Tag Archives: painter

Reviews

New Doc About A Pioneer Of Modern Design

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Architect Eliot Noyes was one of the leading pioneers of modern design during the mid-century, post-war boom in the United States. Educated by Walter Gropius at Harvard, Noyes did more than anyone to align the Modernist design ethos to the needs of ascendant corporate America. His impact on companies like IBM and Mobil Oil paved the way for Apple and many of the other design-conscious brands we know today.

Modernism, Inc. follows Noyes’ career up to a time when disruptive designers of the early ’70s began pushing back against the Modernist view of progress. As he did in Eames: The Architect and the Painter (co-directed with Bill Jersey), filmmaker Jason Cohn uses the story of a mid-century icon to raise contemporary questions about the role of a designer in today’s world.
Jason Cohn will appear in person at both the New York and Los Angeles openings.
“Well-researched, well-crafted and fascinating.
Noyes created and forged some of the most respected, meaningful, and influential industrial design programs in the United States. The rise and attraction of modernism on the heels of the postwar economic boom birthed contemporary design and philosophy that continue to exist and flourish today, influencing mega businesses, including Apple. The idea of beauty with utility, which was generated from the Bauhaus art movement, continues to remain vital today, and for this, we thank Noyes.”
-Sabina Dana Plassa, Film Threat

“Noyes held the belief that design was not an afterthought, but rather something that needed to be infused into every aspect of a company’s thought process. The result helped IBM become the technical design juggernaut of the early personal computing era—and paved the way for companies like Apple to design products for the 21st century. Interviews with those who worked with him, as well as those in his family who knew him intimately, paint the picture of a man who was truly ahead of his time.”-Sara Harowitz, The Georgia Straight
MODERNISM, INC. Directed by Jason Cohn 79 minutes | color | In English | 2023
CREDITS

Jason Andrew Cohn  Writer and Director
Camille Servan-Schreiber  Producer Kevin Jones and Jason Cohn  Editors Steven Emerson  Music Composer Sebastian Roché  Narrator Talia Mindich  Associate Producer
Talia Mindich, Andrei Valladolid, Nina Goodby  Assistant Editors

© 2023 Bread & Butter Films
For the Silo, Kelly Hargraves.
Art

Far Reaching Effects Of Visual Culture In Our World Of Appearances

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Dusty book stall archeologist and writer Jonathan Guyer oversees the far reaching effects of visual culture in our modern ‘all about appearances’ world.

Jonathan Guyer on CBC -Canada Broadcasting Corporation 

Through frequent excursions to the bookshops of downtown Cairo in Egypt,  Guyer has unearthed a wealth of forgotten political narratives and overlooked illustrative histories. Book-ending his fascination with the alternative story lines of locally appropriated Western comics, Guyer’s faith in the ethical and ideological potential of cartoons and satirical imagery extends to the underground artistic movements of contemporary self-published zine-makers. In his eloquent interview, the prolific and level-headed writer remarks on welcome shifts in the Middle Eastern visual landscape, the necessary and terrifying obligations of artists, and the autonomy of art in an authoritative society.

Bascha Mon Prince Street Rag oil on canvas

Adaptive and indomitable painter Bascha Mon has traced each frame of light between the new and full moons. Bound to spontaneity and guided by intuition, Mon’s practice feels out a logic from the sanctuary and purgatory of a blank canvas. Impelled by the psychic pains of a laboring human family, Mon retrieves the fragments of her commiserating heart from the cold grasp of reality, like pulling her distorted reflection from the surface of the water. Expressed in her stirring and poignant interview, Mon’s necessary attachment to art conceals a deep solidarity with the misplaced souls of the Earth, who struggle to make sense of an existence where whimsy and intense meaning coexist. The sage observer and painter is never dissatisfied by an individual work, as no piece is anything less than perfect if it belongs to a whole.

Shipping Container is a book on Literary Theory by Craig Martin

Reading something interesting?

Tom Allen, is ensnared by the vehement poems of mid 19th century writer Jules Laforgue, the progenitor of free verse in the French tradition and treasure to the great modernist poets. Laforgue fashioned his fervent style of observation from the fiery idealism of the symbolists and the microcosmic subjectivity of impressionism. Another one of our users, Niels Van Tomme, is pleasantly amused by the playful and engaging Shipping Container, Craig Martin’s contribution to the Object Lessons series. Martin’s colorful prose enlivens the itinerant existence of this ubiquitous transport vessel, the unsung hero of our convenient and mobile world.

Urging the flow of time and water is the promise of change made by a fork in the stream.

