I used adobe photoshop to create a pastel effect.
Themes and Variations of the Buddha
Two paintings, two artists - can you note the differences and similarites? Are the brush strokes, colors, and design and composition reflective of the artists' moods and personalities?
In the first painting, I depict many conflicting emotions, represented in the calmness and serenity of the buddha head on one side and the opposing fierce and wrathful demeanor of the Tibetan protector god. The red face in the rear, on a pillow, is a bit whimsical. Other symbols abound, including the prayer candle, the lotus and the offering of oranges to the Buddha (he's a vegetarian). Lord Vishnu is vaguely depicted in front of a blue japanese umbrella, and though one may ask why I mix Hindu and Buddhist theologies, I must point out that Hinduism is a very inclusive faith. In fact, the Buddha is considered but one of the many avatars, or incarnations of Vishnu. The red "V" above the oranges is Himalyan Coral, which I trekked back with from Snow Mountain, and the head of the medicine buddha pokes out from behind the sacred lotus. Yellow prayer beads encircle his neck.
The second work, painted by my friend Dawn, demonstates more selectiveness of the included elements. The broad and harmonious swaths of color and simplified mythical figures are reminiscent of the lyricism of Gauguin. I assisted Dawn in creating a sense of solidity and three dimensionality of the oranges in the foreground which I feel creates a tense dialogue with the red faced demon in the background, now merely a flattened, yet powerful pattern. The overall effect is one of serenity and spirituality. The exciting colors are a fitting tribute to the colorist movement, represented by Kandinsy and others, of the early 20th century.
Goya: Saturn Devouring his Son
(Saturno Devorando a su Hijo)
Painted: 1819 / 23.ORIGINAL SIZE: 57.48" X 32.67" at the Prado
Maybe the most terrible of Goya's paintings, it was done during his last and dark years. The expressed violence depicts the tortured mind of the painter, typical of his whole work.
Vermeer: The Art of Painting
The Art of Painting holds a special place within Vermeer's oeuvre. While it displays all the captivating characteristics of his artistic genius -- a carefully observed seventeenth-century Dutch interior illuminated by softly diffused light, exquisitely painted details, and a frozen moment imbued with psychological depth -- it stands apart from his other works in its imposing scale and pronounced allegorical character.
Leonardo: Head of Virgin
The Metropolitan Museum of Art:
ItalianCharcoal, black and red chalks
This hauntingly beautiful drawing closely relates to an oil painting on panel of the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (Musée du Louvre, Paris) from around 1508–12, and may have been a preparatory study for it. The delicately finished drawing focuses on the atmospheric dissolution of her relieflike forms, and vividly illustrates the depth of Leonardo's explorations of optical phenomena late in his career.
Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
Titian Venus of Urbino
Titian, who loved to paint nude red-headed women--using Titian red--with plump breasts, arms, bottoms, once stated a rule he always followed: "Never paint an old woman under any circumstances." When approached with the commission, Titian was reluctant. The Duchess was not only advanced in years, but she was "vain and ugly." According to Muriel Segal in Painted Ladies, "He suggested they might hire from the local brothel Titian's favorite and most seductive girl to pose for the body, sticking on a glamorized portrait of the Duchess for the head. When Her Grace saw the finished picture she was delighted, especially as it was dubbed. The Venus of Urbino, and judged by Vasari as the most beautiful nude that Titian ever painted."
When the Duke of Urbino saw Titian's picture of his wife, he turned to Aretino and said, "If I could have had that girl's body even with my wife's head I'd have been a happier man." Aretino broke into gales of laughter, suffered a stroke, and literally died laughing.
Boticelli Birth of Venus
The classical Goddess Venus emerges from the water on a shell, blown towards shore by the Zephyrs, symbols of spiritual passions. The naked goddess is a symbol not of earthly, but spiritual love, in the manner of an ancient marble statue slim and long-limbed, with harmonious features. The anatomy of Venus and various subsidiary details do not display the strict classical realism of Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael. Most obviously, Venus has an improbably long neck, and her left shoulder slopes at an anatomically unlikely angle. According to the Greek myth Aphrodite (or Venus, as is her Roman name) was born when the titan Chronos ("the time") castrated Uranus, his father, whose severed genitals fell into the sea and fertilized it. Aphrodite was born from the foam and by a giant cockle was taken ashore.
Did you know?...
A scene in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No with Ursula Andress rising from the sea was inspired by the painting.
Girl With a Pearl Earring
This is one of my all time favorite movies. Each scene is like a still life or indoor Dutch genre painting.
Caravaggio - Out from the Darkness
Caravaggio was as intense in his personal affairs as in his art. He was frequently arrested for street brawls and died less than thirty years old in a sword fight. He was an incomparable genius and he influenced generations of artists all over the world with his amazing use of dark and light, or "chiariscuro".
Venice and the Islamic World at the Met
The Reception of the Venetian Ambassadors in Damascus,
1511Oil on canvas; 46 1/2 x 80 in. (118 x 203 cm)Musée du Louvre, Paris
Russia, Poland and the Baltics 2006
Remains of Warsaw Ghetto Wall
In Tribute to Pigeon Lady, Warsaw
Street Cafe, Vilnius
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)