Simple White – Project Flickr: Simple, originally uploaded by James Milstid, aka PapaJames.
Art
15
Nov 11
Simple White – Project Flickr: Simple
Simple White – Project Flickr: Simple, originally uploaded by James Milstid, aka PapaJames.
15
Nov 11
Guernica in 3D
An extremely well done animated interpretation of Picasso’s Guernica.
I believe Picasso himself would have approved of this work.
His desire to show three-dimensions on two-dimensional media is dramatically achieved in this work. I’ve always loved Guernica, and have now seen what I believe Picasso wanted to accomplish. I have a whole new appreciation for Guernica.
11
Nov 11
Édouard Vuillard
Jean-Édouard Vuillard (November 11, 1868 – June 21, 1940) was a French painter and printmaker associated with the Nabis.
A warm (if reserved) man, Vuillard was a life-long bachelor and lived with his mother until her death. Perhaps due to this, his favorite subject matter centered on scenes of domesticity, usually of women performing routine tasks. His palette grew lighter and more colorful as he aged, and his work is characterized by careful juxtaposition of color, executed either in daubs or small stripes. Vuillard also worked in engraving and painted some amazing theatrical set designs.
11
Nov 11
Four Color Crown
A stunning photo of a liquid splash. The photographer, Jim Kramer, very modestly describes his setup and method for this photo:
One of the easier shots to accomplish. You can do these without any special timing equipment. This particular shot is using heavy cream (lightly colored blue) being dropped onto a piece of black glass. In order to get the crown, a ‘primer’ drop is necessary in the landing zone. I added drops of food coloring to the outer edges of the primer drop, this adds the color.
Via: Flickr
11
Nov 11
A Very Pricey Photograph
This photo, Rhein II, just became the world’s most expensive photograph, fetching a whopping $4.3 million.
This is Andreas Gursky’s Rhein II, an 81- x 140-inch print of the famous German river. It went on sale at Christie’s on Tuesday, smashing the previous record of $3.9 million for Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96 sold in May. Funny enough, Untitled #96 had itself displaced Gursky’s earlier work, 99 Cent II Diptychon which sold for $3.35 million in 2006. Good to see that at least the high-end photography art market is weathering these economically turbulent times.
06
Nov 11
Abandoned: Tree & Shed – BW
Abandoned: Tree & Shed – BW, originally uploaded by James Milstid, aka PapaJames.
A photo from today’s photo shoot. See more in my “Abandoned and Forgotten” set on Flickr.
04
Nov 11
Gerard van Honthorst: Born On This Day
Gerard van Honthorst
November 4, 1592 – April 27, 1656
Also known as Gerrit van Honthorst and in Italy as Gherardo delle Notti for his nighttime candlelit subjects, he was a Dutch Golden Age painter from Utrecht.
He was initially trained at the school of Abraham Bloemaert, who exchanged the style of the Franckens for Italianate models at the beginning of the 16th century. Honthorst travelled to Italy in 1616, where he was influenced heavily by the style of Michelangelo da Caravaggio. Returning home in about 1620, after acquiring a considerable practice in Rome, he set up a flourishing school in Utrecht. Together with his colleague Hendrick ter Brugghen, he represented the so-called Dutch Caravaggisti.
Honthorst’s works are numerous, and amply represented in English and Continental galleries. His most attractive pieces are those in which he cultivates the style of Caravaggio, often tavern scenes with musicians, gamblers and people eating. He had great skill at chiaroscuro, often painting scenes illuminated by a single candle.
02
Nov 11
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin: Born On This Day
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin: Self-Portrait
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
(2 November 1699 – 6 December 1779)
An 18th-century French painter, he is considered a master of still life, and is also noted for his genre paintings which depict kitchen maids, children, and domestic activities. Carefully balanced composition, soft diffusion of light, and granular impasto characterize his work.
Chardin’s influence on the art of the modern era was wide-ranging, and has been well-documented. Édouard Manet’s half-length Boy Blowing Bubbles and the still lifes of Paul Cézanne are equally indebted to their predecessor. He was one of Henri Matisse’s most admired painters; as an art student Matisse made copies of four Chardin paintings in the Louvre. Chaim Soutine’s still lifes looked to Chardin for inspiration, as did the paintings of Georges Braque, and later, Giorgio Morandi. In 1999 Lucian Freud painted and etched several copies after The Young Schoolmistress (National Gallery, London)
30
Oct 11
Cinemagraphs = Very Cool
Cinemagraphs: What it looks like when a photo moves
Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg: The Kettle Can Wait
It’s somewhere between a photo and a video, a piece of artwork that seeks to perfectly capture a fleeting moment in time.
New York City-based photographer Jamie Beck and Web designer Kevin Burg “hand-stitch” together her photos and his Web design to make animated gifs they now call “cinemagraphs.”
29
Oct 11
Vivian Maier: Unknown Photographer
Vivian Maier was a street photographer from the 1950’s to the 1990’s. But nobody saw her amazing work until recently.
Her works are some of the most stunning street photos I’ve ever seen. They were recently discovered in a Chicago auction; the auction house acquired her belongings from her storage locker that was sold off due to delinquent payments. In the collection, there were over 100,000 negatives, thousands of prints, and an untold number of undeveloped film rolls.
Unfortunately she passed away before the buyer tracked her down. Her life is obscure, but her photography is anything but. I’m thrilled that the buyer, John Maloof, has chosen to curate and share her works.
Good street photography is a difficult art… but great street photography takes an innate talent that few of us have. Many of us strive to catch those wonderful moments, but fall short of the mark. Vivian Maier possessed the magic and the talent to harness it.
A huge part of the difficulty is simply aiming a camera at someone. For one thing, it raises suspicion. Also, there is a hesitance to invade someone’s privacy. After those are overcome, snapping the shutter at the right moment is the magic.
Vivian had the ability to see the art in her subject matter. Her photographs are beautiful examples of otherwise mundane life. They implore one to look into and absorb the scene, so as to become a part of it.
