Ok I don't know anything about this French band called Hold Your Horses!, but I love them for this amazing music video, in which they recreate the history of painting. Um, I LOVE ART HISTORY. And music videos. So, not surprisingly, I LOVE this video. Consider my mind blown. Actually I'm just giddy. Amazing, amazing!
70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.
I highly enjoy art deco stuff, so I am totally digging these retro UP posters released by Disney to celebrate the release of UP on DVD (next Tuesday, 11/10). Look how cute retro-fied Russell is! Most of these posters were created by the artist Eric Tan, and you can check out more of his cool art at his blog. Love!
Last month Disney announced that it bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, causing somewhat of a stir in the entertainment business. I mean, $4 billion is A LOT of money, recession or not. But not only that, a lot of folks wondered if Marvel properties would be getting the Disney treatment, with Disney stepping in and "ruining" the beloved comic book heroes. Only time will tell just what Disney will do with its new purchase, but in the meantime, an illustrator named Jeffrey Thomas reimagined some of Disney's most noted characters as what they might look like if they were to receive the Marvel treatment. The results are dark, creepy, and ingenious. Amazing! He did this way before the deal even happened, but it's so interesting to see what our lovely Disney princess heroines look like when they are gritty, grim, and gangsta. (holla alliteration!) Check out these incredible drawings, and peruse through the rest of his artwork at his blog here.
The Times UK recently had an online poll on who people thought was the Top Modern Artist (20th century). Not surprisingly, Pablo Picasso took home the top spot. I may not be the hugest fan of Picasso's, but one of my life goals is to go to Madrid and take in Guernica, his masterpiece of the bombing of Guernica, Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Chills.
I love modern art and am so glad most of my favorite artists are on this list- Cindy Sherman (#50), Jackson Pollock (#7), Frida Kahlo (#19), Mark Rothko (#28)! Click on each artist's name for more info on their work. LOVE LOVE LOVE! It only took one class and one professor to change the course of my college career and open my eyes to a lifelong passion. And yes, you can say, 'Omg, I can totally make that!' but you didn't, so just shut it. =P I hope you love modern art as much as I do!
Film the Blanks is an ongoing art experiment where every week a movie poster is abstracted/reduced to very little of what the original poster looks like. To play, commenters take a stab at what movie the poster is from, and the first 10 correct commenters are awarded a point each. You can play for your chance at a prize- at a 100, I think you get a printed version of one of the posters. I don't participate in that sense, but I do like checking the site from time to time. I'm not a movie buff and I'm not all too familiar with MOST of these posters, but I like checking the site cause the blanked out posters are works of arts themselves. But for the most part, I have no idea where many of posters are from. However, I guessed this one to the left as soon as I saw it. It is from my favorite movie ever, and I think it's one of the easier ones on the site. Any takers?
Cindy Sherman, Nov. 15-Dec. 23
Metro Pictures
519 W. 24th St. New York, NY 10011
One of my biggest passions is modern art, and Cindy Sherman is one of my favorite post-modern artists. She is best known as a conceptual photographer, where she intills herself into high-concept photographs to call attention to the stereotypes women face in the eye of media- film, television, and print. It is her ability to manipulate every part of herself, from her weight to age to expression and be a performer in front of the camera is extraordinary and has drawn me to her work. She works by herself, acting as her own model, photographer, make up artist, and stylist, which makes all of her works that much more impressive. My favorite thing she's ever done is a series called the Untitled Film Stills, a series of black and white photographs in which she presents herself as an actress in various familiar scenes out of film noir, B-movies, and Hollywood films. Every film still looks oddly familiar, like images we've all seen a thousand times before, and it is this instant flicker of recognition that makes her work so poignant.
Right now, until the 23rd of December, the Metro Pictures Gallery in Chealsea has a Cindy Sherman exhibition that is worth checking out. In this series of portraits, she presents herself as heavily made up, heavily dressed up aging women, effectively calling into question ideas of self-awareness, beauty, and aging. It's really fascinating stuff, to see these giant portraits of Cindy posing as different women, every photograph overloaded with detail in every sense. And while you're at it, check out the multitude of other galleries that line 24th St. It's a great and cheap (i.e. FREE) way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.
Design company Antrepo4 designed these really awesome looking movie posters. Instead of focusing on the plot or stars, they highlight the product integration found in the feature.
The design is super minimalist and they look amazing. If I had $30 to spend, I'd totally buy one here.
In June, I wrote about New York City getting waterfall installations. The exhibit, which recently ended, was a big success, bringing the city $69 million dollars.
