Month: March 2017

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Philistines”, 1982, Acrylic and Crayon on Canvas, 183 x 312.5 cm.

“Philistines” is an example of Basquiat art that can be seen as an attack on the people that came to surround him, the definition of Philistine being a person who is unreceptive towards culture and the arts, while also having biblical references which were known to appear in the work of Basquiat.

“Philistines” was originally created for a show in 1982 at the Fun Factory, where prices were set deliberately low as a protest against what he considered the exploitation of his work. This incredible piece was sold for just $570 with Jean-Michel Basquiat receiving no money from the sales.

Johann Schilling

Johann Schilling, “Monument to Maximilian of Austria”. Detail of the Personification of One of the Four Continents, Bronze, 1875, Piazza Venezia Trieste, Italy

The monument by Johann Schilling was inaugurated April 3, 1875 at the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph. The bronze monument to 8 meters high, consists of the statue of Maximilian in uniform admiral resting on a high drum decorated with reliefs depicting the Austrian flags.

An octagonal base reproduces the personifications of the four continents, alternating with small medallions with the symbols of science, poetry, the arts and industry, and several inscriptions.

Reblogged from and with thanks to http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

George Christakis

Photography by George Christakis

George Christakis is a twenty eight year old photographer born in Crete who mixes photography and digital painting. His style can be described as a mix of conceptual, experimental and surreal, with more emphasis on the content and composition. He began by taking pure photographs on the streets, but soon raised his interest in creating his own dreamlike images.

Most of the images were created by digitally manipulating pure photographs. They often depict a sole protagonist – the only person in sight – experiencing intense or emotional situations in strange environments.

“I usually create pictures with some moody, strange environments, and maybe unusual colors. I suffer from color blindness; therefore I can’t really see the true colors. In the past I used to work only with black and white pictures. Now I’m trying the colors as well, hoping that I won’t do something excess.

There are only one or two characters in my images. I want to create a dreamlike picture, a strange world where our protagonist should be alone, without having someone to share the moment. That’s an important factor for me. My personal view is that moments are mostly made to be shared. We share moments with each other every day and create some feelings, mood, etc, together. There are also some daydreaming, or just dream moments, where we are alone without having the ability to share our fantasy picture with others.” – George Christakis

The Heat of the Afternoon

Photographer Unknown, (Heat of the Afternoon)

“The heat of late afternoon closed in around us like an animate thing; you could feel it on your skin, warm and moist, like a great beast panting. The air was so dense it seemed to require a huge effort even to inhale it. It lay thick in the lungs and seemed to give no refreshment.”

-Geraldine Brooks, March

Steven Sherrill: “The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break”

Photographer Unknown, (Watching the Sunset)

“There is a certain quality of light to be found only in midsummer in the South, as day, slipping into dusk, acquiesces to the filament, the bulb, the porch light; this seductive light is beautiful when it washes across dry cement, the sidewalk and stoop. The light spilling from the phone booth softens and cleanses all that it touches. It’s a forgiving and almost protective light. The Minotaur is drawn to it from across the parking lot.”

― Steven Sherrill, The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break

Fields of Grass

 

Photographer Unknown, (Fields of Grass)

“A cold wind raced across the surrounding fields of wild grass, turning the land into a heaving dark-green ocean. It sighed up through the branches of cherry trees and rattled the thick leaves. Sometimes a cherry would break loose, tumble in the gale, fall and split, filling the night with its fragrance. The air was iron and loam and growth.

He walked and tried to pull these things into his lungs, the silence and coolness of them.

But someone was screaming, deep inside him. Someone was talking.”

–Charles Beaumont, Shock!

Naqsh-e Rustam

Photographer Unknown, Naqsh-e Rustam

Naqsh-e Rustam  is an ancient necropolis located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis, in Fars Province, Iran. It lies a few hundred meters from Naqsh-e Rajab.

The oldest relief at Naqsh-i Rustam is severely damaged and dates to c. 1000 BC. It depicts a faint image of a man with unusual head-gear and is thought to be Elamite in origin. The depiction is part of a larger mural, most of which was removed at the command of Bahram II. The man with the unusual cap gives the site its name, Naqsh-e Rostam, “Picture of Rostam”, because the relief was locally believed to be a depiction of the mythical hero Rostam.

Georges Van De Voorde

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Georges Van De Voorde, “Hercules and the Eagle”, Bronze with Marble Plinth, 1930′s, Height 60.1 cm

Born at the West Flanders city of Kortrijk in April of 1878, Georges Van de Voorde was a Belgian sculptor who specialized in nude figures, portraits, ornamental clock bases, decorative objects, and allegorical sculptures. He studied sculpture in the workshop of Belgian sculptor Constant Devreese and worked for a period in France. Van de Voorde’s work was included in the sculptural art exhibition at the 1936 XL Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. He died in Anderlecht, Belgium in June of 1964 at the age of eighty-six. Van de Voorde’s work is housed in numerous private collections.

The sculpture is a depiction of Hercules (Heracles) slaying the Eagle to free Prometheus, giver of fire to man. Hesiod’s “Theogony” and Aeschylus’ “Prometheus Unbound” both tell that Heracles shot and killed the eagle that tortured Prometheus. This was Prometheus’ punishment by Zeus for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mortals. Hercules freed the Titan from his chains and his torments. Prometheus then made predictions regarding the further deeds of Hercules.