"The Cave"

I was surfing the web for interesting pictures and I stumbled upon this image of a crazy bookshelf. This shelf is called "The Cave". This piece would definitely make a statement in any room. Actually sitting in the book shelf while reading is an interesting concept that it's creator came up with. Who wouldn't want to own a bookshelf that looked like this one?

Trucks

I found this image while surfing the web and thought it was pretty awesome. This is something that would be amazing to see in person. I love how it really makes you stop in your tracks. There is so much movement and everything seems to fit just right, and to be in exactly the right spot. This sculpture is something out of the ordinary. Who expects to see two twisted mac trucks balancing in the air in the middle of the west?

Good examples for that one project

There is one project that you might have to end up doing. It is something of a photomanip. if the project is even still around... idk. It may have been axed. If said project was not axed though, here are a few good examples.

Inception Movie Poster.

I was stalking this advertisement/trompe l'oeil during my internship... taking unnecessary, long routes to the pizza shoppe and train just to look at it. I feel like we don't give advertisements enough credit as art because we resent being viewed as dollar signs, but sometimes they are worth our time. (Cough. Go see this movie! Cough.) What is art anyway? Shrug.

Lilith by Kiki Smith

Kiki Smith's art has become much more well known as of lately (One of her sculptures was even featured in the movie "My super Ex-Girlfriend). A different sculpture is now on display (err, or at least it was on display last summer) at the met. "Lilith" is a life-sized crouching sculpture that is displayed on a wall. Smith's 3d works are usually semi-stylized realism... You can see where she texturized the material, but they still have very human qualities and proportions. She often does a lot of art to raise awareness and funds for charities. (If anyone still has their textbook from Survey of the Visual Arts II, look up her and read her reflection of "Untitled" in chapter 36. Whaaat.)

Livio de Marchi

I found this artist through an email my dad sent me and I thought he was amazing. Talk about passion for one's work right? The time this man spends on his creations is inspiring. I can't pick a favorite one because there are just too many to chose from. I suggest googleing more pictures of what this man has made if you like what I post. His most famous sculpture is a livable wood sculpture of a house made out of wooden books, even the roof! The original is still in Venice but he built two more in i believe Japan and Germany. This may be corny but I found it a little bit funny, there was a question once asking what Livio does in his spare time, and the answer was "Wooden you like to know." I'll leave you with that. Enjoy!

Gabriel Orozco's Graphite on gray whale skeleton

So I went to the MoMA over break (mostly to see the Tim Burton feature exhibit... I'll get to that later) but while meandering through the other exhibits I saw this whale installation. I think it is AWESOME. The curator tag said that it took over 1,000 graphite pencils and about 12 people to do the line-design work on the bones.

This piece was intended to fill the atrium of a library's ceiling. The way it is displayed in the MoMA is really interesting. You can see it from not only different angles in the round, but from different levels (as exhibited in the balcony shot... yea, that's me in that far window.) I really like that Gabriel Orozco not only used an unusual canvas of animal bones, but used line work to force the viewer to look at each individual bones, instead of just seeing a whale skeleton and walking off (Not to mention that it has really beautiful lighting and ergo, beautiful shadows.) I would definitely recommend going to the MoMA and seeing this piece up close. (Just so you know, all SUNY and CUNY kids get in free. Go!)

Steven Lopez

Steven Lopez is one of my all time favorite artists. He is notorious for combining traditional art elements with graffiti.His work is not famous but he is one of the most accomplished artists of all time in my opinion.
What I enjoy the most in his artwork is the artist's ability to combine abstract with representational images, creating a complex figures.Also, his use of color is just outstanding.
Everyone should check his artwork at http://ikeepmoving.com/

Athena by Claudia Drake

For one of my classes, I had to pick a piece of art and write a poem about it. I found Claudia Drake's Athena digital collage completely intriguing. For me, this image made me think of pealing someone's thoughts apart. What if you had the ability to just look inside someone's head and see their memories through their eyes. Here's the poem I wrote about it:

In a world where communication is tangible,

Language as we know it becomes obsolete

Our minds ripen like fruit, ready to peel

The layers of our being

Across the room is a prosperous man

He puts his head in his hands

and ponders in silence

The things he would never say

Become unwrapped like a present

Like the first present on Christmas

I pull away to reveal

The moments he treasures

The images once only for him

He blankets the death of his daughter.

