Degas depicted his dancers practicing, stretching, resting, talking, but rarely performing. In that sense, by capturing the point of view of the dancers themselves, he not only explored new techniques and compositions, but he was part of a movement that sought new ways of thinking about art itself. Perhaps he identified with the ballet dancer who spends long hours in the studio, because it mirrored the classical training he received in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, with the meticulous lines of Ingres serving as constant inspiration. However, he experimented with the quality of his lines, such as making contrasts between the endless edge of the tutu and the hard wood of the chair, or placing bold touches of color in subtle places. This intimate connection with the atmosphere the dancers lived in appears in the care with which every brushstroke was applied, giving his work a luminous and almost ethereal quality. He was both the flaneur, the casual observer, and dancer himself when he painted.

He achieved this delicate balance through the variety of viewpoints and compositions, which contributed to the sense that his paintings were snapshots of daily life. He drew inspiration not only from the bourgeois culture of Paris at the time, but also from Japanese woodblock prints that were beginning to fascinate European artists.  These prints undoubtedly influenced his sense of composition, where the intentional cropping, combined with his refined understanding of perspective, illustrated and transcended the everyday.
More about Degas’ dancers

As fall weather creeps upon you, please stay warm and enjoy these halloween treats!

With Halloween approaching, bats come to mind with associations of the mysterious and the macabre (at least in the Western sense).

Goya’s work is saturated with subtleties of a darker nature that express social criticisms through the richness and quality of his brushstrokes, his compositions, and a sense of the unexpected. Along with his paintings, he produced a series of etchings called Los Caprichos, one of which is called The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, where the sleeping figure is surrounded by bats and other creatures. He wrote on a preliminary drawing: “The author dreaming.  His one intention is to banish harmful beliefs commonly held and with this work of Caprichos to perpetuate the solid testimony of truth.” At this period of time, he was reading about the ideas of the French Revolution, which inspired him to present a symbolic criticism of Spanish society of the time, as it was gradually declining in the hands of the monarchy. From his position as court painter, he could make these observations, although he had to be careful not to make his opinions too apparent.

See also:

List of unusual deaths

Bat Conservation International

The concept of blood has always had the power to evoke powerful emotion, so here are a few Halloween-inspired images and paintings.

Rubens was one of the only post-Renaissance painters to deal with the gruesome subject of Medusa, and his depiction of the famous myths focuses more on her chilling stare even in the pale state of death. He is able to display his skill as a painter through the detail of the insects which seem to be mingling with the blood, replacing his characteristic soft brushstrokes with a realism that portrays an emotional intensity, appropriately instilling fear in the viewer.

More about his Medusa

Turner was one of the first painters to start using paint itself as a means of expression, and perhaps his Slave Ship is one of the most forceful examples. His brushstrokes have an agitated quality to them, as he depicts slaves being thrown overboard to die in the choppy waters. The blood of the dying blends in with the oranges and reds of the sunset, creating an almost suffocating sense of violence and tragedy. It is his brushstrokes that give us the right to interpret his view and criticism of how slaves were thrown overboard during his time because the owners of the ships could only receive insurance if they had drowned.

See Also: After Dark — Specialty Blend (Herbal Tea), 2 oz Bag

What happens when a famous celebrity photographer goes to a refugee camp in the Congo to capture portraits of a much less glamorous clientele? The photographer Rankin’s work provides a fresh perspective on a topic that most people avoid looking at in photographs, as he portrays the vivacity and joy of the people. His photographs, displayed on large panels on London’s South Bank, bring awareness to a situation that gets very little media coverage through the infectious smiles of his subjects.

He says: “I think people have become very immune to war and conflict photography, and I thought that if I took my style of photo, which is quite emotive, and very much about the people being positive, and went to somewhere and took photos of the people there, I thought that would be a different take on how we approach this.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7680597.stm

Kintaro in the Fifth Month, Riding a Carp by Yoshitsuya is an Edo woodblock that depicts Kintaro, a popular children’s character that is strikingly similar to modern-day superheroes and cartoons. The woodblock printing method allowed for multiple copies to be produced from a single design, so although it wasn’t considered fine art, it fit perfectly within the context of the flourishing bourgeois culture. The flat planes of color prompted a variety of designs and perspectives, as the sense of movement is playfully displayed in Yoshitsuya’s print. Hiroshige, although not as flamboyant, also depicts the carp in a detailed fashion, as the carving technique would have allowed for each scale to become distinct.

Kintaro prints

Woodblock prints

This kimono was worn by a daughter from a family of prominent textile designers, and the level of artistry and quality is attributed to the attention to textile design and growth of the merchant class that started in the Edo period. Relatively many kimonos survive today, and they are also the focus of Edo woodblock prints and paintings.

