Art
28
Oct 11
He really said that?
12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions
By Mark Nichol
The plays of William Shakespeare provide a wealth of pithy sayings — many of which he likely popularized rather than produced himself, though we may still be grateful to him for sharing them. Unfortunately, sometimes the original sense is adulterated by careless usage, so that the eloquent force of the expression is weakened. Here are a dozen of Shakespeare’s phrases with comments about their original wording and meaning:
“At one fell swoop”
This phrase from Macduff’s grief-stricken lamentation about the murder of his family in Macbeth uses the archaic word fell, meaning “fierce,” to extend the metaphor of the perpetrator (who he calls a “hell-kite”) as a bird of prey. Modern usage is generally more casual and even comical.
“Brave new world”
This phrase from a speech by Miranda, daughter of the wizard Prospero in The Tempest, naively uses brave in the sense of “handsome” when she first lays eyes on other men. The subtext in Shakespeare is that those she refers to are superficially attractive but substantially deficient in character. The sense is the same in the phrase as it appears in the title of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian classic. Unfortunately, the dark sarcasm is being dulled by use of the phrase to blithely herald a bright future.
27
Oct 11
Cassie Zhen
Ava - Watercolor by Cassie Zhen
Cassie Zhen is an art director/illustrator/graphic designer in Germany.
24
Oct 11
Hendrik Kerstens
Dutch photographer Hendrik Kerstens has discovered a wonderful niche for his photography.
His 17th-century Dutch Masters style of portraiture is both fascinating and provocative. The contrast between the incredibly formal, beautifully lit poses and the unexpected modern elements is refreshingly original.
In this photo, he replaces the white hat seen in old Dutch paintings with the ubiquitous white plastic shopping bag. He might also use a dinner napkin or a hoodie sweatshirt.
The contrasts charge his portraits with an undercurrent of sly wittiness.
His precise style and the feeling he creates is nothing short of amazing. His ability to bring out his model’s best side is a true gift. His portraits leave one with a sense of haunting; a desire to search deeper for the story behind the scene.
His daughter, Paula, is his model of choice.
See more of his works in this gallery
Many thanks to Nan B. for sharing this amazing photographer with me.
23
Oct 11
I need an inkling
This has got to be one of the coolest gadgets I’ve seen for a long time. And I want one.
The Wacom Inkling is a device that you simply clip to your drawing pad. Using the supplied pen, draw and sketch to your heart’s delight. As large or as small as you want. As detailed as you want. As many as you like.
The Inkling will digitally store your drawings to be uploaded to your computer via USB. It will save your digitized drawings in several formats; jpg, gif, png, tiff, etc. You can use any popular graphics software to manipulate your drawings into the work of art you desire.
The pen has 1024 degrees of pressure, so you can add light or heavy strokes to your sketch. You can add layers for precise detailing in Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or any other graphics program that supports layers.
The Wacom Inkling is scheduled to be released any day now. At USD$199 MSRP it’s a tad spendy, but did that ever stop you before?
22
Oct 11
Real-Life Angry Birds
Artist Mohamed Raoof has a passion for the very popular game Angry Birds. So much so that he took the time to do a little touch-up on photos of real birds, making them appear as real-life Angry Birds!
How cool is that?
21
Oct 11
Evergreen
When one lives in western Washington, there are a couple things seen in abundance. Pine trees and rain. The Evergreen State is just that… green!
Clark Lake Park, Kent, WA, USA
21
Oct 11
Autumn on Clark Lake
I caught this photo of Clark Lake in Kent, WA just before the downpour!
