italy and holland
so i just came back from a trip to the netherlands and italy…2 kinda of opposite places. the netherlands being pretty cold and quiet with a 1984-ish sense of order (the happy blonde population wearing amazing boots (seriously…the boots!), riding bikes and eating large delicious pancakes. this place was incredibly charming. we visited the anne frank museum which literally left me speechless and the van gogh museum…which was breathtaking even though i couldnt take pictures. italy was chaotic. the food was rich and the people, for lack of a better word, were incredibly colorful. i loved both places because of their differences. it goes without saying that italy is an artistic canvas in and of itself. the history and the breath of creativity there was almost overwhelming, and i honestly could not do it justice trying to write about it so ill just say….omg….it was amazing. standing at the foot of the pantheon and the trevi fountain..to the steps of the coliseum, the ruins of the palatine and the roman forum…to the ceilings of the sistine chapel and st. peter’s basilica…and that was just in rome. walking through the rafael rooms and looking at the sistine chapel reminded me of the reason i decided to draw in the first place. as far as we have come artistically, i really believe nothing supersedes sheer talent and the ability of an artist to capture reality and the beauty of the human form. the way rafael and michelangelo wove their personal philosophies into their work without taking away from the beauty of the human form really moves me.
sinking feeling…
róisín murphy kind of day…
cultural play?
a sketch i made last year when i saw diane von furstenberg’s spring collection was “safari themed” and leaned heavily on african and ethnic inspired designs…..yet none of her models were “ethinic”…AT ALL. Then i saw the cocoperez article about the black face issue of french vogue and i started to fume. im still ruminating on these thoughts. i think influence is perfectly acceptable and beneficial to society as a whole because we can and should share and learn from other cultures. It becomes destructive however, when it’s not built on a foundation of mutual respect….
sketches…
very quick late night/early morning sketches…kinda wondering what mannequins would say if they could talk…
if i were a bell…
it’s been awhile since i sketched, but felt a bit inspired…
the man is a genius
everyone who knows me….knows i adore gustav klimt…the man is a genius. he was a classical artist, turned graphic designer, turned erotic painter of sensual women. Klimt’s style is so complex and so simple. His talent…is RIDICULOUS. He had so much moxie and so little shame about his love of his female subjects. i have at least 5 klimt books but this one is by far my favorite. It really shows the breathe of his work. i’ve forced myself to only put 2 pictures up or i really would put pages from the ENTIRE book up here! I love how klimt’s work has such a dark and menacing feel at times…almost like his subjects are women right out of his nightmares, or creatures that torment him. He is not afraid to get a little ugly, get a bit out of proportion. Like picasso, his techinical prowess is so refined that he almost retreats to rudimentary figures and shapes simply because he can. The thing that really gets me about his work though…is the detail. Klimt was so detail oriented that its sick. when you look at his work up close, you see he paid attention to every circle, every square, every stroke. i just love him! wanted to share. I’ve been in such a klimt inspired mood. i carry this one book with me everywhere
the vitruvian woman
finally finished.
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