by Sandy | Apr 22, 2014 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Books, Creativity, Writers
Even though he passed away last week, one of my favorite books, “100 Years of Solitude” written by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, will remain one of the best and unforgettable reading experiences on any “great” list for years to come.
Written in 1967, the book recounts the history of a family that presides over a South American town called Macondo. It is the perfect “did it happen or didn’t it?” story. Critics refer to García Márquez as a pioneer of “magical realism”. His work is often time shifting, mystical and surreal, it takes the reader to a different space, a different time.
“100 Years of Solitude” is a magical story – a definite adventure, a great book.
by Sandy | Apr 17, 2014 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Creativity, Events, Exhibits, Museums
Detroit Institute of Arts/ DIA hosts the student’s show until Sunday June 8, 2014. “The Annual Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition features hundreds of imaginative works created by Detroit Public Schools students in grades K-12, ranging from paintings, prints, drawings, photography, ceramics, videos, jewelry and more. The exhibition is free with museum admission.“
77th Annual Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition
Until June 8, 2014 at the Detroit Institute of Arts
(Image: “Keepers Of The Dreams”, Justin Coleman – Grade 12)
by Sandy | Mar 13, 2014 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Books, Culture
“Now Playing: Hand-Painted Poster Art from the 1910s Through the 1950s”
At the beginning of the last century, posters that hung in the lobby of the old neighborhood movie palaces were simple black and white drawings. Very quickly, theater owners realized that these cardboard advertisements brought in customers.
The posters then became more artful and sophisticated – pretty, or dramatic (Valentino), or scary (“King Kong”), or, just high style (Gloria Swanson rendered in Art Deco), to the lurid “Noir” films of the 50’s.
These examples of movie art have been collected into a nice coffee table book.
“Now Playing: Hand Painted Poster Art from the 1910s Through the 1950s”
(Academy of Motion Pictures/Angel City Press – hardcover, 14″ x 11″, 160 pages)
by Sandy | Feb 7, 2014 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
I saw this image on greeting cards years ago, loved the flowers, didn’t know who painted them until now. I still think they’re beautiful.
“The acclaimed international tour of The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute concludes in Houston at the MFAH. Showcasing the Clark’s renowned holdings of 19th-century French painting, this spectacular exhibition features more than 70 works of art by a stellar lineup that includes Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Also represented are Pierre Bonnard, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Jean-François Millet, Berthe Morisot, Alfred Sisley, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.”
The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
Until March 23, 2014
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX
(Image: “Roses in a Bowl and Dish”, 1885 – Henri Jean Fantin-Latour)
by Sandy | Jan 6, 2014 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Culture, Exhibits, Museums
The Studio Museum in Harlem offers an installation that looks at visions of prospects to come thru art. “The Shadows Took Shape is a dynamic interdisciplinary exhibition exploring contemporary art through the lens of Afrofuturist aesthetics. Coined in 1994 by writer Mark Dery in his essay “Black to the Future,” the term “Afrofuturism” refers to a creative and intellectual genre that emerged as a strategy to explore science fiction, fantasy, magical realism and pan-Africanism. With roots in the avant-garde musical stylings of sonic innovator Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, 1914–1993), Afrofuturism has been used by artists, writers and theorists as a way to prophesize the future, redefine the present and reconceptualize the past.”
“The twenty-nine artists featured in The Shadows Took Shape work in a wide variety of media, including photography, video, painting, drawing, sculpture and multimedia installation. Participating artists include Derrick Adams, John Akomfrah, Laylah Ali, Edgar Arceneaux, Sanford Biggers, Edgar Cleijne + Ellen Gallagher, William Cordova (in collaboration with Nyeema Morgan and Otabenga Jones & Associates), Cristina De Middel, Khaled Hafez, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Kira Lynn Harris, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Wayne Hodge, David Huffman, Cyrus Kabiru, Wanuri Kahiu, Hew Locke, Mehreen Murtaza, Wangechi Mutu, Harold Offeh, The Otolith Group, Robert Pruitt, Sun Ra, RAMM:ΣLL:ZΣΣ, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Larissa Sansour, Cauleen Smith, William Villalongo and Saya Woolfalk.”
The Shadows Took Shape
The Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 West 125th Street, NYC
by Sandy | Nov 14, 2013 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
The Museum of Modern Art’s American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe showcases inhouse pieces. Included are works by George Bellows, Stuart Davis, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Sheeler, Alfred Stieglitz, and Andrew Wyeth.
“Drawn from MoMA’s collection, American Modern takes a fresh look at the Museum’s holdings of American art made between 1915 and 1950, and considers the cultural preoccupations of a rapidly changing American society in the first half of the 20th century. Including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and sculptures, American Modern brings together some of the Museum’s most celebrated masterworks, contextualizing them across mediums and amid lesser-seen but revelatory works by artists who expressed compelling emotional and visual tendencies of the time.”
American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe
Until January 26, 2014
The Museum of Modern Art / MoMA
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY
(Image: Edward Hopper. “House by the Railroad” 1925)
