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“Amidst all the attention given to the sciences as to how they can lead to the cure of all diseases and daily problems of mankind, I believe that the biggest breakthrough will be the realization that the arts, which are conventionally considered “useless,” will be recognized as the whole reason why we ever try to live longer or live more prosperously. The arts are the science of enjoying life.”
- John Maeda: graphic designer, computer scientist, university professor, author
Buy his art! IVoteForArt.com is a new site that allows you to buy and sell art at a reasonable price. The online gallery features user-submitted artwork that you can vote on and buy through PayPal. If you’re an artist you can put your artwork up for sale fairly easily.
“In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck and a head full of questions, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview. This was in the midst of Lennon’s “bed-in” phase, during which John and Yoko were staying in hotel beds in an effort to promote peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it.”
Intrigued? “I Met The Walrus” is a fantastic short film that uses motion graphics to translate the aforementioned audio interview with John Lennon. It showcases a great combination of illustration and photographic elements and even better philosophy. Check out some more screen grabs below.
You can currently go watch the short film in its entirety in The YouTube Screening Room and it is available for purchase on iTunes.
The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897
Oil on canvas; The Museum of Modern Art, New York
I have been lucky enough to have seen some of Henri Rousseau’s work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York and can say that most of the criticism of his work is fueled bigotry and jealousy. Rousseau was rarely taken seriously as a painter because of his working class background, his dream-like painting subjects, and his simple painting techniques until artists such as Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky came to express their appreciation for his work. If Rousseau is unknown to you, below is some background information on the painter.
Henri Julien Rousseau (1844-1910) was a French Post-Impressionist painter who helped to develop the ideas behind the surrealist movement. However, Rousseau was much different than avant-garde artists of the time as he was self-taught and from the working class. Because of his class and initial status as a hobbyist, many ridiculed and still do ridicule him. Rousseau retired from plumbing at the age of 49 to try his hand at painting. He was extremely naive, had had no academic art training and his painting technique was considered extremely simple, but he developed his own painting style that was different fromt the avant-garde art surrounding him at the time.
The Dream, 1910
Oil on canvas; The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Despite starting out as a hobby painter, Rousseau deserves to be recognized as a true forerunner of Surrealism.
Prolific poster artist Alton Kelley passed away on June 4, 2008 at the youthful age of 67 from complications of osteoporosis. Kelley’s distinct concert posters for artists such as Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company helped define the visual style of the 1960s counterculture.
Kelley’s posters were heavily influenced by a wide range of historical art styles including Art Nouveau, Art Déco and Bauhaus, but also borrowed styles from Native American and Chinese artwork.
It has been a tough week for Rock ‘N Roll as Kelley’s death comes just two days after the death of legendary rock guitarist Elias McDaniel, better known as Bo Diddley.
The New York Times is running a story in which you can read more about the work and life of Alton Kelley.
Back in March, during the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX, the American Poster Institute presented the Flatstock 16 Poster Convention. The show featured original graphic art by more than 80 of the most popular poster artists working today. Around the same time, I had posted about a rock poster and its art history influences so I think it is fitting to give Flatstock some coverage. Below are a few of my favorites from the show.
Aesthetic Apparatus
Daniel Danger
Pedini
Small Stakes
Seattle Show Posters
For those that live in the Chicago area and would like to check out some posters first-hand, Flatstock 17 will be held at the Pitchfork Music Festival this summer in Union Park.
5 Penguins, 1 Clown © Greg Stones
“Zombies, penguins, blue aliens, naked people, people flashing animals, barns, landscapes, UFOs, quiet human interactions…all these various elements of my work strike chords with enough people that I am actually able to do what I love to do every single day of my life: watch television. Oh, and paint.”
Reading the artist statement of Greg Stones is almost as fun as his surreal watercolor paintings of the above subjects. I first saw Greg’s work one summer while vacationing in Ogunquit, Maine, and it certainly struck a chord with my sense of humor. Check out some of my favorites after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
