Haunted and Melting…Vaginas?

There are times here on this blog where I like to write about things that are somewhat controversial. This week, I’ve run across two such things, oddly enough, with the same subject matter. I’d first like to say I’m open to experiencing new and different forms of art and what I think is controversial (or just plain weird) may not be to you, but it is what it is – beauty, beholder, and all that jazz.

I’m always interested in reading different books – different genres, authors, and whatnot. This week, I saw a book titled The Haunted Vagina on amazon.com. I, being the open-minded person I consider myself to be, had to see more than the cover and read the synopsis for this, uh, book. In very brief summary, the girl – Stacy – has a vagina that is a “gateway to another world.” A creature comes out of Stacy’s vajayjay, so her boyfriend, Steve, decides he will go in and check things out, but guess what? He doesn’t want out because he’s met an attractive woman named Fig. One more time: He doesn’t want out because he’s met an attractive women named Fig. In his girlfriend’s vagina. Seriously, folks, I couldn’t make this up if I tried. You can check it out here, but you’re out of luck if you want to buy it in print: it’s temporarily out of stock (you can buy it on Kindle though!).

The Deflowering

Today’s other bit of news surrounds the same topic, the vagina, but in an odd form. Peter De Cupere is an olfactory artist (he uses the sense of smell artistically) and created an ice statue (what he dubs “frozen holy water”) of the Madonna entitled The Deflowering. Here’s where it gets interesting. The scent of vagina flows to the nostrils when the statue begins to melt. That’s right, y’all. It smells like vagina when it melts. Why, you ask? De Cupere said, “Religion has always been an interesting issue in art. The reason is simple, because it's conservative, an old and closed idea and art is the opposite, it's progressive and open -- like a vagina." Hmmm. Ok, so how did he acquire such a scent? In a lab, of course. If you want to read a little more and see the experience on video, click here. 

What do you think about these two? Would you read the book or go to see smell the statue melt?

mw

Who's up for a scary movie?

Halloween is fast approaching, and you know what that means...horror movies!

Have you heard of (or seen) The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)? It's based on an actual syndrome that was first named in 1979, although it was experienced by it's namesake, Henri-Marie Beyle (his pen name was Stendhal) in 1817. Wikipedia defines it as:

"A psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art is in a single place."






The plot of the movie, then, surrounds Anna Manni, a policewoman trying to capture a serial rapist and killer. She, however, suffers from Stendhal Syndrome and the killer lures her into a trap inside the Uffizi museum in Florence, where her troubles are just beginning....

Have you already seen this film? Let me know what you thought of it in the comments.

mw

Art Everywhere US: Part II

Thomas Eakins, ca. 1882

I saw my second Art Everywhere US billboard as I was driving to work this morning. It was The Biglin Brothers Racing (1872) by Thomas Eakins. And it was beautiful.

This painting depicts brothers John and Bernard Biglin in the very first American pair-oared race, which happened to take place in Eakin’s hometown of Philadelphia. The two ended up taking home the gold.

I have to say, it puts a smile on my face seeing these billboards. I wonder, though, how many people actually see these and pay any attention to them.  Do you?

Thomas Eakins, The Biglin Brothers Racing, 1872.
Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art.

Art Everywhere US Billboards

I posted on my Facebook page about the Art Everywhere US campaign, which features 58 works of art on billboards all over the United States during the month of August, and asked if people would post photos of the billboards they saw. Today, I saw one in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area and, I must say, I am pretty excited about it. Unfortunately, I was driving and couldn’t take a photo of it, but I am still excited nonetheless.

The one I saw was digital, but here is a sample billboard.

The billboard I saw is in Covington, KY and features Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth (c. 1890) by Martin Johnson Heade. Arteverywhereus.org describes it:

At the age of sixty-four, after a modestly successful career painting landscapes, marine subjects, and still lifes, Martin Johnson Heade settled in St. Augustine, Florida and found his first steady patron. His newfound personal and professional stability may have helped to energize his interest in and approach to a new subject. This painting of a Giant Magnolia is one of about a dozen variations. The series, in which the white blossoms are often placed on a velvet cloth, are rendered as sensually as a female nude and are among the most original still lifes of the nineteenth century.

Martin Johnson Heade. Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth,
c. 1890. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art.

I really love this painting because it is almost like a photograph; it’s so perfectly portrayed. The blue of the velvet and the white of the blooms pop against the earthy browns and greens of the limbs, the leaves, and the background. Magnolias remind me of home in Georgia, too, and I can almost smell the sweet fragrance of those magnificent flowers just looking at this painting.