Her youthful beauty lives in eternity

Within the fortitude of his mind

Outside there is a happy couple

The hold hands gently

while walking in the park

Who would question such love?

Like a fresh orange in the spring

I unpeel what's seen on the surface

The things he thought he hid so well

The memories he never shared

He sheds a matrimonial secret

His mistress's silhouette

Haunts the crevasses of his body

In a humanity stripped of assumptions

Revealing the beauty of truth

Ron Mueck's "Spooning Couple"

Ron Mueck's art is usually dubbed hyperrealism (Most of his stuff is larger than life-size). These sculptures (err, figurines?) have a life-sized feel to them, though in fact, they are smaller than my arm (see the real hands surrounding them for a size reference). Size aside, they seem miserable and perfect to me - like two ordinary people, oily and frustrated.

Caravaggio's "Amor Vincit Omnia"

I didn't truly enjoy Caravaggio's paintings until I saw this piece, entitled "Amor Vincit Omnia." The title translates to "Love Conquers All" (I'm fully aware of how cheesy that sounds, but in Italian, it sounds much better). Anyway, the church sought many paintings from Caravaggio as altar pieces, although each time, he insulted them by "de-glorifiying" famous saints and such. More importantly, at least to me, is the fact this particular painting lacks traditional gender standards (many of Caravaggio's paintings depict Bacchus-like males, but none so elegant as this one). I admire Caravaggio for painting whatever he wanted, instead of being a sucker for commissions like so many artists. More importantly, this painting is undeniably beautiful. It shows the male form as pure, playful, and semi-dainty. Oddly enough, the only other vulnerable male depicted in art that I can think of off the top of my head is Jesus Christ. It's strange that an entire religion can be based off of a man's vulnerability, but a large majority of art depicted thereafter of male mortals idealizes stoicism and muscle.

Judith Beheading Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter and one of the most accomplished painters in the generation influenced by Caravaggio.She is an example for women by becoming the first member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence. She was one of the first female artists to paint historical and religious paintings,when painting this themes was considered beyond a woman's reach.
The painting Judith beheading Holofernes depicts the murder of Holofernes by Judith and her servant. The painting is extremely gory and it contradicts with the image of innocent woman.The contrast in the shading and light creates a dramatic scene with extreme detail.
The painting is one of my favorites of all time due to the violent message and the role that had in the social life of Italy and the role of women in Europe.

In Search of Reason

In Search of Reason is a statue made by the mexican artist Sergio Bustamante. I love Bustamante's work because it seems to me like creations of a child's imagination coming to life. He uses his creativity in a unique way that represents a fairy-tale like world of possibilities. This sculpture is located on the sidewalk of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I love how the figures in it, with their triangular heads and wizzard-like cloaks,  look like people from another world. To me it looks like the two figures climbing the ladder are reaching for the sky, as if summoning god, searching for some sort of meaning (hence the title.) I imagine that the figure on the ground is either calling for the others to return, or telling them to climb and find reason. I've seen many of Bustamante's statues, and this one is one of my favorites because of the way it makes you wonder who these strange people are, and where they came from.

Lucky Number 7 :D

This painting is Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life) by Henri Matisse. I love the bright colors in the picture and how it depicts a certain surreal feeling with the wavy outlines/shapes. It shows people singing and dancing, and also people who seem to be in love. All of these things are some of the many joys in life. It allows your mind to escape for a while and picture a world where nothing would be negative, only happiness.

Impression Sunrise

This painting was created by Monet in 1873. It is great example of the style of painting called impressionism, because the Impressionist movement was named after this painting. This painting's subject is a harbor at sunrise. Monet uses very loose brush strokes in this painting which suggest rather than delineate it. The sun and the sky use the same luminiance. This relies on the use of contemporary colors, and color temp, rather than changing the color intensities or contrasts.

