Month: October 2015

Robert Moor: “I Now See the Earth”

Photographer Unknown, (On the Trail  to Alfheim)

“When I was younger I used to see the earth as a fundamentally stable and serene place, possessed of a delicate, nearly divine balance, which humans had somehow managed to upset. But as I studied trails more closely, this fantasy gradually evaporated. I now see the earth as the collaborative artwork of trillions of sculptors, large and small. Sheep, humans, elephants, ants: each of us alters the world in our passage. When we build hives or nests, mud huts or concrete towers, we re-sculpt the contours of the planet. When we eat, we convert living matter into waste. And when we walk, we create trails. The question we must ask ourselves is not whether we should shape the earth, but how.”

― Robert Moor, On Trails: An Exploration

 

Pearl Buck: “Each Name Signified One Whose Wealth Is From the Earth”

Photographer Unknown, ( The Way Through the Bamboo)

“And from that time on the boys were no longer called Elder and Younger, but they were given school names by the old teacher, and this old man, after inquiring into the occupation of their father, erected two names for the sons; for the elder, Nung En, and for the second Nung Wen, and the first word of each name signified one whose wealth is from the earth.”
― Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth

Mazzy Star, “Fade Into You”

Mazzy Star, “Fade Into You”, 1994

I want to hold the hand inside you
I want to take a breath that’s true
I look to you and I see nothing
I look to you to see the truth
You live your life
You go in shadows
You’ll come apart and you’ll go blind
Some kind of night into your darkness
Colors your eyes with what’s not there.

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it’s strange you never knew

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Karen Cusolito

Karen Cusolito, “Achmed”, Steel Figurative Sculpture, Burning Man, 2006

The figurative sculpture, weighing in at approximately 6 tons, depicts a man down on his knees and elbows in a state of humility. Like a devout man of Earth bowing to the lands from which he is made, the Karen Cusolito’s creation represents a sense of gratitude and servility. Below the structure’s downward composed face sits a flame, an emblem of life.

Photo credits: Declan McCullagh, Mark Lenart

Ceramic Rabbits

Ceramic Rabbit Sculptures

The Rabbit is the fourth in the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Rabbit is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol. The next Year of the Rabbit is 2023, starting on January 22.

Artists from Top to Bottom: John Morton; Tricia Kline; Cindy Billingsley; Russell Wrankle; Cindy Billingsley; Beth Cavener; Kate MacDowell; Ariel Bowman; Troy Neiman.

Travis Fimmel

Actor Travis Fimmel

Travis Fimmel is an Australian actor and former model. He is best known for his high-profile Calvin Klein campaign, for co-starring opposite Patrick Swayze in the TV series “The Beast” and for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel’s series “Vikings”.

Fimmel was signed as the lead character in the television series ‘Vikings’, co-starring Jessalyn Gilsig, Katheryn Winnick and Gabriel Byrne. Premiering in 2013, the show was filmed in Ireland over 18 weeks and chronicles “the extraordinary and ferocious world of the mighty Norsemen who raided, traded and explored during medieval times.” He plays Ragnar Lothbrok who is loosely based on Ragnar Loðbrók, the legendary Viking leader who is frustrated by the unadventurous tendencies of his local chieftain and strikes out to pillage new lands.

Fimmel will be starring in “Warcraft”, a live action adaptation based on the video games of the same name.

Antonio Pollatoli

Antonio Pollatoli, “Battle of the Nudes”, circa 1470-75, Engraving, 42.4 x 60.9 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

“The Battle of the Nudes” or “Battle of the Naked Men”, circa 1465–1475, is an engraving, one of the most significant old master prints of the Italian Renaissance, executed by the Florentine goldsmith and sculptor Antonio del Pollaiuolo, also known as Antonio Pollatoli. The engraving is large at 42.4 x 60.9 cm and depicts five men wearing headbands and five men without, who are fighting in pairs with weapons, pictured in front of a dense background of vegetation.

All the figures are posed in different strained and athletic positions; in this aspect, the print is advanced for this period of the Renaissance. The style is classical; although, the figures are shown grimacing fiercely and their musculature of their bodies is strongly emphasized. An effective and largely original return-stroke engraving technique was employed to model the bodies, which resulted in a delicate and subtle effect.