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Van Gogh, Repeated
Infamous for cutting off his own ear and likely causing his own death by shooting himself in the stomach, Vincent van Gogh is the undisputed embodiment of the mad artist. Combine this image with his frenzied brushstrokes and vivid colours, and it is unsurprising that his artistic method is seen as impulsive and somewhat violent. So you may be surprised to learn that Van Gogh actually spent much time thinking carefully about his works, reconsidering his style and compositions. He did this especially through repetitions. You may well recognise his portrait of Joseph Roulin, the postman- but you might not be recognising quite what you think. There are six of…
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Byzanz – Konstantinopel – Istanbul
Welche Benennung man auch für die auf zwei Kontinenten liegende Metropole wählen mag: die heute größte Stadt der Türkei war über Jahrhunderte eines der Zentren der europäischen Kunst, in der ein ganz eigener Stil entstehen konnte, der die gesamte Kunstgeschichte in Europa beeinflusste. Der römische Kaiser Konstantin der Große hatte im Jahr 330 die Hauptstadt des Reiches nach Byzanz verlegt, ein Schritt, der zusammen mit der darauffolgenden Teilung des Römischen Reiches im Jahre 395 für die weitere Entwicklung Europas von enormer Bedeutung sein sollte. Während der Westteil des Reiches unterging, erlebte Byzanz, oder Konstantinopel, eine Blütezeit und entwickelte sich zur größten Stadt des damaligen Europas. Die Eroberung Byzanz‘ durch die…
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Role Models
The Role Model Essay. Yep, I can hear the groans now. Remember that wonderful paper that you had to write in high school, which perhaps even swayed the college acceptance letter towards a yes or a no? Well, that’s the subject I’m going to be pontificating about today. I can smugly sit here and say that I never had to write such an essay. However, that does not mean that I never thought about it. Please, with all of the American teen drama shows/films/series, there is no escaping that one second of seeing the angst of ‘Who do I write about’ and wondering about it for yourself! (Possible references here…
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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…
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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…
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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