Have you seen any of these billboards around your neighborhood? Please feel free to share your billboard moment! Click here for a complete listing of the artworks featured on the billboards.

mw

Pollice Verso (1872) by Jean-Léon Gérôme

Pollice Verso (meaning in Latin "with a turned thumb") is a painting featuring the eponymous Roman gesture directed to the winning gladiators. The gesture on the painting is given by the Vestals to the victorious secutor, awaiting the decision on the beaten retiarius at Colosseum. The painting inspired the 2000 film Gladiator, where Commodus holds out a raised thumb to spare Maximus.

Apart from the gladiators and Vestals, the picture shows the emperor in his box. Gérôme deliberately used the light and perspective to depict some features. The blend of voyeurism and a sense of moral superiority is a specific 19th-century feature.

Gérôme's depiction of Colosseum's architecture is based on accurate drawings and the armor of gladiators follows the design of those found in Pompeii. Gérôme also checked the written sources for archaeological reference. Some Latin textbooks used Pollice Verso to illustrate Roman customs. The producers of Gladiator showed Ridley Scott a reproduction of Pollice Verso before he read the film script. "That image spoke to me of the Roman Empire in all its glory and wickedness. I knew right then and there I was hooked," said Scott.

                         

Celebrating American Artists

This 4th of July weekend, how about a brush up on American art history? Many artists and art movements have come out of the United States and are continuing to inspire even more. Over the past 238 years, there have been thousands of American artists, but, rather than attempting to name them all, here is a small few of some of our country's most beloved artists. 

Hope you all have a happy and safe fourth! 

mw

Study of a Woman in a Blue Blouse with a Red Ruff (1895) by Mary Cassatt

Portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt (1903) by John Singer Sargent

Pioneers (1915) by N.C. Wyeth

Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue (1931) by Georgia O'Keeffe

Rosie the Riveter (1943) by Norman Rockwell

The Thunderstorm (1948) by Grandma Moses

Untitled (1948) by Jackson Pollack

Flag (1954-55) by Jasper Johns

Uncle Sam (From Myths Portfolio) (1981) by Andy Warhol

Untitled Skull (1984) by Jean-Michel Basquiat

From Who, What, When, Where series (1998) by Carrie Mae Weems

Redhead (2011) by Lorna Simpson

Facebook Contest Winner

I held a contest on my Facebook page where the winner received a free drawing by me. This is the final piece. 

Wolf Moon (6-2014), 8x10, graphite and charcoal on paper

If You Can’t Make It to the Museum…

It’s interesting to think that a thousand years ago most people had never seen an image. They quite possibly could’ve seen images in their communities (churches mostly), but, unless they were part of the bourgeoisie, they didn’t likely own any.

Today, we thrive on images at every corner and with every handheld piece of technology. From Instagram to Pinterest to those famous yellow arches that let us know where McDonald’s is (even if we’re in a foreign country), images are everywhere. But how often do we actually go to a museum or gallery to view art pieces? I bet it’s not often. And I don’t necessarily think it’s because people are disinterested. I’d like to think it’s because people may not live in a city with an art museum or gallery, and they may think they’ll never make it to one. I’d love to see Monet’s The Rue Montorgueil in Paris, Celebration of June 30, 1878, van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhone, or, one of my all-time favorites, Degas’ In a Café, but I doubt I’ll get to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris anytime soon, if ever. You want to know where I can see these pieces in all their glory and explore them by zooming in? Three words: Google Art Project.

Monet, van Gogh, Degas

Google Art Project is a virtual gallery with over 40,000 images from 151 museums in 40 countries. That’s impressive. Wanna know what else? Not only can you view and zoom in on art from these museums, you can take a virtual tour of lots of them, which uses Google’s Street View technology. It’s just like walking around the museum, but in the comfort of your own home, pj’s and all. The Monet, the van Gogh, and the Degas I mentioned earlier are all on there, and I can virtually walk through the museum to find exactly where they are. Freakin’ cool. 

There’s more. There is one image from each partnered museum that is captured as a gigapixel image—that’s over a billion pixels, that’s close-up at its finest as far as the internet goes. You can create your own gallery of your favorites and share with your friends. Oh, and did I mention there are educational tools for teachers, too? Yep. They're on there.

Google has other projects in their cultural institute, too, including Historic Moments, World Wonders, and Stories of the Holocaust to name a few.

It’s all worth the time to explore the sites. I believe everyone needs a little culture, and, if you can’t find it in your home town, you can definitely find it here. If you find any favorites, feel free to share them here in the comments.

mw

Starry Night by Edvard Munch?

I bet you thought Vincent van Gogh was the only one who painted a starry night. Most of the time, if you perform a Google search, you will see van Gogh's before any other. But did you know Edvard Munch also painted starry nights? This one was painted in 1893.

For more information, click here.

And he painted another one in his later years. This one he painted from 1922-24.

Are Unspoken Ideas Art?

