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Posts Tagged ‘art’

Having in no way seen the status kind of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, I can’t use to the fidelity the film shares with the play. That said, let there be no mistrust that Tim Burton has crafted a geographically come to pass piece of harmonious cinema from Stephen Sondheim’s bloody masterpiece. To their discredit, initial previews sire hedged a bit regarding the singing in the film. In them we only conceive of Johnny Depp canting some recitative as he prowls the streets of London. While this scene is certainly in the movie, it’s hardly representative of the existing film which contains at least a dozen fully-staged numbers and alone intermittent dialogue.

As the watch movies former Benjamin Barker, Depp is majestic as Todd. His communicate may insufficiency the thunder that would be expected on step, but on the monstrous gauge it’s more than suitable. Purists may encounter it a bantam ragged and flat at times–Michael Crawford needn’t nettle close to Depp–but it’s an ideal show of the corrupting make one’s blood boil and rotting reprisal a violently that answer Todd’s soul. The selfsame can be said representing Helena Bonham Carter as the satanic Mrs. Lovett. Confident she longing off assault into something approaching a hectoring screech, but mull over for a two shakes of a lamb’s tail that she’s a baker who grinds people into pith and serves them up in piping hot pies!

Voices aside, both actors enfranchise rich, complex performances. The converge and ardour that Depp brings to his part is riveting. Within minutes of the pellicle’s origin there is no hesitate that Depp last will and testament accept his satisfaction and have it with gusto. Winsome a move back from the fog, produce that Todd is a thoroughly shabby character. He repeatedly kills indiscriminately, but Depp is so potent as Todd that you sooner inaugurate to be partial to his countless murders. Carter’s Mrs. Lovett is, as the case may be, level more of a psychopath. Slicing a throat is inseparable thing. Butchering a man and then serving him up for dinner is unequivocally another. However, you relish in in her, too.

As quest of the killings, Burton stages them in spectacularly gory fashion. The clich‚ ‘geysers of blood’ is commonly used casually when describing a violent film. In Sweeney Todd the phrase is explicitly correct. Depp is commonly obscured less than the high-powered jets of plasma that over erupt from his client’s necks. Amazingly, these scenes aren’t ordered the most disturbing. In the same instant Todd finishes giving a ’shave’, he dumps the corpse down a inconsistency where it cracks loudly at the keester as the skull splinters and the neck breaks cleanly. It’s all absolutely over the height and, of movement, wonderful, hilarious, inspired.

The exact same can be said someone is concerned the overlay as a whole. In Sweeney Todd, Tim Burton has develop material that meshes impeccably with his artistic sense. You could holler it a awe movie or a screwball comedy and you’d be set upright both times. The design is, as would be expected from a Burton artwork, effusive and spectacular. The supporting cast, strikingly Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall, are superb. On the other hand the bent story between Johanna and Anthony falls a elfin flat. It’s a penny-ante cavil, even if, in an otherwise prominent film. Sweeney Todd joins Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands as Burton’s finest work. It may eventually stable be considered his best.

I read an amazing article by Grayson Perry entitled “How art appreciates - it’s a class act”. In a nutshell he reckoned that art finds its true monetary value from what the experts say. But I can see something more from what he says.

If a piece of art is to be labeled as having any “value” at all it is what is said about it that establishes it as a work worthy of an individuals attention.

In other words … if you see a picture and it relates to you in some way (this can be either positively or negatively) - then you should say so … and write it down.

So once one remark has been made then others will follow … plus other people will look at the work and make their own minds up about it, and they will also read about what you have said … and they will include your critique in their weighing up of the image.

I am not necessarily talking only about financial worth, no, here is a far greater opportunity which is all inclusive, wonderfully mutual, and offers the chance for anyone - and everyone … to add to the worthiness of any piece of art - and eventually to the whole of society. What YOU have to say about a particular artwork is very important … even vital not only to the work, or the artist, or that particular type of work, or to your locality, or to your region, or to your country … but to the World! (I am referring here to the butterfly wing beat theory … if you don’t know about it then you must look it up … it really puts value onto the individual within a world context … fantastic - but I believe it’s true).

