Thursday, 12 March 2009

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Kuniyoshi is probably one of the earliest artists to make an impact on me as a child and is probably the reason for my long running fascination with Japanese art and culture. My grandparents had Kuniyoshi prints on their wall since I was a small kid, and I have always loved them although no one in my family knew who the artist was. My grandparents recently passed the prints onto me(!!!) and we finally found out his name. The prints below are similar to the ones I have (triptych layout showing complex battle scenes etc.) but I can't find the exact ones on the internet. These are similar though... (will get photos of mine online one day!)


(Click the image to see the full triptych)


(Click the image to see the full triptych)


(Click the image to see the full triptych)

Here's Kuniyoshi on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utagawa_Kuniyoshi

Sunday, 1 March 2009

Cy Twombly


'The Rose (II)' - 2008

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cy_Twombly

Yoshitaka Amano

This guy's art just seems to keep getting better! Like most people, I first became aware of Amano's work through the Final Fantasy video games (He did the concept artwork) and then saw an amazing book of his other work. His newest stuff has become much more bold and graphical compared to his more ethereal older style.


Installation view, 2008, Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin


'Creation'


'Deva-Loka'

More at www.amanosworld.com

Saturday, 28 February 2009

Chloe Early

I recently came across the work of Chloe Early. I really like the strange dream like feeling of her paintings...


'Noah's Ark'


'Eye of the Storm'


'Raft of the Seducer'

www.chloeearly.com

Wednesday, 25 February 2009

Gerry Judah

This guy is awesome...



www.gerryjudah.com

Caspar David Friedrich

Caspar David Friedrich - The Wreck of Hope
Casper David Friedrich - 'The Sea of Ice' also known as 'Polar Sea' and 'The Wreck of Hope' - Painted 1823-1824.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich

Future Winners of Badminton

Another internet retreat... A holiday destination for your sense of post-rationalism. In the future the rules will be different, the game will be different...

"It was clear from meeting him that he was not a lunatic, but he operated on the extreme edge of the cultural imagination, where signal meets static. Even though I was attracted to many of his ideas, I found it extremely difficult to disentangle the two." - Daniel Pinchbeck, 2012, The Year of the Mayan Prophecy

"By day fantastic birds flew through the petrified forest, and jewelled crocodiles glittered like heraldic salamanders on the banks of the crystalline river. By night the illuminated man raced among the trees, his arms like golden cartwheels, his head like a spectral crown." - J.G. Ballard, The Crystal World

"The ship was drifting with all engines dead. The warm blue water was spread out flat to the horizon in every direction. Even under a little water, the checkerboard floor of mahogany and walnut parquet looked lost and out of reach. Here was one last look at the continent of Atlantis, with salt water rising around the statues and the marble pillars as Trevor and Fertility waltzed past the legend of a lost civilization, gold-painted carvings and carved French palace tables. Sea level rose diagonal against life-sized paintings of queens wearing crowns as the ship tilted and vases spilled flowers: roses and orchids and stalks of ginger into the water where bottles of champagne bobbed and Trevor and Fertility splashed past." - Chuck Palahniuk, Survivor