wife. Whether this certain tradition is older is not known. Scholars tend to date Ben Sira between the 8th and 10th centuries. Its real author is anonymous. The amulets used against Lilith that were thought to derive from this tradition are in fact, dated as being much older. The concept of Eve having a predecessor is not exclusive to Ben Sira, and is not a new concept, as it can be found in Genesis Rabbah. However, the idea that Lilith was the predecessor is exclusive to Sira.

The idea that Adam had a wife prior to Eve may have developed from an interpretation of the Book of Genesis and its dual creation accounts; while Genesis 2:22 describes God's creation of Eve from Adam's rib, an earlier passage, 1:27, already indicates that a woman had been made: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." The text places Lilith's creation after God's words in Genesis 2:18 that "it is not good for man to be alone". He forms Lilith out of the clay from which he made Adam, but the two bicker. Lilith claims that since she and Adam were created in the same way, they were equal, and she refuses to submit to him:

After God created Adam, who was alone, He said, 'It is not good for man to be alone.' He then created a woman for Adam, from the earth, as He had created Adam himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith immediately began to fight. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one.' Lilith responded, 'We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.' But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the air.

Adam stood in prayer before his Creator: 'Sovereign of the universe!' he said, 'the woman you gave me has run away.' At once, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent these three angels... to bring her back.

Lilith refused to go back but cursed children but hovering over them and causing a sickness to the child. It is then that Lilith is seen in folklore as a demon and a witch with many stories attributing her to promiscuity and lust.

Collier himself was associated with the Brotherhood but his subject matters were broad. He has painted a portrait of Charles Darwin to painting a romanticized look at Lady Godiva. Collier was one of the most prominent portrait painters of his generation.

Leighton: God Speed!

2008-12-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

Most the of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings are paired with British literature of the time and past with the romantic themes. The soft and romantic tones of the Pre-Raphaelite are a perfect match to the Romanticism literature of the 19th century with greats like Keats, Browning, Wilde, and Tennyson.

Today's painting is by Edmund Blair-Leighton, painter and associated with the Pre-Raphaelite and Romantic styles. God Speed!, an oil painting, depicts a young woman, dressed in medieval clothing bidding farewell and "God speed" to her knight in shining armor as he ventures with the battalion on its way to battle. The soft folds of her dress with its golden color give her a soft glow to the lady along with the rose colored soft waves of her hair. As for her knight, Leighton embellishes his armor, as it shines from his helmet, to his chain-mail. The scene being played out completely is that of the knight, noble and willing to fight, is stopped by his love, the daughter of the lord of the castle as she ties a favor onto his arm for battle. The love and prayers of the girl transport to the scarf that she ties around his arm so that he may be safe in battle.

Leighton's details to the painting are great from the different designs of the banners that the knights carry to the stones on the castle to the small stone gargoyle at the top of the painting. The details of the painting are that of those seen in Pre-Raphaelitism paintings. The depiction of romantic scenes, Regency and Romantic literature, that of the pre-Raphaelite paints.

Waterhouse: Lady of Shalott

2008-12-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

大家好！

We continue our theme of Pre-raphaelite paintings with one of the well known ones from English Literature. "The Lady of Shalott" painted by John William Waterhouse in 1888, can be seen in English Lit books in America and is well known in England. Associated with the poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson, the painting and poem have loose ties into Arthurian mythology with characters such as "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere".Tennyson's poem is based off of the Arthurian character, Elaine of Astolat, who died of unrequited love for Sir Lancelot.

The poem tells of a lady who is away in a tower in Camelot, the fictional land of King Arthur and his court. The lady sits all day in the tower weaving but not looking out at the world because of a curse. She doesn't know the curse but the reader learns later that if she looks out at the world from her tower she is set to die. As she weaves, she looks into a mirror that reflects the world outside her window. One day, who should ride by but Sir Lancelot and the Lady of Shalott is enamored with him. She turns from her weaving to look out at the world. As she does, the mirror breaks and the curse falls onto her.

She then leaves to tower, in search of Lancelot, finding a boat, which she writes her name upon, and floats down the river that travels through Camelot. Before she reaches the castle of King Arthur, she dies within the boat. As ladies and knights find her, along with them is Sir Lancelot. He looks upon her and says, "She has a lovely face/God in his mercy lend her grace/The Lady of Shalott."

The painting that Waterhouse depicts is that of when she has left the tower and is looking for Lancelot. The curse has begun and she is slowly dying while in the boat. The pain is felt on her face with her eyes closed in the woodland surroundings. There is much detail within the painting as the observer is able to see each blade of grass and the delicate pattern upon the blanket within the boat. The whimsical movement of her hair is that of the feel of Arthurian tells of grandeur, heroics, and romance. The era of Pre-raphaelite brought back the tales of medieval time and Arthurian legends to help people fall in love with them generations later.