Burning Giraffe

This piece of artwork was created by Salvador Dali in 1937. It would most definitely be described as surreal. It is a dreamscape in which a giraffe, set in the background of the piece, is burning. Its back is ablaze and it appears to have smoke rising from it. Front and center we see the form of a women. In Dali's interpretation, the woman stands with her arms outstretched. She appears to be stripped of skin and the viewer can see the muscles of her hand. However, as you follower her form down, it appears that she is wearing some kind of long flowing gown. You can see her feet from under it. The woman has drawers opening from her body. Her head has no face. To the left of this woman and in the back is another woman. This piece is seen as a premonition of war. The piece stands out to me because of its dream like imagery. Dali is a very interesting arist. The tall women, which almost mimic the length of a giraffe, and the burning giraffe itself are odd images. It leaves me wondering why Dali created such a piece.

Ashes and Snow

Ashes and Snow is an art exhibition by the photographer Gregory Colbert. Colbert is my all time favorite photographer for many reasons. In 2005, my parents took me to see his traveling art exhibit in New York City. I instantly fell in love with the way he represented an extraordinary harmony between human and animal. He began working on this exhibition in 2002. The  photographs have been taken from all around the world in places like India, Egypt, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and tons of other locations. He photographs animals that I could only dream of being in the presence of. Some of the animals he uses in this particular collection are whales, leopards, elephants, orangoutangs, eagles, and more. As you can see from the two photos i posted, Colbert catches extremely rare moments of intense connections between humans and animals. He has an amazing ability to capture passionate photo's, that at the same time give you an overwhelming feeling of sensitivity. In the first picture, it looks like the child is reading, as the elephant listens. It seems as if somehow, the elephant can understand the boy, and waits in anticipation to hear the rest of the reading. In the second photo, the elephant is touching the ceramic pot with his truck, so gently that the pot is barely tipped to one side. I love how one boy is in focus, but the others behind seem as if they are fading out into the dust. In both photographs, you can sense a connection between the boy and the animal. To me, that is what makes his work so amazing.

Poster Boy Subway Art

Poster Boy is an urban street artist who manipulates art to create his form of expression... using a x knife...he is the actual definition of picture compositing. I posted his story/work up because it caught my attention and shows modern art ans creativity.. although he is not world famous or considered a legend there is no denying what he does....and he does ART.

The Slave Ship

The Slave Ship is an excellent painting from one of my own personal favorite eras in art: the Enlightenment Era. Painted by J.M.W. Turner and exhibited first in 1840 it didn't draw much attention then because of its detraction from the norm. The broad strokes and impressionistic influences did not fit in well in a time when realism was a more accepted style.

I enjoy The Slave Ship because of the vibrance of the colors and the raw emotion it conveys. When closely examined it is truly a disturbing piece showing death and turmoil at it's most brutal degree of near inhumanity. The bright orange and yellow sunset offsets the icy blue of the waves to the left and the neutral browns and reds of death and rot in the bottom right from the slaves that were thrown overboard.

This piece speaks to the oncoming struggle of the time and the advent of the Civil War.

Cunhal the man

The painting I choose today was created by XESKO.XESKO is an Angolan artist descendent from Portuguese immigrants and his real name is Francisco Santos.XESKO is one of the most accomplished Angolan artists of all time.
This painting entitled "Cunhal the man" depicts Alvaro Cunhal, one of the most pro-Soviet western Europe communist leaders.Alvaro Cunhal is a prominent figure not only in Portuguese history but also in Angolan history.
What I like the most in this painting is the contrast between the white and black portrait and the colorful background. The white and black portrait symbolizes the recent death of Alvaro Cunhal and the colorful portrait symbolizes the legacy of his political party, the PCP (Partido Comunista Portugues) the most acclaimed leftist political party in Portugal. The color contrast, the detail and balance of the painting is just outstanding.