R.G. Collingwood had interesting thoughts on art and creativity, which sparked a debate between a classmate and me. I don’t know how many of you have heard of him, but he was an English historian and philosopher in the early to mid-20^th Century. He basically thought art expressed emotions and the work of art came from the creator’s mind. Makes sense, right?  Well, he also thought even if something is created in the mind and not spoken/shared/produced/etc., it exists. A tune, for example, doesn’t need to be sung or written down in order to exist. So...if you are the one and only person who thought up the tune and never mentioned it to anyone, how does it exist? 

This classmate agreed with Collingwood’s thoughts. I did not. This person also believed those silent ideas were art. I did not. (It eventually took a turn where the classmate thought everyone is an artist, even if they just have an idea. Needless to say, I didn’t agree with that either.)

CLASSMATE: Creativity is the ability to be creative. To be creative means one has the power to create. Creativity creates! Ideas formed within one’s mind are creations from one’s mind. Why can't thoughts be art? If I thought of a fictional story, and told that story to other people, is it not just as much a work of art as if I had kept it to myself?

ME: Art is an expression or production of creativity. If it is not expressed or produced, it is not art. Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas in the production of art. Everyone is creative, not everyone is an artist.

The rest of it made my head hurt, and I’ll save you that pain by not posting it all here.

Imagine a picture you’d like to paint, but don’t tell anyone about it or actually paint it or write it down or anything. Voilà! Your idea is art and you’re an artist!

No. No, you’re not.

In my opinion, the ideas someone comes up with are not art nor do they exist if they are not spoken/shared/produced, etc.

What do you think? Do you agree with Collingwood and my classmate that unspoken ideas are art? What about art vs. creativity?

mw

Mother and Child in Art History

Since it’s Mother’s Day, I thought I would share with you a few of the many awesome pieces of art surrounding the subject of mother and child…and I won’t even make you read a lot! You're welcome.

I hope all of you mamas, step mamas, fur-baby mamas, adopted mamas, and single dads have the best day!

Mother and Child – Neolithic Sesklo Culture, 4000 BCE

Statuette of Isis and Horus – Ptolemaic Period, ca. 304-30 BCE

Krishna’s Foster-Mother Yashoda with the 

Infant Krishna, Chola period, early 12^th Century

Madonna and Child (ca. 1295-1300), Duccio di Buoninsegna

Madonna Litta (1450), Leonardo da Vinci

Madonna with the Long Neck (1534), Parmigianino

Midnight: The Hours of the Rat; Mother and Sleepy Child (1790), Kitagawa Utamaro

Mother Roulin with Her Baby (1888), Vincent van Gogh

Mother and Child (1890), Mary Cassatt

Mother and Child (1893), Edmund C. Tarbell

Mother and Child (1905), Gustav Klimt

Motherhood Angelina Child (1916), Diego Rivera

Mother and Child (1921), Pablo Picasso

Mother and Child (1931), Tamara Lempicka

Mother Holding Baby (1986), Keith Haring

Baby & Mother (2007), Diana Ong

mw

It’s Finally Over

Well, folks, I did it. Graduation this past Saturday went off without a hitch. I officially have a Master’s degree. I still can’t believe it.

A really great thing happened while I was at the school. I got to see a few of my classmates. You may be wondering why I haven’t seen them already, but the entire program was online, so we never met our classmates in person. It was really nice to be able to talk to them face to face about everything from personal lives to the picky revisions in our capstone course. Let me tell ya, it made me feel a lot better knowing I wasn’t the only one who thought the professors were picky. The tiniest little detail bothered them and they wouldn’t grade it until it was fixed. But, I digress.

Julye, yours truly, and Jennifer
We did it!

It’s weird because it was an all-new waiting game once we were standing in line to walk. Then, it took forever to get everyone seated. After that, all of the sudden, it was my row’s turn to walk up and have our names called. We sat down, I blinked, turned my tassel, and it was over. I was rushing through the crowd to get outside, desperately looking for my husband who had already made his way out. Five minutes later, we were on the road home. What seemed like ten minutes was really two hours from the point the ceremony actually started. Two years knocked down to two hours. Wow. But it was totally worth it and I would do it all over again—late nights researching, writing, pulling my hair out, writing, doubting myself, writing, and wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into (and did I mention writing?).

As promised, I will post some of my photographs from my capstone project. I just have to get them into some kind of presentable format for the blog. Once I figure that out, I will post them.

Thank you, readers, for sticking with me during this process!

What shall we talk about next? Anyone have any art related suggestions?

mw

The End is Near

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my last week—ever—of grad school. Can you believe it? Me neither! I have to finish up the revisions the professors sent for the capstone (please, dear Lord, let this be the last revision!) and turn in one more paper on Monday. Providing the revision is OK’d, that’s it. That’s all she wrote. Literally.