Let’s look at this in a bit more detail, first from the artist’s point of view …

If, when you exhibit your art, you value what people have to say about your work (and I don’t mean if you want everyone to love everything you do otherwise you will sulk and withdraw into yourself), and are happy for observers to voice their opinion about it - make sure you have a visitors book easily available for any remarks to be made (remember … even someone who only wants to deface the book is actually saying something about themselves - and their society … and your work might be evoking a challenge to them so much that their only response can be a defensive one such as vandalism - therefore even this has a value in itself - and strangely actually places a value upon your work). These can have a use later on in publicity, and in some cases can be seen as endorsements for your style of work.

If you have a website then a well placed, easy to understand and use, guest-book or visitors book, or comments page are very useful reference points for you and your work. If visitors refer to a particular image then their critique might be worthy of adding to the page that the picture is on. That way other observers can get to read observations coming from different points of view. Of course, if a visitor does not want to be influenced - then they can just simply ignore anything that is written. However, others may well find such additional information from the “man-in-the-street” helpful to them as they try to assimilate what they see. What is written will be of far greater value to them - and to you the artist in may other areas too. And if you are trying to sell your work then a timely encouraging comment from a third party might persuade an otherwise hesitant buyer into making that sort after commitment.

Now from the visitors point of view …

It is a truly wonderful thing to be “touched” by a piece of art in a gallery. When ever I have found myself slowly being drawn into a painting I immediately want to verbalize what I am receiving - I might want to shout or laugh loudly … but more likely I would want to put down in writing a description of what I am seeing, what I am feeling, and what kind of inspiration I might begin to cultivate … and what intention I might want to start getting in motion (which is why I always carry a notepad around with me).

So I would encourage, even exhort, the viewer not to just take a back step and move on to another picture. But rather I want them to commit their thoughts, frustrations, emotions, decisions, resolutions … anything which has come directly from looking at a piece of art, commit these to paper - find the visitors book and, if necessary, fill it with your reactions to the work. By doing this the visitor is rightly placing themselves into the “experts” chair. So any thoughts and points of view are worthy of note. If you have a view on a piece of work then it should be heard.

It is the same - or should be - when visiting a website. In fact it can be easier to make an anonymous comment on the internet. A lot of sites give you the opportunity to make a comment without having to give your name, email address - or any information other than the words you want to type. So if you are that sort of person then don’t be afraid but try to get into the habit of writing down your views. You might actually WANT to reveal who you are or put down your area of expertise … be it the university professor or the “public highway hygiene technician” … because what you say matters … whoever you are.

What will happen here is that as comments are made and attached to a work others will read them and, having viewed the piece themselves, they will make their own point of view whether for or against other comments … and the work will gain its own merit from what is said.

So while the top artists are busy vying for that hallowed multi-millionaire-and-totally-famous-artists kind of place - the rest of us can get on and work, and receive a much more valuable encouragement … that of the humble, if not down-to-earth, endorsements from our fellow human beings.

Don’t be afraid … be truthful … tell it like it is … and watch what happens.

The power of art induces a calm state of mind, this is a well-known fact. It is no use mentioning that the capacities of any beautiful object, be it a flower, a painting, a piece of music, a movie or a well-written book, help us let go all the negative thoughts and the daily preoccupations. Music and art have the strongest capacity to lead us to a meditating path, to produce that state in which we forget about all of our anxieties, worries, problems at work, with the kinds, with the mother-in-law.

Music &ndash The Guiding Sound

Imagine a scented room, in which blends combine only to make even more perceptible to the senses the barely audible music that seems to come from the otherworld. Imagine that this music is the one sang by the angels, imagine the notes, the passion that was put while being created. Music is indeed the art that can best describe the most valuable relaxation technique meditation because it offers you the calm and the peace after a hard, demanding day, after all the negative feelings that you have gathered during the day. Music helps you let go all that torments you, all that makes you not feel at your ease.

