by Sandy | Jan 31, 2020 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Exhibits
The Carnegie Museum of Art presents “A Delight for the Senses: The Still Life”. “Once considered the lowliest of the painting genres, the still life has long been overshadowed in the history of art…”
“On the surface, these picturesque arrangements are easy to appreciate for their aesthetic beauty and skillful rendering. A closer look at these sumptuous arrays of objects ranging from the mundane to the luxurious reveals moral undertones and allusions to the transience of life”
A Delight for the Senses: The Still Life
Until Mar 15, 2020
Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA
(Image: “Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and Pomegranates”, 1660, Jacob Fopsen van Es)
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by Sandy | Dec 9, 2019 | Art, Blogroll, Books, Creativity, Culture, Photograhy
“I Paint My House” by Margaret Courtney-Clarke is a collection of photographs of African women showing how they decorate their homes. In addition to pottery and textiles, there is a South and West African tradition of painting the outside of the house with bold shapes and bright colors representing the people that live inside. The women are able to express themselves as family history is documented through art and design.
Ms Courtney-Clarke has also produced coffee table sized books, “African Canvas: The Art of West African Women”, filled with her photographs of the bright geometric designs of Berber and Ghanaian women.
(“I Paint My House” is actually a book of postcards. But, the murals and decorations are so vibrant and alive, I haven’t mailed any.)
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by Sandy | Dec 2, 2019 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Books
Sort of like “must see TV”, this 996 page book, “1001 Paintings You Must See Before Your Die”, edited by Stephen Farthing, contains art that we must all see if wishing for a full life.
It’s described as a “highly browsable guide embraceing all cultures and every style of painting from 4,000 BC to the present. A visually arresting reference for art lovers and students, it provides a truly comprehensive worldwide gazeteer of paintings organized chronologically by date of completion.”
by Sandy | Nov 19, 2019 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, presents Día de Muertos • A Matter of Life:
“The Day of the Dead commemoration is deeply rooted in ancient indigenous beliefs of life after death and a spiritual existence within the universe. After the 16th century Spanish encounter of America, celebrations for the deceased were mainly observed on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days (November 1 & 2) throughout Mexico. Today, various Mexican communities and regions honor their dead in unique ways. From the Afro Mexican towns along the Costa Chica, to the Mixteca towns in the state of Puebla, each region observes the age-old practice in unique ways. “
“Come enjoy the unique installations of traditional and contemporary ofrendas to the dead!…”
Día de Muertos • A Matter of Life
Until December 8, 2019
National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W. 19th street
Chicago, IL 60608
by Sandy | Nov 8, 2019 | Blogroll, Directors, Film, Movies
In a movie review, the writer described a film as “Felliniesque”. No reference to the director, for whom the term was coined, just – “Felliniesque”. I understood.
Federico Fellini, 1924 – 1976, was one of the most influential Italian directors of his day. His films were character driven, people and plots sometimes bizarre and outrageous, but the inhabitants of his pictures were closer to the reality of the everyday world than what was usually seen on screen during the 50s and 60s.
Four of his films won the Best Foreign Film Oscar: La strada (1954), with his wife Guilietta Masina and Anthony Quinn, Le Notti di Cabiria (1957) (Nights of Cabiria), 8½ (1963) and Amarcord (1973).
But, his film La Dolce Vita (1960) with Marcello Mastroianni brought him worldwide fame. The famous/infamous frolic in the fountain scene with Marcello and Anita Ekberg seemed such wild decadence in the 60’s, but, pretty tame now.
BTW: “Felliniesque” is often used to describe films that put a character’s inner thoughts and/or memories into dreamlike sequences, and/or scenes that move backward/forward in time.
Films to find on DVD:
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by Sandy | Nov 3, 2019 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, music, Photograhy
That famous 1958 black and white photo of 57 Jazz musicians, arranged on the steps of an apartment building in New York City – 17 East 126th Street between Fifth and Madison. It was expanded into a documentary in 1995 and can be found on DVD. Director Jean Bach assembled pictures and stories about how it all came together – photographer Art Kane’s assignment for Esquire Magazine, artists such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Marian McPartland, Thelonius Monk, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, May Lou Williams, the neighborhood kids that wanted to be in the picture too.
A Great Day In Harlem
See below for a list of all the musicians in the photo:
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