All the stress felt the entire time I’ve been in school doesn’t equal the stress I’m feeling at the moment. This road has been a long one, and it all comes down to this last week. Wanna stress out students? Tell them they have to make no lower than a B on the final project in order to graduate, no matter how well they’ve done in other classes. Yep. That’ll do it.

You may be thinking, “Was it worth it?” My answer is yes. This has all been about learning, really. That may sound ridiculous and like I’m a huge school nerd (and so be it), but I don’t think people should ever stop learning, especially when the subject is something they love. Learning new things never hurt anyone, and having a refresher on the old stuff doesn’t hurt either. Broadening your mind and using your brain for something other than your smartphone doesn’t hurt either. Don’t get me wrong; I love my smartphone and all the tricks it performs, but there is more to life than that, folks. If the only thing I get out of this is the satisfaction of accomplishing one of my goals, so be it. I will have a nice piece of paper to prove it, better than notebook paper, way better than copy paper. 

mw

Two Weeks til the Deadline

We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty here, folks. As I’m writing this, I can’t help but think I should be revising my capstone and/or writing my last research paper for the other class; the latter I haven’t even started. Hey, everyone needs a break, right?

A question that gets thrown at me quite often is what I will do after I graduate. Well, I’m not 100% sure. There are choices, of course. I could stay right where I am and pursue my own art…I just have to actually do it. School slows the creative spirit a tad, but it’s also brought out a creative side of me I didn’t know I had (or one that I didn’t think I’d be interested in), which is fine art photography. It’s an interesting medium. A photograph is like a Rorschach test in a sense because one sees different meanings in it. Maybe that’s true for fine art as a whole, too. It’s hard to see past van Gogh’s starry nights, but, once you do, you see a whole new world through his eyes.

I’ve considered trying to get an online adjunct teaching job in art history. I gotta tell ya, it scares me because it’s out of my comfort zone. I also don’t have any teaching experience, which could hinder things. But…I could try and that’s the point, right? The way I see it, I’m trying to educate others about the art world through this blog and my Facebook page, so why not actually teach a class or two? Professor Weber has a nice ring to it, yes?  

Working in an art museum has been a goal of mine for a while now. I’ve found over the past several years it’s difficult to get your foot in the door, at least for me it has been. I will keep trying that avenue, too, because you just never know when they’ll finally say yes.

First things first, though: getting the degree in my hands….

mw

The Draft

It’s week 9 and I’ve just turned in my draft for the capstone project. I must admit that it feels good to have gotten this far when, just a few weeks ago, I had no clue of the direction in which I was headed.

It’s turned out to be longer than I thought (68 pages…so far), 20 pages of straight writing and the rest are made up of the five photo series that my project surrounds. The question I propose is “is there truth in photography?” In trying to answer this, I have created five series of black and white photographs with text panels based on the roles women take on (homemaker, worker, wife) and issues they deal with on a daily basis (weight and stereotypes). You may remember that my influences are Lorna Simpson and Carrie Mae Weems who both use black and white photographs juxtaposed with text panels in their works. I have modeled the way I present my series around these two wonderful ladies who are still working today.

I can’t, unfortunately, share any of my series with you as of yet since they haven’t been graded and whatnot. That just wouldn’t be right. I do hope, however, that I will be able to soon because I would like to see if you think there is truth in photography…and specifically in my series.

Until then, I wait to see what the professors and my other classmates think of the draft I’ve turned in. I have no doubt that my classmates are going through this same anxiety of waiting so we can get back to it and really finish it for next month’s official turn in date. Wish me luck!

mw

The "Selfie" is Older than You Think

Although this term may not seem art related, it is. Long before the term “selfie” was even a thought, artists were creating their own. You know these as self-portraits. Granted, when we think of a selfie today, we think of a photograph instead of a painting or drawing. With that said, if you thought the first people to take the photographic selfie were in this century (or last century), you’re very wrong.

Without getting too involved with the history of the camera and photography, here are a few things you may not have known about them. 

• The first invention of a camera small enough to be user-friendly was in 1685; before that, they were the size of a room. The hand-held versions weren’t around until the 1870’s.
• People were not able to develop permanent photographs until 1826 (the earliest known photo still exists, see below). 
• A Kodak box camera was first for sale in the late 1880’s, and in 1900 a small box camera called the Brownie was introduced and stuck around until the 1960’s. This camera is where the snapshot originated.

The earliest known photo from 1826:

View from the Window at Le Gras by Joseph Nicéphore, 1826

To completely blow your mind, here are some pretty cool photos of the earliest known selfies, the first of which was 175 years ago.

Chemist Robert Cornelius, 1839

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, 1914.
She is using the Kodak Brownie here.

Gunner Thomas Charles Richmond Baker, 1917