The full kimono

The Hermit Riding a Carp is painted by a follower of Shohaku, who was featured in the “Traces of Ink” entry. However, the loose, Zen-inspired brushstrokes are replaced by the meticulous Kano school style that emerged in the fifteenth century. These two ways of painting are not all that far apart, though, because the Kano style was inspired by Zen, Chinese, and Yamato-e style painting. It came, in large part, as a response to the mood of the time, and its success is attributed to patronage by the shogunate, and demand by an expanding middle and upper class. The school applied their style to painting silk screens used as sliding doors, walls, or small decorations that found their way into many wealthy homes. Subjects were therefore more expressive, because they had to appeal to many different tastes, and played with detail and composition.

More on the Kano school

An essay on animals in Japanese art

The withered lotus slowly dips its blackened finger into the water, distorting the reflections of the surrounding reeds as they swirl around the textured form, trying to quench its parched skin, or hold on to their tangible lines. An old Japanese master at work, he creates brush strokes that flow through lines of spontaneity into a cool melody of abstract shape.

The dry shell of its leaf floats below like a forgotten piece of brown parchment, collecting fallen pieces of the moon. These luminescent dewdrops settle as glass spheres in their lackluster surroundings, as the thin leaf of the reed lowers its delicate arch, almost touching its dying neighbor. Veins of life, branching out like the Amazon, are imprinted upon its mint-green skin.

The solemn catfish swims by, saddened by autumn, and erases the fragile reflections.

From the palace of Emperor Saga to the streets of Beijing, it is interesting to see how calligraphy and ink painting has changed and endured throughout the centuries. Saga’s brushstrokes commemorate the death of Saicho, as they owe their existence, in a large part, to Saicho’s influence. As a Japanese monk who traveled to China in the early 9th century, Saicho brought back Chinese aesthetics and ideas that permeated the Japanese court, institutions, and art.

Zen painting and calligraphy predominantly became the practice of monks who associated it with Zen in one way or another, so there is a tendency to look at their brushstrokes as independent entities as if we are somehow taking part in the enlightenment of the monks themselves. Looking at brushstrokes without understanding the context in which they were put down on paper leads to only superficial appreciation. We might not realize that they were not intended to carry Zen spirit, as is the case with Soga Shohaku’s Daruma. Shohaku produced many detailed paintings quite unlike his Daruma that were more indicative of the style of the Edo period during which he lived, but he also looked to the brushwork of previous Zen painters of the Muromachi period.

Through out the history of Zen brushstrokes, there has been the tension of looking back to the work of previous masters and developing new meaning for ink on paper. Perhaps one of the most interesting personages is Nakahara Nantenbo, whose attitude and accomplishments ushered the transition from Zen painting from the Edo period into the 20th century. His belief in strict practice, known by his use of a stick as part of his teaching methods, was more indicative of his passion for Zen and its transmission. He was an activist who spoke strongly against Zen becoming associated with secular actions by advocating against the building of an extravagant Zen center, and the organization of monk prestige according to wealth. He was into his fifties when he learned calligraphy, and it became and integral part of his practice, as he believed that it must be done with the Zen spirit in mind. He never mentioned the beauty and elegance of his brushstrokes, talking only of the speed with which he could produce pages of calligraphy. When others criticized him for his One Stroke Daruma because it couldn’t be identified as such, he said, “Very Interesting. People talk as if they have seen Daruma, but who has seen the original Daruma?” His brushstrokes are sometimes described as blunt and rough, but they have to be seen as the embodiment of his own vision and his experience with going from monastery to monastery at the turn of the century.

For more about Nantenbo, read about him in Art of 20th century Zen by Stephen Addiss, or visit: http://kc-shotokan.com/Essays/nantenbo.htm

Today, traces of ink are found on ivory silk dresses, sidewalks, and in documentaries. Jayson Brunsdon’s spring collection hints at these influences but thoroughly incorporates them into his own modern take.

Although it will not be mainstream and might be hard to get, there is talk of a documentary about calligraphy. Read more about it.

Gargoyles were originally used as drainpipes during the Middle Ages, and some old buildings such as Notre Dame still have these stone creations that have operated for more than six hundred years. Imagine if, instead of modern drainpipes, every building had these conspicuous creatures looming over as you walked down the street. Now that would be a real Halloween.
For gargoyle-inspired fashion that is surprisingly wearable yet edgy, and perfectly strikes the balance between presenting the new with a mysterious hint at the old: www.everlasting-sprout.com.

More about Gargoyles

Monster Walks. NYC

NYC’s best gargoyles and grotesques

With the overwhelming trend to buy eco-friendly items, it seems as as though it’s moving further away from actually being effective, and few of us actually incorporate environmentally friendly actions in our own lives. I thought I would share some products that I use: they may not make any difference, but they are good in their own ways as well.

These shopping bags are a little pricey, but they are sturdy, fit well on the shoulder, and can contain an unusually large amount of groceries. Proceeds go to feed school children in Rwanda.

You probably don’t flip through most of the catalogues you receive, so why not unsubscribe on this website and reduce the amount of paper wasted.

Most nail polishes are incredibly toxic, but these have very little smell, and look just as good as those from other companies.

Ecover products are also non-toxic and much more pleasant to clean with.

Most importantly, go to a local farmer’s market while there are so many fall vegetables still around. Here’s a list of farmer’s markets in New York.