For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Art

AI Induced Shifting Subtexts- What Is And What Isn’t Art?

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Let’s go back to 2016 and re-consider how the works highlighted below are more relevant today than ever when asking “What is and isn’t art?”.  The recent surge in AI and chatbot produced ‘art’ has created new challenges in recognition, interpretation and validation. Or has it? [J.Barker Content Producer for The Silo]   It became immediately apparent that the rephrasing of the question “What is art?” to “What isn’t art?” signaled a dissolution of the boundary separating metaphor from reality.

Since, citizen and artist alike have been plunged headlong into the bacchanals of postmodernity, and the question has been obscured under a heap of incongruous discourse and subtexts.

Eva Davidova multimedia installation view
Eva Davidova multimedia installation view

Two curious and intrepid artists offer their answers to this exhausting and illuminating question in their discussions of unexplored spaces and shifting subtexts.

Painter and multimedia artist Eva Davidova  tests the digital waters of virtual reality through immersive, programmatic experiences. Articulating the conviction that emerging technology is obliged to transcend commercial application, Davidova’s phantasmagoric 3D renderings attempt to draw the strings away from the hands of big business. Topics mentioned include the beauty of academic reciprocity, the fiscal realities of living in the metropolis, and the future of collaborative artistic environments.

julie mehretu dispersion
Julie Mehretu’s Dispersion

Behind the meticulous and sweeping abstract landscapes from the mind of Julie Mehretu are subtle societal and historical cues, which inform and enrich the surface of her paintings. In her ebullient interview, Mehretu speaks of the benefits and restrictions that arise from using architectural semantics to ground explorations of political and social change.

Wrought from countless painterly quotations, the identity of Mehretu’s brushstroke vanishes the moment it falls under interpretation.

The elusive and curious nature of the Ethiopian artist’s aesthetic experiments, coupled with a steady ethical subtext make for an engaging and memorable listen.

Featured image- “A Questionable Tale(#1)” 2022 Marina Zurkow/DALL-E (AI) 

For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Art

Gilda Garza Pushing Boundaries Between Emotion & Art

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Venice, ITALY – Known as “the most influential artist in Mexico,” Gilda Garza is an internationally recognized painter constantly pushing the boundaries between emotion and art. This award-winning Mexico native prepares to make history with a moving collaborative collection by sculptural artist Mario Furlan in a live exhibition at New Murano, Atelier Muranese.

“I have always put my entire heart and soul into my work,” shares Garza. “I’m extremely grateful to create real world impact through art – the thing I love most. It is a true honor to see my influence and efforts reflected in a once-in-a-lifetime glass rendition by the historic New Murano Gallery in Venice.”

Widely regarded as the master of Murano Sculptural Art, Mario Furlan will transform Garza’s epic pieces into three-dimensional glass structures before a live audience of exhibition attendees. The finished works will then display at the more than 1,500-year old Atelier Muranese studio. Through the presentation of glass masters, fine art, conceptual art, and collectible design, the Venetian gallery supports the creative vision of Murano/Venetian artisan culture. The “Glass Queen” exhibition serves their ongoing mission to expose the creative art process, from interpretation to object, using centuries-old skills of muranese high manufacturing. 

In the US, Garza’s work can also be seen in an exclusive jewelry collection at Jason of Beverly Hills, Roberto Cavalli Haute Couture, and the House of Bijan on Rodeo Drive. Garza has been officially recognized for her cultural contributions by the Senate of the Republic constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union in Mexico City.

The Gilda Garza Pendant. 18kt Gold with 2.41 Carats of White Diamonds. $14,995 USD/ $20/566 CAD

She is also acclaimed for donating $80,000 USD/ $109,800 CAD from the sale of a Vice President Kamala Harris-inspired painting to the World Woman Foundation, committed to empowering one million woman by 2030. Gilda Garza is famously recognized as the first artist to have an art exhibition on Las Vegas strip. Since then, she has showcased various collections in the iconic Caesars Palace Hotel.

Gilda Garza poses with one of her paintings.

Featured image- Playboy magazine chose Gilda’s art for the cover for the first art special edition. 

Art

Damien Hirst At World’s First Asset-Based Tokenised Contemporary Art Exhibition

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LONDON, ENGLAND February, 2020: ‘XXI’, a landmark contemporary art exhibition, will launch at the new, state-of-the-art HOFA Gallery in London’s Mayfair on 20 February 2020.  It is set to be the world’s first ever asset-based tokenised contemporary art exhibition, using cutting-edge blockchain technology and cryptography to facilitate access to coveted blue-chip contemporary art.

