Just 12 years after their first, Innsbruck got to organize their second winter olympics, as first and second choices Denver (USA) and Whistler (Canada) had to withdraw. Although the style of the poster has a lot in common with the Sapporo one, the effect is far more impressive here. The asymmetry really helps to make the image more dynamic, fitting with the theme of a sports event. One of the few posters also where the olympic rings have to do without their colours.
One of my favourite images of the year so far. Another result of the shoot in the Toonkamer Utrecht shop for modern design. Not explored, but it received a lot of positive reactions and faves.
The first winter games in Asia: Sapporo Japan, 1972. It was also the first winter games that I remember vividly following on the TV, especially (I am Dutch after all) the speed skating successes of the Dutch, first and foremost Ard Schenk. The poster is a step back to a very stylized simple approach, which does not really work for me. Interesting that, after four games without display of the national flag of the hosting country, Japan was the first to re-instate this old custom.
This abandoned house covered in ice in Detroit is more than just another image depicting the hideous winter many parts of the world are experiencing this year. Artists Gregory Holm and Matthew Radune have been encasing the home in ice by spraying water on it, hoping their effort will draw attention to the housing crisis in the USA.
The French city of Grenoble was the host in 1968 , and they opted for a simple but marvellous design: the five olympic rings speeding downhill. One of the best of the series in my opinion.
Italian designer Santambrogio Milano came up with a whole range of furniture based on superdurable tempered glass (the ultra-clear Diamant Glass by Saint Gobain). Simple rectangular shapes, and highly effective.
One of my personal favourites of the whole series, and the main reason why I extended it beyond the originally intended final date of 1960 (50 years ago). The first games in Austria, and the poster design is magnificently stylish, with cold colours that work very well.
Would you expect that the next big thing in Death Metal would come from Ireland? Well, the five young men (age 20-22) who named themselves after their home town of Knockatallon might be just that. Their concerts in Ireland and the UK have been sold-out for the past year, and they finally released their debut album last week. The shame of art is not an eye opener, but for fans of this death grunt style metal, a must hear. Best songs: Cadaver, and the album closer, a flabberghasting version of Genesis' Blood on the rooftops.
In 1960, the olympics returned to the USA, to Squaw Valley. The poster is surprisingly simple but very effective, with soft coloured geometric shapes against a snow background. Remarkably, this is the first winter olympics poster to feature the olympic rings without their colours.
The reason I did not include my Flickr friend aftab in yesterday's Flickr Favourites Sunday is that I wanted to post this particular image, and give it the separate attention it warrants. I cannot even begin to describe how much I am in love with this shot of a rock antelope in Namibia, easily the best wildlife photograph I have ever seen on Flickr - or beyond Flickr for that matter. The lighting, the tones, the dof, this is sheer magic.
Moving on to 1956 in this series of Winter Olympics posters. Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo was the host, and the change in poster design philosophy with the previous games is stunning. A wonderful minimalistic approach with plenty of empty space, and a symbol that is reminiscent of a snow flake, encompassing the famous dolomites landmark of the host city.
One of the best silhouette shots I have seen on Flickr - as well as a great example of the frame-within-frame composition technique. An excellent creation by my Flickr friend Rod Anzaldua.
It is always fun to introduce a new name under this heading. I came across fellow Flickrite Chris Mullins a number of times in the group Life thru a Lenz, where I selected his shots as admin pick of the day on more than one occasion. This is the latest of that list, a gorgeous original take on the trash the dress ritual.
Here we have another gorgeous abstract shot by the latest addition to my relatively small list of Flickr friends, SteffenTuck. The colour combination is absolutely brilliant, as are the fluid shapes. I have no clue what I am actually looking at, and that is of course a great asset for an abstract shot. I could see this hanging in the Pompidou as a painting.
Sunsets and sunrises are ten a penny on Flickr, but that should not stop us appreciating the beauty of them, including the way they colour the sky. My Flickr friend pommysheilah captured this fantastic evening sky, including the wonderful reflections in the lake, in Wales.
Flickr Favourites Sunday is back. Five recently faved - and very different - images on Flickr ( no aftab this time, he gets his own spot tomorrow). This shot by my Flickr friend Lars van de Goor is especially interesting for us Dutch, as the family board game Ganzenbord (Goose Board) is very much a part of our traditions. But also if you are not familiar with this game, you can appreciate this shot for its photographic qualities, not least the geese's tracks in the snow.
A curiously simple design for the Oslo olympics of 1952 - just two ski sticks, the olympic flag and the flag of the host country against an almost non-existing background. With a reasonable budget, one wonders whether this was a sign of the times or whether they really could not come up with something better. One of the least interesting of the series for me.
Earlier this week, the wife and I visited a fascinating exhibition on modern Chinese art in the Rijksmuseum Twente in Enschede. One of the most impressive art pieces we encountered was this painting by Zhang Xiaogang (born 1958). In recent years he has catapulted to superstar status, being ranked amongst the likes of Warhol and Lichtenstein by art collectors, and his works regularly fetch over a million dollars each. His style is personal, with some influence of Richter. The painting shown here is one of his Bloodline series, monochromatic portraits of Chinese people, deliberately reminiscent of family portraits from the fifties and sixties. More on Zhang in the wikipedia article linked to below.
Not all great album cover designs need to be ingenious or complicated. The minimalistic approach for the 1997 album White on blonde by scottish band Texas (their fourth) works perfectly. It makes optimal use of the natural attractiveness of lead singer Sharleen Spiteri, depicted in a mysterious way. The font choice is excellent, and the overall impression simply great. The design is credited to Stuart Spelding and Lee Swillingham.
In many respects, Marillion filled the gap that Genesis left in the symphonic rock scene. Although all of their albums with Fish as lead singer are great, that special sparkle which marked the mid-seventies Genesis albums never quite appeared in Marillions work though, even in their best albums like Script for a jesters tear and Misplaced childhood. On the other hand, that latter album did produce the song which is a strong contender for the title 'best hit single ever'. Kayleigh is the ultimate rock love song. Strong melody, perfect instrumentation, Fish' awesome vocals, and good lyrics to boot. Great video as well.
