-
The Good, the Bad, and the 17th Century
Here we are again at the 17th century, the time of Master Rembrandt and his many self-portraits. But, frankly, when I consider wanting to go back in time, I don’t fancy returning to the 17th century. There were a tonne of wars. Famines in Russia, France, and Finland and a plague in both Seville and London. Shakespeare died, for crying out loud – I’m still mourning this loss. The Good: Jamestown, Virginia was established – which later led to a massacre of 347 English settlers by the natives (essentially score one and only) St Peter’s Basilica was completed Torture was outlawed in England (we’re still waiting for that…
-
Landscape Art, Depictions of a Nature That Might Cease to Exist
I’m supposed to talk about pretty landscapes and painters from the 17th century until now that have slowly incorporated said landscapes into their paintings more and more, until finally Landscape became its own genre. And fine: nature is nice; butterflies, yay. Instead, I’d like to note that BP is sponsoring this. BP! The company that is ruining similar landscapes to the ones we’re meant to enjoy in the exhibition. Did the corporation’s discussion for putting this on the agenda include a “yeah, we better show them now before the destruction and decimation of our planet is complete”? The extraction and ceaseless use of natural gasses and oil is doing palpable…
-
Thank You Hiram Bingham
The life of Marc Chagall was not an easy one. Nor was it uneventful. It was however, filled with enough drama to delight even the most seasoned and skeptical of Hollywood producers. He perceived the events of World War 1 from afar, saw the hopes and disappointments of the Russian Revolution, barely escaped the onslaught of World War 2, was revered for his artistic prowess, admired by Picasso, and left behind a rich artistic legacy. In effect, Chagall’s life and success was the result of many fortuitous encounters… the first one primarily being the encounter with art at school, which led to his illustrious career path. A meeting later in…
-
El doloroso arte del retrato
Escoge una postura. Practícala hasta que te salga natural. Ahora quédate así durante horas. Este era el proceso del retrato hasta que se inventó la fotografía (gracias, Niépce y Daguerre) y, sinceramente, no sé cómo la gente se prestaba a ello. Más sorprendente aún, ¡repetían! Cierto es que solían ser personajes «importantes» henchidos de ego que pensaban que la humanidad entera quedaría agradecida por tener su retrato (en fin) o bien familiares y amigos del artista (muy buenos amigos, supongo). Espero que al terminar el artista les invitara a un masaje (pasa unas horas como la pintura de abajo y tienes sesión de fisio asegurada). Si bien es cierto que…
-
Van Gogh – délit de copie japonaise
Non Van Gogh n’est jamais allée au Japon, même si les plaisirs asiatiques (opium et autres geishas), auraient certainement convenu à sa nature artistique. On connaît bien sûr les épisodes scandaleux de sa vie : sa mélancolie/folie, son oreille coupée, son alcoolisme, son errance à la recherche d’un havre de paix. On sait moins spontanément qu’il a trouvé une source d’inspiration formidable dans les estampes japonaises qui arrivent en Europe avec les expositions internationales. Après les impressionnistes, le japonisme a engendré une seconde mini-révolution artistique en France. Quelle ironie : l’Asie est aujourd’hui accusée de plagiats, de copies et de produire de nombreux faux. À l’époque au contraire ce sont les Européens…
-
Don’t just do something – sit there.
In theory yoga is this beautiful, wonderful, spiritual experience that is meant to cleanse mind, body, and soul. In practice yoga causes a slew of frowned upon words to come flying out of my mouth at record speeds. It is a deep, dark torture which we, as masochists, inflict upon ourselves day after day of shaking cores, trembling arms, and ready-to-collapse legs. We stretch ourselves in ways we never thought possible, only to discover they are possible, but will we be stuck this way forever? The idea of sitting still long enough to have my portrait painted makes my muscles ache in a way that I’ve only known through Downward-Facing…
-
Beaux-Arts, fromage, guillotines, and other French concepts
I started learning French about ten months ago. It was an idea that I toyed with for the ridiculously large span of one to thirteen years prior (when it was offered in middle school and my dearest mother thought Spanish would prove more useful in my future and made me study it instead – I will neither agree or disagree with that point all of these years later). Initially this venture, ten months ago, started out of spite – I was surrounded by French speakers and could never get a word in edgewise because I never knew what the hell they were talking about. I planned to learn it the…
-
The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships
It was Christopher Marlowe who coined the infamous line regarding Helen of Troy; ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’. I have to say, I do feel sorry for Helen! Put in a position where she was, effectively, responsible for a ten-year war, loss of lives, and the sacking of a city. I ask: was it even her choice to leave Menelaus? Sure, the story goes that she and Paris fell in love and escaped Sparta and her husband by fleeing to Troy. But, really, what if this wasn’t the true story? What if she was actually in love with Menelaus, and was just kidnapped by Paris? Admittedly, if Paris…
-
Hallucinogens and Other Drugs
I will neither confirm nor deny any drugs I may or may not have experimented with in the past. In the present, I find many intriguing and interesting, despite being unsure of the things they’ll do to an already over-active mind and imagination – but again will not admit what they are. Whilst bad, and mind altering, sometimes forever, various drugs are at the very forefront of the entertainment industry. Walt and Jesse are nearly household names because of their mad skillz (I hope you heard that in Aaron Paul’s voice) as meth cooks on Breaking Bad. Mary Louise Parker has given so many of us a soft spot for…
-
Living Marble Masterpieces
I grew up about an hour outside of Philadelphia – a hub of culture, art, and United States history. Being introduced to the arts and science (I still, in my late twenties, love to touch things in the Franklin Institute) at a young age, Auguste Rodin’s sculptures are amongst my earlier memories. I always stared at them the longest and hardest, waiting for them to breathe. You should also know I stood quite a distance away because works like Adam (bronze, modelled 1880-1881) are fairly frightening for a ten year old. It’s said that marble is the most flesh-like material; naturally cold and hard, it needs to be warm and…
This is an interactive art blog in multi languages, you will find new articles on artists, art history, exhibitions, etc. Contributions welcome.
You must be logged in to post a comment.