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RETNA

The highly anticipated highlights of ‘XXI’ will be rare and unseen works by established contemporary artists such as Kaws, RETNA and Damian Hirst.  These include the Blame Game Portfolio, a set of 10 prints by Kaws which has been shrouded in mystery since its shadow début in 2016. With sprightly colours and a suggestive title, these prints have the intrigue of a jigsaw puzzle or a comic detective game. At once stimulating, playful and yet, somewhat ominous, Blame Game is expected to be a crowd favourite and stands as the most valuable artwork set for display at ‘XXI’.

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Damien Hirst

RETNA’s Los Ne El Barrio joins Kaws’ Blame Game on the list of rare features at the upcoming exhibition. This abstract lettered painting, finished with rare blue diamond dust and seemingly laden with hidden meanings, represents a unique style of contemporary abstract art that’s highly sought after by art connoisseurs. Also on the list of exclusive features, is the Heart Spin Painting by Damian Hirst. Hirst’s popular spin paintings achieved international renown when a large reproduction was used to cover the floor of the stadium for the closing ceremony of the London Olympic Games of 2012. Heart Spin Painting is a colourful piece whose piecing and energetic radial symmetry evokes the speaking gaze of a knowing eye.

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Kaws

All told, ‘XXI’ will feature a portfolio of carefully sourced artworks collectively worth more than $1M and individually projected to appreciate in value based on current market trends. Other participating artists include Banksy, Jeff Koons, Joseph Klibansky, George Condo, Zhuang Hong Yi and Ilhwa Kim. Indeed, the upcoming ‘XXI’ exhibition is anticipated to a hotspot for investments in high-yield contemporary art. 

Commenting on the upcoming exhibition, HOFA co-founder, Elio D’Anna, said “We are proud to unveil this project which has been over 12 months in the making. It’s going to be an extravaganza of contemporary art. We are bringing the crème of contemporary art together for a ground-breaking show which we know viewers will enjoy.”

HOFA’s new gallery is located at 11 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. ‘XXI’ will run for 2 week from the 20 February to 5 March 2020.

Culture

Through Mediums of Painting and Written Narrative, FLY shares Tales of Tremendous Strength and Courage

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Los Angeles, USA – FLY has launched a one-of-a-kind artistic-inspirational campaign on Kickstarter, presenting the world’s first ‘pen & ink’ art book, solely designed to inspire and uplift its readers. Using pen and ink portraits and written narrative, FLY tells the stories of known and unknown human beings who dazzled the world against all odds, such as; Da Vinci, Beethoven, Coco Chanel, Karina Chikitova, Audrey Hepburn, Pelé and more.

Offering FLY’s artistic-inspirational book at a rational price tag of $35USD, Liron & Shira Ben-Arzi , the two sisters/artists behind it, aim to raise more than $11,730 to fund the production and help spread their vision of inspiration, globally. Their pure hope is that as you flick through the pages of FLY, you will be filled with a sense of strength; of light and of love. Meaning, that FLY will become our daily personal coacher, with messages of self-fulfillment and motivation, transferred through quotes, poetry and drawings. Using their personal talent and ambition, the two sisters have crafted this 240 pages book, based on pen & ink portraits and unique written narratives that tell the stories of 49 truly extraordinary people who forever changed the course of humanity.

 

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They have collected the tales of people who have done the impossible into a book; stories of people who transcended the boundaries placed against them. For example; The unbelievable tale of Karina Chikitova – a little girl who survived 11 days in the wilds of Siberia; Sophia Scholl – A young woman who protested against the Nazis by painting murals; While also researched modern heroes, such as; gay-rights activist Brian Skerry, and artist Frida Kahlo who overcame many adversities to rise to success, as well as heroes from times gone by, such as; Leonardo Da Vinci and Ludwig van Beethoven.

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“FLY is more than a book, it’s a remedy for remorse and a medicine for melancholy. It’s designed to motivate and inspire anywhere, anytime”, as Liron the painter behind it expressed. “Our vision and dream is that the power of human perseverance and of passion and positivity will flood the reader’s senses and remind him/her of the beauty and goodness in the world”, Shira, the poet in the team, added.

FLY’s Kickstarter campaign is just the beginning for these two, as they hope to take the mission of inspiration forward and much further. The awareness raised through Kickstarter will also help to fund future inspirational FLY projects including; exhibitions, lectures, workshops and other interactive visual media.

 

Click me! Art Sound Music from the Future
Click me! Art Sound Music from the Future