There is no meditation without the help of the music. Choose Enya or another chill-out music album and I guarantee you that relaxation and good-mood will soon be installed into your mind and into your body. This kind of music is the one that is recommended by the yoga instructors or by masseurs in order to induce to the attendants the necessary state for meditation. They all recognize music as an important and relevant part of the relaxation technique meditation.

How Can the Forms of Art Help You Forget Your Worries?

Can painting or architecture be a way of reaching to relaxation and good feeling about you? My answer is definite: of course. Only think about the emotion that an exquisitely made building makes you feel? Don’t you feel shivers? I’m sure that when you think of a beautiful painting or to a touching book you feel the same things. What better feelings can lead you to relaxation and meditation? You cannot deny the power of art to calm you down, to make you let go of your anxieties, fears, torments, problems.

Without a doubt, art is an important part of the relaxation technique meditation. What would happen if music were not present in the yoga meetings, only to provide one single example? What would be the fun if nothing would be heard on the background, if we could hear each others noises? The fun would be spoiled and we would probably lose the point of focus that is so important for meditation.

Is Art Vital in Order for Meditation to Take Place?

The answer to this question has been pointed out before, but I wish to stress out more the role of art for the relaxation technique meditation. Art in general, and music in particular, are all branches of culture that have the capacity to create another world, an imaginary world that is definitely better than the sometimes problematic present world we live in.

This imaginary world not only stimulates our creativity and senses, but it gives us the change to let our mind travel and rest. Art is, as far as I’m concerned, what everybody needs in order to arrive at the supreme state of relaxation and meditation. Meditating can’t be dome without art, without music, without beauty.

Dada was an Art movement with its peak in 1916-1920s. This movement was established as a position against the War, and particularly World War I. They saw all the negativity of the war. They also were against the Art. It was a protest against beauty, because Art didn’t save civilization from wars.

The members of that movement organized demonstrations, propagandas, wrote brochures, manifestos against the cruelty of war using ideas of Arthur Rimbaund in poetry, and critical ideas of Max Jacob (who later died in the Nazi concentration camp) and Guillaume Apollinaire. They established the new Journal where they wrote anti-war and anti-terror articles sometimes by using satire. Also the group made different absurd theatrical performances highly criticizing the first World War in Cabaret Voltaire . Tzara, one of the leader, of that group, wrote a lot of articles to different European newspapers, trying to emphasize the whole horror of war.

As Dada movement Surrealism was also under against terror thoughts about World War I . This was one of the predominant facts for both movements to create something irrational and surreal. Surrealism inherited pessimistic and revolutionary mood because of Dada movement . Dada’s main artistic idea was to make various activities and theories, instead of producing actual representational art. The follower of Dada came up with the ideas of irrationality, accidentalness. The “Law of Chances” created by both Jean Arp (he through the pieces of paper on the floor, and where the paper fell down, glue it to the background) and Marcel Duchamp . Dadaists made a lot of experiments by avoiding all kind of artistic laws and orders that were established by the masters in Art before them.

Surrealism inherited ideas from Dada about anti-consciousness, anti-controlled way of thinking in the process of creating pictures. They preferred to use subconscious mind and feelings. They believed in the power of dreaming (Dali), in intuitive associations, and in the idea of chances (Ernst). Some Dadaists Surrealists used a lot of ideas of absurd and illogic.

One of the facts that Dada was a precursor of Surrealism is that some Dadaist artists and poets became Surrealists in their future artistic careers, such as a painter- Max Ernst, a photographer- May Ray, and the poet - Tristan Tzara.