That's all great and good, blah, blah. But seriously, after visiting the waterfalls a few times in person, I was tremendously underwhelmed. Unlike the artist's renditions, there was not enough waterflow to cover up the industrial-looking metal poles that made up the structure. It just wasn't as awesome as I had hoped.
If you really want to see some good water/urban combos, you apparently need to visit Seoul, Korea....
Since September, the Banpo Bridge in Korea has had 9,380 water nozzles shooting out water off the bridge.
Not only does this thing have lights, the nozzles also move up and down, allowing for some neat designs.
The pictures look nice, but they do not do as much justice as watching the video of them in action (below).
Who wants to go to Korea with me?
One Dollar Sketch is a site that, you guessed it, sells sketches for one dollar. Why sell it for only a dollar (and, ahem, $1.50 to ship it)? The artist explains it like this:
"Because art is for everyone. Even those who only have four quarters have a right to be an 'art collector'. That means, even your six year olds and younger can start their own collection as early as now."
While that normally would be good enough, the site does gets a bit more interesting. The artist isn't revealing him/herself until they put up their 100th sketch as "part of a much bigger artistic venture", adding that, if you knew who the artist was, he/she would have to charge more than a dollar for the work.
The mystery has definitely piqued my interest. I've jumped on board and have already ordered a sketch (or two :x). Who knows, maybe I'll be part of some cooler, awesome plan. And maybe the artist is the next Picasso, which would be kind of amazing.
Visit their website, or their Etsy page to order a sketch.
One of the best things about living near New York City is all the cool public art exhibitions available. If you remember, a couple of years ago, it was the Central Park gates, and just a few weeks back, it was the Telectroscope.
Well, today, the latest art attraction opened up: Waterfalls. Setup by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson (with a name like that, what else can you be but an artist? :x), Waterfalls is a series of four man-made waterfalls set up along the shores of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governor's Island.
The waterfalls look amazing as is, but what's even cooler is that they also light up at night.
Read more to get more info and see a video of the waterfalls in action....
Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall from jakedobkin on Vimeo.
The waterfalls will be up until October 13th. They'll be open from 7 AM to 10 PM every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays, when they'll open at 9 PM.
Visit the official website for even more info and to find the best viewing areas.
As if there weren't enough reasons to go to the city, they've just added another freakin' awesome reason: go to New York to see London (or vice versa).
Artist Paul St. George has created the telectroscope, two giant telescopes, one placed near the Brooklyn bridge and the other near Tower Bridge in London, which allows the viewers to see each other from across the pond in real time, 24 hours a day.
While this crazy Victorian, steampunk'esque telescope looks just like an art piece, the thing that makes it crazy is that it actually works. Instead of using mirrors and somehow making up for the curve of the earth, inside each teletroscope is an HD camera and a screen.
This is the best combination of creative art and technology I've seen in a long time.
The telectroscopes are only going to be around until June 15th, so go get a glimpse while you can. For more info, read more....
Check out the official website here.
And here are the exact addresses of the two telectroscope locations:
The Telectroscope is situated at Fulton Ferry Landing near Brooklyn Bridge.
Fulton Ferry Landing
Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY - 11201
Subway: Lines A and C to High Street or F to York Street
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The Telectroscope is situated on the south side of the river near Tower Bridge.
More London Riverside
London SE1 2DB
Wayne Thiebaud is an American painter best known for his paintings of cakes, pastries, lipsticks, candy, and other objects of mass culture. Though he technically precedes Pop Art, his works are often associated with the movement because of the common objects and the style in which he painted. I was recently introduced to his stuff and I fell in love because of his use of exaggerated colors and the whimsical nature of his work. Plus anyone who can make art out of cakes and candy and pies is a winner to me. The above work, titled Cakes (1963), is one of my favorites of his. Yumm!
If you want to read more about the artist, here are 10 things about Thiebaud for your reading pleasure.
All work and no art make Jorge go something something...Luckily for me, I have friends that are artistically inclined. Why go somewhere else to check out art when art can come to you? These kids prove that Art comes in many ways.
Photography
Yuri Kim
I always knew Eric, Ravi, and Atif dressed well. Now, I'm glad they have extended their sense of style to the rest of us. The Vane Collective is stylish, bold, and thought provoking. These three guys will no doubt keep it interesting.
I heard Jinny sing at a friend's house once, and I remember the room being very quiet after she finished. I finally spoke and said "That was freaking awesome." Point learned, Jinny is so good she leaves you speechless. Koo's music is lyrically and melodically brilliant. Think Jason Mraz but slightly more Asian. Even better for him, he's engaged to Jinny.
