The Madhouse (1812-19)
The work of Francisco de Goya shows a touch of paranoia. Worry of going insane can cause quite a strain.
Francisco de Goya Clerihew
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Category Archives: Art
DAILY PHOTO: Rangoli
Poet’s World [Sonnet]
I exited through my old, mundane door, and heard a melody so blissful / sweet, and saw some colors never seen before. That song, those sights, danced me down the street. A neon breeze both warmed and cooled my face. The pleasure wave that I'd once known as sin was flaring, with no feelings of disgrace, but up my spine a trill of violin. Euphoric, I ran 'til I felt lungs burn -- so fired with energy that my bones hummed -- But as I felt the wheels begin to turn, I realized the depths must remain unplumbed. Before my druthers, I had to go back. To sustain this would give me a heart attack.
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Breaking Bleak [Haiku]
autumn colors, like a pointillist painting that'll break bleak.
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BOOK REVIEW: Public Domain, Vol. 1 by Chip Zdarsky
Public Domain Vol. 1 by Chip ZdarskyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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This isn’t a superhero comic, but a meta-superhero comic. The central premise is similar to that of the popular novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,” by Michael Chabon, which is to say it’s about how comic book artists historically made work-a-day salaries while others (actors, executives, producers, etc.) became astoundingly rich off the creations of those artists. In this case, it’s the father of two middle-aged sons, one of whom has a gambling problem.
It’s a fine story, and the character development is well done. Of the two sons, there’s one that’s incredibly likable and the other makes you want to punch him in his stupid face, and – as a twist – the likable one is the man-child and the straightlaced one is the jerk.
If you’re interested in a story about comic book justice, you should check it out.
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Andy Warhol Limerick
There was an artist named Andy Warhol whose paintings sure enough weren't for all. Like a flimflam man he copied soup cans, and viewers saw [not Campbell, but] Warhol.
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BOOK REVIEW: Artpreneur by Miriam Schulman
Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living from Your Creativity by Miriam SchulmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Release Date: January 31, 2023
This book is about half pep talk on selling one’s art at a higher price and half guide to marketing and selling art. “Pep talk” isn’t meant to diminish what the book does. First of all, the author does offer extensive justification for higher pricing, both from the body of research and from anecdotal experiences. Secondly, this is a pep talk that needs to be delivered and is the most important function of the book, by far. That doesn’t mean the book doesn’t do a fine job with the marketing and selling bits, but there are so many books available on that subject.
The book is directed toward graphic artists, though some of book’s message is of relevance to musicians and poets as well. (Perhaps that’s why I found the pep talk part so important, because it’s broadly germane to artists, whereas sales are quite different for media where huge numbers of copies are made versus one-of-a-kind works.)
If you’re a struggling artist or would like to avoid being one, this book is worth reading.
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BOOK REVIEW: The Madman’s Gallery by Edward Brooke-Hitching
The Madman’s Gallery by Edward Brooke-HitchingMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Out: March 7, 2023 [Some editions may be out in your area]
The Madman’s Gallery presents a selection of bizarre, curious, macabre, grotesque, surreal, and psychedelic artworks with essays offering insight into the background of each painting or sculpture, including information on influences and what is known about what motivated these atypical acts of creativity. Not all of the artworks are the product of mental illness – though some are and when something is known about the artist’s mental state it’s mentioned. They are all just, in some way, preternaturally creative or unconventional.
I was pleased that the book exposed me to a new selection of art. There were only a few pieces with which (as a neophyte) I was familiar. These included: Van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Portrait,” Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” Fuseli’s “The Nightmare,” Gentileschi’s “Judith Slaying Holofernes,” the Olmec heads, and Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory.” There were other well-known paintings that were referenced because they were influenced by or had something in common with the artwork under discussion.
The book disabused me of the notion that the latter half of the twentieth century art was the golden age of freakish art (though that era is well represented with discussions of Dada, Surrealism, performance art, etc.) It’s interesting to learn how much wild and weird art was being producing in previous centuries, given how little of it made it through the filter of history to a general audience.
There are many recurring themes throughout the book: death, blasphemy, fertility, demons, etc. But the latter portion of the book features some new sources of bizarre art, including hoaxes, forgeries, and AI art.
If you’re interested in art history, and particularly the weird side of the subject, I’d highly recommend you read this book.
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DAILY PHOTO: Sculpture at Jerman Beach, Bali
Tiger Riding for Beginners 