Month: August 2016

Andrea Solario

Andrea Solario, “Salome Receives the Head of Saint John the Baptist”, Oil on Panel, 1506-07, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Andrea Solari (also Solario) (1460–1524) was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Milanese school.  He was one of the most important followers of Leonardo da Vinci, and brother of Cristoforo Solari, who gave him his first training whilst employed extensively on work at the Milan cathedral, and at the Certosa di Pavia. In 1490 he accompanied his brother to Venice, where he seems to have been strongly influenced by Antonello da Messina, who was then active in the city.

Salome, Herod’s daughter, has danced so beautifully that he swears to give her whatever she would like; even up to half the kingdom. Instead she asks for the head of an innocent man. It is a story about valuing life; and Herod’s family did not value it at all. Solario captures the lack of emotion in Salome’s face. At the gruesome sight in front of her she is emotionless, at best curious, but in no way remorseful that she has ended a life on a whim.

Mihail Sebastian: “An Artist, If He is Anything, is an Individual”

Photographer Unknown, (A Casual Pose), Portraiture

“There is doubtless such a thing as a ’national character’. In art, it is the lowest common denominator. The more specific the character, the more commonplace it is. That is why creation always requires overcoming such a character.

An artist, if he is anything, is an individual. But to be an individual means embodying your own truths, suffering your own experiences, and inventing your own style. But these things can only occur by renouncing facility, and the most unfortunate facility comes from these so-called national characters, formed by the sedimentation of collective mediocrity, which lies there ready-made. National character is by definition that which remains in a culture after you have removed the personal effort involved in thinking, the personal experience of life and the triumph of individual creation.”

― Mihail Sebastian, For Two Thousand Years

Nicolas Menard

Four Gifs by Nicolas Menard

Nicolas is a French Canadian graphic artist working and living in London. He makes drawings, prints, animations, books and interactive. His work has been exhibited and recognized by the Art Director’s Club (Young Guns 12), the Adobe Achievement Awards, Pictoplasma and Grafika. His films have been screened and awarded in festivals around the world, including Ottawa, Annecy and Anima.

His clients include The New York Times, Ray-Ban, Vanity Fair, the Harvard Business Review, Universal, Google Play, ARTV & la Cinémathèque Québécoise.

Romain Langlois

Stone and Bronze Sculptures by Romain Langlois

A self-taught sculptor, Romain Langlois studied medical books and anatomical charts to understand the human body, building his first sculptures using only plaster and clay. Seeking a more permanent material, Langlois turned to bronze, a metal he now incorporates into works that are inspired by nature rather than man.

His pieces visually pull apart the natural objects that surround us—building works that appear as bisected rocks, boulders, and tree trunks. These sculptures showcase glistening bronze protruding from their insides, unleashing the perceived inner energy of each object.

Wheat

Photographer Unknown, (Wheat)

“While the train flashed through never-ending miles of ripe wheat, by country towns and bright-flowered pastures and oak groves wilting in the sun, we sat in the observation car, where the woodwork was hot to the touch and red dust lay deep over everything.” – Willa Cather

Brady Whitney

Brady Whitney, The Codex Silenda

Merging two of the ultimate pastimes—books and puzzles—the Codex Silenda has to be physically solved in order to read it. And no, these aren’t simple word games and math problems, but rather deviously complicated mechanical puzzles crafted from laser-cut wood that are embedded within each part of this 5-page book. The solution to each puzzle physically unlocks the next page. As the reader moves through the book a short story is also revealed, etched on pages opposite the puzzles.

The Codex Silenda was created by industrial designer Brady Whitney who is currently funding the it as project on Kickstarter. At the moment it looks like all funding tiers involving the book have filled, quadrupling their funding goals, but maybe they’ll add additional levels soon.

Bill Domonkos

More Animated Gifs by Bill Domonkos

Bill Domonkos is a filmmaker, GIF maker and stereoscopist. His work combines 2D and 3D computer animation, special effects, photography and manipulated archive film footage. His work has been shown internationally in cinemas, film festivals, galleries and museums.

“I view my work as a collision and recombination of ideas. My process unfolds gradually and spontaneously—using found materials such as archive film footage, photographs, and the internet. I experiment by combining, altering, editing and reassembling using digital technology, special effects and animation to create a new kind of experience. I am interested in the poetics of time and space—to renew and transform materials, experiences and ideas. The extraordinary thing about cinema is its ability to suggest the ineffable—it is this elusive, dreamlike quality that informs my work.” -Bill Domonkos

Matthew Connor: Film History Series

Matthew Connor, “How is July Already Over?” from the Album “Farewell Motel”

Having established himself as a talented songwriter and performer on his 2014 album Farewell Motel, Boston-based avant pop specialist Matthew Connor is now ready to submerge his stories in sonic muck.

Throughout his career, Connor’s work has been influenced by his love of film; he creates brief, fleeting moments that fold in on one another, portraying the emotions that serve as undercurrents to everyday life. The Alabama-born Connor studied voice and composition at North Carolina School of the Arts before relocating to Boston. He takes his prodigious talent and rigorous training to craft songs that are covered in static and hiss and distortion, but sparkle underneath the noise surrounding them. Matthew Connor is one of Boston’s most vibrant musicians, creating art music that’s as startling as it is gorgeous.

Video directed by Marc McAndrews. Starring Matthew Connor and Hunter Canning.

This is a great song in the style of old fashion crooners. Seek out his music: Farewell Motel, Smoke Signals, and his new Night After Night.

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