“Invasion of the Night” is one of the most well- known picture by Roberto Matta. He was one of the members of Surrealist group. This pretty big (96.5 x 152.7 cm) oil painting was made in 1940, when the artist moved to New York from Paris. This work was made in biomorphic or abstract Surrealistic style. The use of organic shapes, absence of strong contrast lines, smooth color transitions, warm palette choice , defused forms, all make the illusion of dream, the impression of sleeping silence. The composition is very unique: it is visually reminding the chessboard. It is not made by lines, but by the smooth transitions of the main two yellow forms in background and two main blue- greenish forms, painted as chess squares. The painting makes me to feel the fear because of the luminous saffron color with white spots in between, it makes me feel as canvas has holes in it, and because of this strange use of half-divided horizon line. The tiny red objects all over the canvas transfers the feeling of anxiousness to me. But at the same time this masterpiece amazes me. I can’t stop gazing on the picture, because there are so many details are spread all around the canvas. My eyes jump from one object to another. My brain continues drawing patterns of these brown transparent lines all across the painting. I have and impression that this brown-greenish shape (in the upper left side of the work) that looks like a bird, will scream and interrupt this terrifying silence created by the invasion of night.

‘Painting is just a leisure activity , so it’s a waste of time!’ That’s what most people tend to think. But is it really?

When I started meddling with water colors, I was only five or so, but I still remember the joy of discovering new hues and ways to brighten my plain white paper. It was a magic touch of light that carried me away into a new realm of amazement and joy. My parents bought me some colors and a small brush hoping to keep me busy indoors for some time and out of mischief! But this device has been keeping me busy till now! I can’t imagine my life without it. It just would be so very dull!

It’s a pity some people have not tried to discover yet the joy of drawing and painting , or any other form of art. If you belong to those who believe that it is a waste of time, just think of so many things are a real waste of time, but not this one.

Being creative releases a part of your soul , you feel free ,you feel you can do everything , because imagination can do everything. You are a different person and if you have problems to solve, then this is the best way to do it. Let yourself be creative, release your energy on art and you will feel calm and confident to go on.

There is no wonder why some people use Art Therapy. They’ve found out the terrific advantages of this method on people’s feelings and behavior.

And beware. You don’t need to be an artist!

“I can’t draw a straight line,’ most people would say. ‘So, what?’ Practice makes perfect! That old saying applies so well in this case. You can discover your hidden talent and become an excellent artist , or you can simply enjoy yourself in a creative way! However, it doesn’t really matter how good or bad your creation might be, it is yourself you are displaying in it, not your professional abilities.

So, take the first step. Get a piece of paper and start now. Here are some tips to get you started.

And don’t forget to enjoy it!

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watercolor: tips

First you need either a single sheet of paper or a watercolor block.

Directly before starting work, the paper is well dampened and stuck , or pinned down.

A single wetting is not enough. It takes a while for dry paper to soak up enough water.

While the paper is relatively dry before another wetting, you can lay in a few pencil outlines of your intended picture. The lead should not be too soft, H is about right.

After the drawing, dampen the page again and leave it to dry while you get the paints ready.

Always keep 2 jars of water at hand: one for washing out the brushes and the other, filled with clear water for the pipette or for clean brushes.

Brushes: No 6 is OK.

Paints: Keep them in a tin box. Pans are more economical, but it takes longer to soften. Tubes are simpler.

Sponge cloths or rags are needed to wipe palettes clean.

Colors:

BLUE &ndashprussian blue

YELLOW- Ochre golden ochre

RED- Mars red

GREEN - Viridian

IVORY BLACK and ZINC WHITE

560 wds

While nobody can predict when death will pay them a visit and cut their life short, according to the movie P.S. I Love You, with some applied imagination and strategic planning in advance, you might be able to cheat the Grim Reaper just a little. Or in this case at least, from beyond the grave.

Not that this morbid premise sounds like ideal material for a fanciful romantic comedy. But filmmaker Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King, The Bridges Of Madison County) takes up the challenge of juggling this life and the next for laughs, and awkwardly negotiates an often less than plausible common ground between the best of both worlds, such as they may be.

Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler are Holly and Gerry in P.S. I Love You, a stressed out young Manhattan couple into marriage meltdown at the moment, as they brawl verbally about Holly’s tendency towards too much shopping, not enough ‘hot, nasty sex’ on their weekly to-do list, Gerry’s unsexy slacker attitude toward vocational ambition, whether or not they forgot to have children along the way, and might this be very well all that there is out of life. In the midst of Holly’s nightly nagging and lingering doubts about their relationship, happy-go-lucky Irish rocker import Gerry suddenly kicks the bucket. Which leaves Holly in a deep funk of guilt-ridden regret and inconsolable misery.