A few nights ago, I received a chain email from a friend. Like with all other chain emails, I had the same reaction: roll my eyes and hit 'delete.' However, this particular subject title caught my eye. I opened the email, only to read the horrifying news about how a sick, so-called artist who was attempting to redo a past exhibit:
In 2007, the 'artist' Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, tied him to a rope in an art gallery, and starved him to death. For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful 'masterpiece' based on the dog's agony, until eventually he died.
After pressure from WSPA, the Honduras AHPRA and the public, the Biennial organizers have agreed not only to make AHPRA official observers but also to include new competition rules that prohibit the abuse of animals. While we are satisfied that no-one will be able to abuse animals in the name of art during this forthcoming exhibition, stronger laws need to be in place that prohibit animal cruelty. WSPA and member society UCC are currently supporting a campaign, led by the Commission for Natural Resources and Environment of the Nicaraguan Assembly, calling for legislation to protect animals in Nicaragua. (wspa.com)This is just one battle won. Everyday, there are millions of animals around the world treated cruelly for the sake of art or whatever sick pleasure. So if you have a heart, sign the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare.
Title: A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005
Author: Annie Leibovitz
Release Date: October 3, 2006
Genre: Art, Photography
No. of pages: 472
Annie Leibovitz is arguably one of the most prolific, well-known photographers working today, and if you've ever glanced at a Vanity Fair or Vogue cover, then you've most likely seen her work. Every year that Vanity Fair has had their Hollywood issue fold out cover is every year that Leibovitz has photographed Hollywood's finest and brightest for the annual issue, which you can check out here.
While she may have made a name for herself by photographing famous people (everyone from Nicole Kidman to Johnny Cash to President Bush and his cabinet), A Photographer's Life is filled with more intimate photographs of her family and her late partner, Susan Sontag, interspersed with her portraits of famous subjects. On a side note, Susan Sontag was a literary theorist, writer, filmmaker and activist, whose essay "On Photography," is one of the most analyzed and discussed essays about the art of photography.
Anyways, in the introduction, Leibovitz writes, 'I don't have two lives. This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it.' That pretty much sums up the book. It's really interesting to see the juxtaposition of the photographs that have made her who she is as a person (the documentation of her family and close relationships), as well as a careerwoman (the photographs of the famous people that have made her famous).
And while she is best known for the glossy, glamorous photographs that don magazine covers and billboards, the photos that particularly struck me were the everyday documentation of her private life. There is joy in photographs of family reunions, her children, and births, but she also is very frank in photographing her loves in their moments of illness, grief, and deaths. The snapshots of Sontag lying in her hospital bed, as well as shots from her funeral are so matter-of-fact that you almost don't realize the gravity of the situation.
Those who are just fans of Leibovitz's famous work will probably not derive much enjoyment from this collection. After all, more than half the photographs are either ordinary photos of Sontag or ordinary photos of her family. But to appreciate her as an artist, I feel like A Photographer's Life is an important collection. Throughout the book you see the love she has for her career in her public body of work, just as clearly as you see the open expression of love she has for the people in her life in her private body of work. It's a really interesting coffee table book that deserves a look-through.
This is not in the book, but here is one of my all-time favorite works of hers, from a Vanity Fair cover a few years back. Awesome. Or should I say, hotness.
My friend Elisabeth (aka, the Duchess) sent me a link to this last week, and it's one of the best improv/performing art acts I've seen. Improv Everywhere is a NY based prank collective, and they do some really funny stuff, which you can view on their YouTube channel. I think this one is my favorite though. Basically, they get 200 volunteers to freeze in place on cue at Grand Central Station in NYC. People's reactions to this are pretty hilarious.
As if I needed another reason to visit the Met...
A Big Gift for the Met: The Arbus Archives
I'm a huge fan of modern art and photography. Diane Arbus is one of my favorite American photographers. She is best known for her portraits of people living on the fringes of society: social outcasts, freaks, prostitutes, dwarves, and ordinary citizens in poses and settings that are uncanny and somewhat off. In choosing subjects that the rest of the world would choose to ignore, she uncovered the familiar in what people consider abnormal, the strangeness in what people consider normal. The purity of her style and the intimate relationships she fostered with her subject matters for her art proved her to be an original force in photography. As with many great modern artists, she was a tortured soul, taking her own life at the age of 48.
One of my favorite photos of hers of all time, Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967, (above) is at the MoMA currently. According to Wikipedia, it is #10 on the list of most expensive photographs. Her entire body of work is worth a look. It will be interesting to see what the Met does with their newly acquired gift.