Hughes: April Love

2008-12-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has passed as everyone gets ready for the holiday season. I wish everyone a Happy Holiday, whatever you may celebrate. This week's theme is a classic subject matter that is studied in all art classes today. Pre-Raphaelitism, defined by Webster's, is a member of a brotherhood of artists formed in England in 1848 to restore the artistic principles and practices regarded as characteristic of Italian art before Raphael. Founded by artist, writers, and critics during the 19th century, The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood formed to reform and reject the art style of the day that followed Mannerism, Baroque, and Rococo to bring back the art of the Renaissance with Raphael and Michelangelo The Brotherhood's early doctrines were expressed in four declarations:
To have genuine ideas to express; To study Nature attentively, so as to know how to express them; To sympathize with what is direct and serious and heartfelt in previous art, to the exclusion of what is conventional and self-parodying and learned by rote; And, most indispensable of all, to produce thoroughly good pictures and statues.

Today's painting is April Love painted by Arthur Hughes, closely associated with the Brotherhood, which was created between 1855 and 1856. he painting depicts a young couple at a moment of emotional crisis. The male figure is barely visible, his head bent over the young woman's left hand. The woman is looking down at fallen blossoms, suggesting the end of spring, and of early love. The style of the painting is that from the Renaissance era with the stance of the young girl and the single brightness of her dress surrounded by the greenery and the shadows with her lover.

When this painting debuted, Hughes paired with a poem by Alfred Tennyson called "The Miller's Daughter": Love is hurt with jar and fret,
Love is made a vague regret,
Eyes with idle tears are set,
Idle habit links us yet;
What is Love?
For we forget.
Ah no, no

The romance and dramatic atmosphere is felt in almost all Pre-Raphaelite paintings returning to the Age of Rebirth and Knowledge. This week will be filled with romance, history, and interesting paintings. Stay tuned!

Rockwell: Deadline

2008-11-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

We started this week on one of Norman Rockwell's well known painting, "Triple Self-Portrait". Now we end this week with a somewhat reversal of that painting. "Blank Canvas", painted in 1938, is the how any artist, whether their medium is paint and canvas or lyrics and beats, feels when they have reached a deadline. The original title of the painting is Artist Facing Blank Canvas (Deadline), depicting an illustrator, Rockwell himself possibly, sitting in front of a blank canvas for the "Saturday Evening Post" scratching his head, wondering. "In agony of soul this cover was done," Rockwell wrote, "because the most terrible thing an illustrator has to face is a deadline. Often it is a case of either getting a picture in on time - not done as well as you like - or of doing it well and being too late to have it published." The anxiety of the illustrator is felt by the observer as his clothing is disheveled and his work station is a mess with drawings, books, pens, and his palette lying on the ground. The small details of the painting are what make Rockwell's paintings something of an interest from the pipe in the illustrator's back pocket to the horseshoe at the top of the easel. The little things give the painting a feel of actually being there with the illustrator as he rushes to his deadline to come up with a great cover. From a "Blank Canvas" to covers upon covers depicting his work, Rockwell has situated his place in American History and become a icon for the realism era of art.

Rockwell: The Connoisseur (HB to me!)

2008-11-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

对我生日快乐！

That's right! Today, November 29th, is my 21st birthday. Yay me! As a lover of art, you can ask my family and friends and they can tell you that within my room, art surrounds me. Today's art will be a double for ya'll. i will be displaying this week's themed painting along with my absolute favorite painting.

The first painting is this week's themed painting by Norman Rockwell, The Connoisseur", painted in 1962 and published on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. The painting is somewhat an embodiment of me as it depicts a man stands admiring the works of a great abstract artist, Jackson Pollack. Pollack's work is an amazement in itself with its simple splats and lines from Pollack's interesting way of painting. The man is seen as standing in the mist of chaos of the painting being drawn in with amazement and expert eye.

The simple colors of white and light blue fade out from the painting as the main focus is Pollack's painting and the man. Anyone who has gone to a museum has stood in the position that the man stands in, looking on, examining and appreciating the aspect of art that is iconic here in America.

The second painting is "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh. This painting has always been my favorite painting within the art world. Seen as one of Van Gogh great and fasicnating paintings, "Starry Night" is a night over the village of Saint-Rémy in France. The swirling stars and somewhat abstract view of the village gives the painting a feel of wonderment. The painting is of Van Gogh's scene outside his ayslum window, painted from memory during the day, the scene is one that leaves an impression.

The basic colors of the painting are what make the painting stand out as the blue, black, white and yellow mix together to form the swirls and lines and the complete scenery. Not to be confused with Van Gogh's other painting "Starry Night Over The Rhone" which he painted in Arles, "Starry Night" is seen as Van Gogh's master opus magnum and forever my favorite.
(Starry Night- my fav and a treat for me)

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Rockwell: Freedom from Fear (The Four Freedoms)

2008-11-27T21:54:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful day yesterday.Today is the most tiresome day for me with it being "Black Friday". Shopping, shopping, shopping! Now enough about shopping, let's get to the art.