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While concerned mom Patricia (Kathy Bates) and caring best girlfriends Denise (Lisa Kudrow) and Sharon (Gina Gershon) have no success getting Holly to dispel those full-time blues, the sudden, mysterious delivery of a series of letters from late hubby Gerry, slowly work their magic in snapping their glum gal pal out of her depressed state. The letters function like a 12-step program presumably mailed from the afterlife, nudging the stricken widow back to normalcy and even a little potential new romance. The tragicomic healing process culminates in no less than two trips back to Ireland where the couple first met, where Mom and Holly embark on a weird adventure together, to go pick up men.

P.S. I Love You and its dead letter collection plot device is far too overdone, and feels dramatically energy-inefficient and contrived to begin with. Much more effective is LaGravenese’s sensitive physical and emotional layering of the complex unraveling of grief as a state of mind. And Swank gets it just right with a fine-tuned subtle expression of confusion, despondency and rage, though Holly’s overly extended cranky self-pity party eventually wears out its welcome, for the characters and audience alike.

And it never quite makes sense why Holly isn’t turned on by the persistent advances of the infatuated hunk played by Harry Connick Jr., even if the guy’s on the eccentric side, as when he invades her private space in the local pub’s john to present her with the heart he wears a little too prominently on his sleeve. In any case, P.S. I Love You could have done with a lot less of a sense of being on rewind as each posthumous letter arrives, and every time a romantic urge or mental mood swing gets reshuffled.

“…Meet this solemn question with a strong, simple ‘I must,’ then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse.” - Rilke

We are, all of us, meant to create. We are creat-ures, thus it is evident in the world around us that as a spider spins a web, a bird builds a nest, humans are possessed of a spiritual and biological mandate to spin and build a world of beauty and function. The human distinction is the ability to make symbols. Symbolism is the art of investing the world around us with meaning by expressing the invisible or intangible through visible or sensuous representation. This is the simplest, the least unsettling definition of art and creativity. From this definition, we have come to believe and to thoroughly accept without question that art belongs to those who paint the paintings, write the words, and mold the clay, into those representations of the intangible and the invisible. Art has therefore been divided into those who do and those who don’t.

The reinstatement of art into every one of our lives, both in our ability to receive and to recreate it, is to return to living with meaning. Creativity is, like evolution, like all growth and change, an irrepressible force in nature. Thus far, only humans have attempted to turn away from this call, and a case can be made that it is this turning away that is the cause of so much of our pain, suffering, and longing. This suffering, however, is the result of confusion and misdirection, not hapless circumstance.

Art, like science, philosophy, and civility, is our best defense against the insupportable weight of all that we don’t know. If we could disperse the weight among us citizen artists, come up with a more inclusive outlook, we could lighten the formidable load of ignorance. In the broadest sense, art is a response in whatever form it takes–an expression of the love and beauty and terror as it is given to us through the visible bounty of Nature&ndashthat pulls us further out of the mire. Creativity is anything that fosters that indwelling spirit, any creation or activity that advances the progression of the unimpedable energy of growth that is life. The replication of that love and beauty, the balm that soothes the terror, or the release provided by the recognition of that terror, is our task, is the way of art and creativity, a whole-some response to existence.

Whether you are a fireman, a pathologist, a babysitter, or a banker, you must be an artist. Must be means, first of all, the recognition of this as your identity, as in, “Oh, you must be an artist…” Secondly, must be makes it imperative. You must respond to the dignity evolving out of creaturehood toward a greater man, toward God, and remain fearless as well as awe-struck by the vast implications. In the meeting of this challenge, you will be recognized by a light in the eye of those you encounter, as extraordinary.

The commitment to creativity, like any other commitment, will become an integral, necessary, part of our life once we realize that not only does our art spring from and define the core of, yes, our own identities, but more importantly, that it is an expression of that which is greater than ourselves. Thus who we are becomes linked with the world, and it is given meaning and purpose by what we do with this link. Creativity is the purveyor of meaning.

