It's a bird... it's a plane... it's a... piano. And one that is actually in production - sort of. Designed by the legendary Luigi Colani himself, the German company Schiller produced only 14 of them ten years ago for people like Eddie Murphy, Lenny Kravitz, and Prince. Once in a while one is offered for sale, commanding about 100,000 $. First seen on Dark roasted blend, but the following site has more detailed information.
Photographing art is a challenge, as usually the lighting conditions inside a museum are not optimal, it does not make sense to just depict 2D art like paintings, and it is difficult to capture 3D installations that are meant to seen from several sides. That said, I am pleased with the way this one turned out, shadowplay and all. It is an art installation in the basement of the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris. And more people are pleased with the outcome: my 42nd shot in Explore.
This advertisement is at the same time highly creative, very disturbing and quite effective in hitting home the message. The small sign on the mirror says: "Schizophrenia can be treated. Seek help! "......
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One of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen myself (June 2007). The absolute highlight of the distinguished career of Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier (1887 – 1965), this chapel situated on top of a hill in Eastern France has stood the test of time since its inauguration in 1954. The structure is made mostly of concrete and is comparatively small, enclosed by thick walls, with the upturned roof resembling a sail in the wind. A masterpiece.
Some images are so stunningly beautiful that adding any further words to them is useless. A case in point is this masterpiece by my Flickr friend risquillo. Genius.
Selective colouring, keeping a splash of colour in an image converted to black and white, is a well-know technique in photography, but this is a rare example in painting. One of my own favourites in my wife's output: I love the contrast between the colourful dress and the rest of the composition.
Children's shots usually are not my cup of tea, and I think I fave one of these maybe once a year. Well, here is such a rare occasion, courtecy of my Flickr friend Hazed. I love every aspect of it, the pose, the composition, the dress, and the light through that fence.
A Dutch light music legend died last Friday: singer/actor Ramses Shaffy succumbed to cancer at the age of 76. To honour him, one of the most beautiful Dutch songs of all time: his 1968 duet with Liesbeth List, composed by Boudewijn de Groot and Lennaert Nijgh. Pastorale (Pastoral) is a beautiful duet, in which Liesbeth sings the lines of the little girl in love with the sun, whilst Ramses sings the lines of the sun, trying to convince her that this is an impossible love. Beautiful lyrics, as usual with Nijgh, bordering on poetry, and an excellent melody to boot. Rest in Peace.
One of those mesmerizing and puzzling abstracts that form the core of the stream of my Flickr friend kate mellersh. Not sure exactly what this is, but captured like she has, it becomes a hauntingly beautiful piece of art. As so often with her shots, even better when viewed on a completely black background.
Frederick Delius (1862-1934) is another one of those British composers who are far more famous at home than abroad. The latter part is undeserved, because (unless you are really allergic to the pastoral vein running through most of this British music) this is well-crafted, tuneful and rewarding music, and in the end a quite individual blend of romanticism and impressionism. You can hardly ask for a better introductory disc to the works of Delius than this programme compiled on one Naxos disc. Ten of his delightful miniatures, none lasting longer than 10 minutes, often inspired by spring, and including his most famous works, such as The walk to the paradise garden, and On hearing the first cuckoo in spring. Interestingly, they are laid out in chronological order on the CD, spanning most of his career (1889-1934). Great and well-recorded performances by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under David Lloyd-Jones. If you want only one Delius disc in your collection, make it this one.
And the previous post immediately triggers this one. A shot I took during our recent holiday in the Paris metro, with pleasing leading lines through the shot and good contrast thanks to the black and white conversion. And it became my 41st shot to make Flickr Explore.
An appropriate shot as my wife is still in Shanghai, and actually takes this subway occasionally, and it is now less than 4 weeks before she returns. As the photographer of this brilliant shot relates: I was in the front car of the short subway between Pudong and the Bund, and was treated to the wonderful spectacle of an oncoming train in the tunnel's changing light show. I put my camera up to the window and shot as fast as possible to get this image. (Photo and caption by Gail von Bergen Ryan)
It's been a while since I last posted a fractal art picture, and here is one by one of its masters, Manas Dichow. Less curves than usual, but a fascinating result with a very apt and imaginative title.
Earlier this week, I started a parallel blog called Art's Potpourri, to have a place for things I'd like to share which are too far removed from art for my main blog. So.... go ahead and have a look... :)
It may not be the finest of fine art, but it is a fun idea, well executed. Karen Eland recreates classical masterpieces by painting them with coffee instead of paint - and adding a cup of coffee into the composition whilst she is at it. I first came across this on the newslite site. The link below leads to the artist's site.
Eric Woolfson, co-founder and frequent lead singer of the Alan Parsons Project, died today at the age of 64. He will be sorely missed: APP was one of my favourite light prog bands of the seventies and early eighties. By 1984, with the release of the album Ammonia Avenue, you would be hard pressed to find prog elements remaining in their work. This album is still of high quality though, with excellent melodies. The single Don't answer me, convincingly sung by the now late Eric Woolfson, stands out as one of their best songs in their long career. Rest in Peace.
December is still spring time in Namibia, where my Flickr friend aftab spotted this beautiful owl. I love the sharpness and details on this gorgeous creature, set off against a wonderful almost abstract blurry background. One of the best bird shots I have seen.
"I'll just end up walkin' in the cold November rain".... Not my favourite song, but when you do walk in the cold November rain with its accompanying storms, this Senz design umbrella really comes in handy. Due to its smart design, the SENZ Original umbrella will not invert, and is windproof up to wind force 10! And it looks stunning as well. The link below leads to the company's web site.
In recent years, Steven Wilson has become my all-time favourite rock/pop musician. This is mainly due to his work as leader of Porcupine Tree, but his side projects and solo efforts are worthwhile as well. More often than not, the cover art of his work is also very interesting. A case in point is the single released from his 2009 solo album Insurgentes, Harmony Korine. Beautiful photography, possibly by Lasse Hoile, the Danish photographer who was responsible for the video. More about Steven Wilson on the linked wikipedia page.
The French painter Marcel Mouly (1918-2008) is not exactly a household name, but he has a special significance for my wife and me. When we lived in Singapore about 10 years ago, we often went to the high class Opera Art Gallery, and Mouly was one of the artists most frequently exhibited. A curious combination of styles, on the one hand very much derivative late fauvist, on the other hand very personal - we could immediately recognize a new Mouly in the gallery from far away. More on Mouly in the wikipedia article linked to below.