Today is the fourth picture of the Four Freedoms created by Norman Rockwell. Freedom from Fear was painted in 1943 and paired with a essay within the Saturday Evening Post. The United States Government shortly later asked for, and received, permission from Norman Rockwell to allow his Four Freedoms paintings to be used in four different war-time posters during WWII to help motivate the civilian workforce.

The title was to give encouragement to the American people for help in the fight during WWII.

This painting is the only one of the Four Freedoms that was not newly created. It had actually been created to depict the Battle of Britain and had gone unpublished by The Saturday Evening Post. Freedom from Fear depicts two boys being tucked in as they sleep. After a day of playing, the parents takes comfort in their children sleeping peacefully though there is trouble in the world. If you note the newspaper in the father's hand,the caption begins "Bombings Kill. . .Horrors Hit. . ." Rockwell had a certain distaste toward this image because he felt the idea that American children were resting safely in their beds as Europe burned was a smug theme.

Rockwell: Freedom from Want (The Four Freedoms)

2008-11-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

Over the next four days, what will be displayed will be Norman Rockwell's The Four Freedoms, painted in 1943. The Four Freedoms, the freedom of speech, worship, want and from fear, were the four essential freedoms described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union Address to Congress. President Roosevelt identified these freedoms as something that should be protected universal and "should serve as a reminder of our motivation for fighting." Once again, these paintings appeared upon the cover of the Saturday Evening Post during 1943 along with essays corresponding to the paintings.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are in the United States! Today's painting has become the icon of the traditional Thanksgiving family dinner. Painted in January 1941, Freedom from Want was paired with an essay by Carlo Bulosan. Although all four images were painted to depict patriotism in a time of war, Freedom from Want, depicting an elderly couple serving a fat turkey to what looks like a table of happy and eager children and grandchildren, has been seen as the ultimate "Norman Rockwell' Thanksgiving work. This piece has an important place in everyone's heart with reminding everyone of family togetherness and peace. Rockwell claimed to have painted the turkey on Thanksgiving, not for Christmas, and unlike Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Worship, this painting was not difficult to execute.

With in the painting, the setting is simple as the family gathers around. The hostess, the elder woman, brings forth the turkey for her husband to carve. All at the table are joyous and wide-eyed as they look at the butterball of a turkey and get ready to dig in. The table has somewhat of a pure feel as not much color is displayed on the table except for the vegetables and the turkey. The pure theme continues on the table with the white linen tablecloth and the glasses of water. The theme of bright white is to bring the focus of the observer to the faces of those around the table and the main couple in the center.

For Thanksgiving, this painting is the icon for all in America as a way to show that we should be thankful for what we have. Be it a family as big as the one on the painting or if just a little bit. Rockwell' paintings have made him one of America's best known illustrators and has helped Americans realize what they have around them is not something that they can hold for granted. All the paintings of the Four Freedoms are something that Americans should be proud to have and hold on dearly to as our new president helps us see a brighter future.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and God Bless!

Rockwell: Freedom of Worship (The Four Freedoms)

2008-11-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Rockwell: Freedom of Speech (The Four Freedoms)

2008-11-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

Rockwell: Triple Self-portrait

2008-11-23T21:46:00.000-08:00

大家好！

Today is Monday which means a new week of Art of the Day! This week's theme has a history of embodying Americana in his paintings and setting a visualization of a grand American Thanksgiving. Norman Rockwell(1894- 1978) has painted realistic scenes of America that can easily recognized around the world. Most of his art has been featured on magazine covers, which got his art out to the middle class America who were characterized in the paintings.

Opening up the week is Rockwell's Triple Self Portrait, painted in 1960. Featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell's Triple features the artist himself in the process of drawing himself via the image in a mirror. Titled Triple Self Portrait, Rockwell not only has his face within the mirror and on the canvas but in a pre-sketch that are tacked on the top of the canvas. The title is also a play on the three self-portraits attached to his canvas of Durer,Rembrandt, van Gogh, and, most surprising, a particularly difficult Picasso that mixes an idealized self-portrait in profile with an id-like female monster attacking from within. Paying a tribute to the famous artist of the world whose self-portraits were known around the world.

Rockwell's Americana and realist art are the icons of the world and a represenative of America. Much of Rockwell's art is located in his museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Stay tuned for the rest of the week with more of Rockwell's illustrations.

Lee: Infinitive Memory

2008-11-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

Lee SungMi- Infinitive Memory (2004)
(Reflective Plexiglas, Mylar, hot glue and fishing wire)

Dali: The Ship

2008-11-21T21:44:00.000-08:00

Salvador Dali -- The Ship

Degas: Ballerine Alla Barra

2008-11-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

Edgar Degas- Ballerine Alla Barra