We begin with a sense that there is something within us that must act and express. We begin by going beyond the sadness we have experienced at having this something repressed, discouraged, buried. We begin with the thin person with the fat body, the sober, healthy being underneath the addict’s skin, the lover inside our neglected hearts. We begin with the hope and the longing of the creative force within ourselves.

The Perfect Holiday is seasonably pablum partially redeemed by a smart (if wasted) cast and at least one unusual holiday bit. Directed by co-written by Lance (The Cookout) Rivera, the film mostly flounders through contrived meet-cute scenes and some “what were they thinking” scenes (such as one involving a 300-pound “elf” trying to put on a fat suit). The romantic/family comedy also demands a major suspension of disbelief in having the lovely Gabrielle Union portraying a woman (Nancy) who wishes a nice man would pay her a compliment.

Union plays the ex-wife of an obnoxious rapper, J. Jizzy (Charlie Murphy&ndashEddie’s older brother&ndashwho gets the most laughs in the film). The divorcee’s kid helps steer her to a handsome department-store Santa named Benjamin (Morris Chestnut) who also happens to be a songwriter. What’s more, he’s pitching his tunes to J. Jizzy. Much of the film involves Benjamin trying to keep Nancy and Jizzy from finding out about his romantic and business (respectively) arrangements with each of them. The problem is that there’s no logical reason why he should care&ndashor lie to Nancy about his “true” vocation.

Much of the movie involves Nancy discussing life with her gals pals (Jill Marie Jones and Rachel True), Benjamin chumming around with his best bud, Jamal (Faizon Love); and J-Jizzy interacting with his spacey manager, Delicious (Katt Williams). This offers scenes of soul searching, self revelations and some strained comedy&ndashbut little of it is interesting.

There’s also little reason for Queen Latifah and Terrence Howard (who seems to have appeared in 95 percent of the films released in 2007) playing competing angels (or perhaps that’s angel vs. devil). Latifah breezes through her role, but Howard just seems embarrassed to be here (and who can blame him?).

One of the brightest parts of The Perfect Holiday is one of its most understated: a department store hires a black Santa and black elf helper, kids of all colors line up to visit Ol’ Saint Nick and no one questions it. It’s a sweet, hopeful set-up that offers a counterpoint to the otherwise pedestrian, plodding antics of The Perfect Holiday.

The Perfect Holiday is rated PG for brief language and some suggestive humor. Running time: 96 minutes. Macsimum rating: 4 out of 10. You can check out the film’s trailers on the QuickTime movie trailer site.

Art Galleries are generally known for art that highlights the natural beauty all around the world. Everyday there are people creating entirely new works of art, and placing them in art galleries all over the world.

The type of art included in a gallery can vary. Art can encompass a wide variety of medium, such as, drawings, paintings, photography, and sculpture, to name a few. The purpose of the art gallery is to show off the work of local and national artists in a way that people will want to purchase them. Many of the artist’s works can also be bought as prints. This allows the artist to sell more, while making the price more affordable to people.

Local Art Galleries

Most major cities have wonderful art galleries. If you have never visited an art gallery, you should make a point to do so. You may think that an art gallery is not where you would want to spend the afternoon, but you may be surprised at how interesting an art gallery can be. Check your local phone book for an art gallery near you.

Virtual Art Galleries

If you have Internet access, then you can find an online art gallery, my choice as well. If you can view and possibly order from the comfort of your own home why not. Virtual tours of art galleries are a lot of fun.

As with walk in art galleries, virtual art galleries are also worldwide. Listed below are a few galleries that you can visit online.

o Art Vitam, Miami, Florida

o Art of this Century, Paris, France

o Art Space/Virginia Miller Galleries, Coral Gables, Florida

o Artco Galleria de Arte, Lima, Peru

o Casa d’Arte San Lorenzo, Pisa, Italy

o Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts, Miami, Florida

o Espace D’Art Yvonamor Palix, Paris, France

o Galleria El Museo, Bogot