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It’s spooky time, ready for your Halloween night!
"On Halloween, witches come true; wild ghosts escape from dreams. Each monster dances in the park." - Nick Gordon. Halloween is a celebration observed in many countries on 31st October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day.
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Evolution of Holy Art
Exploring the evolution of art that is inspired by the oldest story of time, one that established many age-old Western traditions, does provide an interesting opportunity to see how interpretations of Christ have changed through time. Many a biblical scene has been depicted by artists through the ages, and is done in style that reflects the time and culture from which the interpretation is founded. The expanse of religious art produced in the 14th and 15th centuries, for example, indicates that depicting conventional Christian scenes was in vogue. This period we now recognise as the Renaissance, did yield some monumental images of Christ in art. Take da Vinci’s Last Supper…
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Oh, If I Were a Symbolist
Symbolism: What is it when it’s at home? What was the point that the artists were trying to achieve? And how should it be interpreted? Let’s start with the what. This was a technique brought into vogue by the young painters of the late 19th Century, stemming from French literature (and later, Russian and Belgian); this is where many of the Symbolists gathered inspiration from. The aim was to portray the idea of a subject, to give the suggestion of the true meaning only; poetry in art. They accomplished this by using line, colour, and composition (other elements include tone, texture, space, and shape) in their work, and adapted the…
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Join the Club
If I were to ask you what Camille Pissarro, Dermot Morgan (Ted), Abraham, Christmas, William, Steve Martin, God, Time, and Marlon Brando have in common, would you be able to come up with the solution? I’ll give you a couple of seconds… Father! They have all been referred to as “Father”. Many people (especially the British amongst us) will have heard of, and spent many an evening laughing at, Father Ted. Fathers Christmas and Time are personifications, both of whom appear in the Chronicles of Narnia interestingly enough. Father William is the hero of Lewis Carol’s satirical poem in Alice in Wonderland, and Father Abraham and God the Father are…
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Vendez votre âme au diable…
Qui n’a pas été effrayé, enfant, par « le monstre caché dans le placard » ou par la séquence de La Nuit sur le Mont-Chauve, dans Fantasia de Disney ? Qui n’a pas été impressionné, adulte, par les griffures sur le corps de Mia Farrow dans Rosemary’s Baby ou par la scène dans la cabine d’essayage dans L’Associé du diable ? Qui, enfin, peut oublier le visage de la jeune Linda Blair et la voix de Pazuzu après avoir vu L’Exorciste ? Au xxe siècle, la religion chrétienne imprègne moins les croyances des individus que par le passé, et pourtant le diable semble nous obséder plus que jamais… En effet, le personnage du diable nourrit toujours l’imaginaire des romanciers, des…
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Heaven, Hell and Dying Well
The Christian Church of the Middle Ages was the most important institution of the time, holding an unyielding power over what the general population thought and believed. More often than not, art of the period venerates Jesus in all of His glory, placing him at the centre on a throne, judging who shall pass through the gates of Heaven and who will be banished to eternal damnation. These images gave strength to the many believers while terrifying some skeptics towards belief. Take Fra Angelico’s The Last Judgement (1425-1430) for example (above). Christ sits in judgement on a white throne surrounded by John, Mary, the saints, and angels, his right hand…
This is an interactive art blog in multi languages, you will find new articles on artists, art history, exhibitions, etc. Contributions welcome.
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