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Posts Archived Under Arts
This is not a painting of a pipe. |
Born on November 21, 1898, Belgian painter René Magritte remains one of the most enigmatic and beloved artists of the 20th century. His most popular images place ordinary objects in extraordinary environments, and his paintings helped define the mid-century Surrealist movement led by André Breton. His pieces are now on display in some of the world's most renowned museums and institutions, and his work has had a marked influence on masters such as Ed Ruscha, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol, not to mention popular culture, music, and fashion.
Though not much is known of Magritte's early life, one event seems to lend insight into his future life as an artist. At the age of 13, Magritte's mother succeeded in taking her own life after a number of failed attempts. The story goes that the young René was watching as his mother's lifeless body was pulled from the river in which she had drowned, her skirts twisted and wrapped around her head. Undoubtedly, this image would have had a profound effect on the artist, and many of his earlier works feature figures whose faces are cloaked in cloth, including the famous painting "Les Amants." Apocryphal or not, we can at least be certain that his mother's death had a formative effect on the young Magritte and influenced his fascination with the tension between reality and fantasy that marks his most well-known paintings.
As is the case with many artists, Magritte wasn't able to subsist by merely selling his artwork. To make ends meet at various times in his life, he worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory, created posters and slogans for advertising, and even served in the Belgian infantry. Later in his career, Magritte found some success as a forger of other artists' works, namely Picasso, Braque, and De Chirico, and even resorted to printing counterfeit money. But it's his vast oeuvre of paintings, drawings, and sculptural work that has made him a legend.
In June of this year, a second museum bearing his name opened in Brussels, displaying over 250 of the artist's original works. The first, housed in his former Brussels residence, was recently robbed and the one stolen painting, known as "Olympia," is currently at large.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
René Magritte, Dada and Surrealism, Artists, Belgium, Art Prints |
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Archived under: Art Museums, Artists, Arts, Biographies, Rene Magritte, Surrealism |
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Anyone who makes crafts -- whether they're professional iPod cozy designers or amateur macrame owl enthusiasts -- knows that crafting takes trial and error. Crocheting homicidal vegetables or felting Jabba the Hutt miniatures takes skill and practice, and before you get that knitted digestive system to look just right, you're probably going to make some mistakes.
But be warned: the Internet is not kind to ugly, misguided, or ineptly executed crafts. If you've got a thin skin when it comes to your homemade chicken poncho, perhaps it's best if you don't list it on etsy until you're sure you've got it right. Because crafters, while creative and wily and determined, can also be -- well, snarky.
In the defense of sites like Regretsy and Homemade Hilarity, which poke fun at the bizarre, confused, and unintentionally hilarious crafts of the Internet, there are some terrible crafts out there (we know -- we've made some of them), and it's hard to resist making comments at their expense. Do we feel bad about it? Sure. Will that stop us from giggling madly at the crocheted beer can Darth Vader helmet or the toilet paper cover and/or hat? Not a chance. But it will stop us from posting our own, um, "awesome poop earrings" -- unless we decide to embrace our failures and share them for the education -- and hysterical, mocking laughter -- of others.
Suggested Sites...
- Homemade Hilarity - giving misguided crafts the fond, snarky commentary they deserve.
- Regretsy - showcases the handmade gems that were never meant to see the light of day.
- CraftFail - crafters fess up to their own terrible works by sharing their crafts gone awry.
- Craftastrophe - proceed with caution....
- Cake Wrecks - still makes us laugh after all these years.
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Directory categories:
Bad Crafts, Crafts, Crafts for Sale, Folk, Self-Taught, and Outsider Art, Bad Art |
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Archived under: Arts, Blogs, Cake Decorating, Crafts, DIY, Flops, Homemade, Humor |
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Writers hold a "midnight write"
to kick off NaNoWriMo.
(Photo by Megan Myers) |
Writers, boot up your laptops! November is National Novel Writing Month, or "NaNoWriMo"
to the initiated. The idea is that with the right combination of drive and
discipline, anyone can crank out a 175-page novel over the course of a month.
A group of writers in San
Francisco organized the first NoWriMo in 1999, and since then the event
has snowballed into a national (if niche) phenomenon.
Interestingly, the project isn’t for pen and paper. To be an
official participant, you have to submit your manuscript electronically in order to
have the length verified by word-count
software. It should be noted that people were keeping tabs on words long before
machines made it easy to do so. Ernest Hemingway famously
wrote 500 words a day.
This marathon
of writing events begs the question: Can you really write a good novel in 30 days? Well, it doesn't
have to be Proust; it
just has to be 50,000 words. The event organizers are the first to admit that
writing done in this manner isn't the stuff of masterpieces. They say -- and I quote -- "You will be writing
a lot of crap." To them, it's more about the process. And like the marathon,
not everyone finishes. According to the site, last year 120,000 participants
signed on at the beginning of the month, but only 20,000 people completed their
pieces by midnight on November 30, the official deadline.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Literature, Creative Writing, Literature Events, Authors, San Francisco |
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Archived under: Arts, Authors, Books, Events, Fanatics, Literature, San Francisco, Writing |
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Halloween enthusiasts of all ages like to get creative and crafty with costumes. But this holiday also brings out the artist in many who will use the pumpkin as their canvas. People are starting their jack-o’-lantern projects online, searching for ideas and inspiration, as well as patterns and instructions.
On Halloween night, countless pumpkins will sit in front of homes with their classic, old-fashioned faces. But their triangular eyes will be staring jealously across the street at the fancy pumpkins -- the ones with elaborately carved faces, elegant stencils, and ferocious demeanors.
If you'd like to try your hand at pumpkin carving, check out some galleries of images for ideas. Looking at all the amazing creations can be intimidating, but there are designs for all styles and skill levels. There are also a number of tutorials out there.
For those of us who wish to decorate pumpkins but aren't allowed to handle knives, an apple corer can produce some great effects. If you are squeamish about stabbing your pumpkin at all, you can paint it. Or you can do the humane thing and display them in all their natural glory.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Jack-O'-Lanterns, Halloween Activities and Crafts, Halloween, Pumpkin Carving Tips and Templates, Pumpkin Carving Supplies |
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Archived under: Arts, Autumn, Crafts, Halloween, Holidays, Home and Garden, Jack-O-Lanterns, Pumpkins |
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.They say this is a monkey, but
it looks like a poodle to us.
(Photo by rick) |
In the days before the Internet, if you wanted to learn how to do something, you had to actually go out and seek the tutelage of an expert. If, for example, you wanted to learn how to make balloon animals, there were two options: trial and error (which would likely leave you with a pile of popped poodles) or expert instruction. Good luck getting a clown to give up his trade secrets, though. But nowadays, thanks to online videos, just about anybody can learn how to sculpt a dog or a flower.
If you happen to already be versed in the art of balloon modeling, then today is the day for you to make your annual contribution to society. "Balloons Around the World" is a global event where twisters can volunteer their services, either for free or to raise funds for charity. And the rest of us? We can support our local artists at various events.
Balloon artists are certainly not relegated to inflating their creations on demand at schools and parties, however. They've touched the world of fashion and set Guinness records. Above all, twisters provide much-needed smiles and laughs to people of all ages around the world.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Inflatable Sculpture, Balloon Artists, Clowning, Volunteerism, Philanthropy |
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Archived under: Arts, Balloons, Charity, Children, Circus Arts, Clowns, Crafts, DIY, Entertainment, Hobbies, How-To, Philanthropy, Society and Culture |
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