Wednesday, April 30, 2014

On the go



I love the design and texture of Emm Kuo's big briefcase-like bags along with the rainbow-hued one, and it was neat to read her interview on MyFDB--and she was featured on DedicatedFollower here, where I saw the green one, I think it's stingray. She was also on AnthemWares,  ModernePress, at ShopCondor and had a trunkshow at ModaOperandi

At AnthemWares, I also like the forest green Tambour circle/sphere bag by TL-180 and the golden yellow, briefcase-thin snakeskin foldover clutch by Angel Jackson.

Vacation



I like to feature things that stand out, the timeless, the unique with class. In that vein, Raben Saloner recently had some great printed tops and I love the new green snake print scarf. You can buy her stuff at WildSwans and Yoox.

She's featured at ChilternStStudio, at HusetShop, at Sharrock in Australia and on HWTF. I like the light blueish Celia shirt too, and the hand embroidered white kimono jacket/wrap is really pretty..

Up and down

Two great opposite tracks are the peppy and upbeat 'Extended theme song' from the Elementary [the USA Sherlock Holmes tv show] soundtrack by Sean Callery, and the other is the 'Wendigo (Nightmare)' track by Brian Reitzell for the tv show Hannibal with Mads Mikkelsen.

They are both quite nice composers--Callery did the tv show 24 and Reitzell did Lost in Translation. I just read a great interview at FilmMusicMag with Reitzell about scoring Hannibal actually, the music is so terrifying I can't sleep after hearing it--it's like ambient gone dangerous.

One helps you on a run, the other frightens you into running!

The tropics


One really beautiful place is the Dutch island of Curaçao in the South Caribbean Sea. They also have the Museum Kurá Hulanda down in the capital. It has incredible collections from most time periods, including the ancient world, modern contributions, slavery and historical conflicts; more info here. The little detail photo above is from a larger one by a talented photog on flickr.

ROYGBIV



I love these sheets. This design is everywhere, like the Rainbow Raindrop Bedspreads by Garima Dhawan, who's done tons of designs for DENY Designs. They've got everything in this awesome print: clocks, duvets, pillowcases, pillows, coasters--literally everything. I love how cheerful it is.

If you like colorful designs, check out the other artists at DENYDesigns.

All wet




The modern painter Josep Moncada Juaneda [b. 1967] from Menorca, Spain has incredible work on water. Look at more of his work here. I am a hard sell on artists not in ancient periods, or at least later ones that were timeless, but he gets the Prix de Rome [for excellence in painting] from me.

Morocco

















One great painter of the Far East is the Frenchman Jean-Joseph Benjamin Constant (1845-1902). He was taught by the very famous, excellent painter Alexandre Cabanel, whom we will feature in the future. Be sure you've seen his infamous Cléopatre essayant des poisons sur des condamnés à mort [Cleopatra testing poisons on death-condemned prisoners].

Constant's work is very Orientalist, with scenes from Morocco, where he visited. The picture above is Marchand de tapis à Tanger [Haggling in Tangier] from 1883. The French phrase marchand de tapis means 'carpet merchant', as Persian cultures and Moroccans selling local carpets were often ones that haggled for price.

Be sure to look at his famous Les nuits arabes [Arabian Nights], which is a great look at nighttime terraces and women in Morocco.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Fields


This is just a note: if you've seen HBO's True Detective and loved it, try E.A. Poe and Chambers of course, and then read Jean Lorrain's [1855-1906] novel Monsieur de Phocas. Read the 1901 text here in French or get the book in English. It's eerie and transcends other period books, read more here if you're looking for a strange, wild ride.

Here's an excerpt:

“There is nothing to be found in human eyes, and that is their terrifying and dolorous enigma, their abominable and delusive charm. There is nothing but that which we put there ourselves. That is why honest gazes are only to be found in portraits.

The faded and weary eyes of martyrs, expressions tortured by ecstasy, imploring and suffering eyes, some resigned, others desperate... the gazes of saints, mendicants and princesses in exile, with pardoning smiles... the gazes of the possessed, the chosen and the hysterical... and sometimes of little girls, the eyes of Ophelia and Canidia, the eyes of virgins and witches... as you live in the museums, what eternal life, dolorous and intense, shines out of you! Like precious stones enshrined between the painted eyelids of masterpieces, you disturb us across time and across space, receivers of the dream which created you!

You have souls, but they are those of the artists who wished you into being, and I am delivered to despair and mortification because I have drunk the draught of poison congealed in the irises of your eyes.

The eyes of portraits ought to be plucked out.” 

Cy Twombly


















Let's take a moment to look at one modern artist that appeals to people outside his genre. Like Pollock [famous for his 'splatter' paintings], Cy Twombly [1928-2011]. He focused a lot of his work on the ancient world, particularly Greece. Look at all his work here. He focused on Parnassus, Iliam [Troy], Achilles, the Battle of Lepanto and other themes. He has a very wide amount of styles in his work, and did some sculpture as well. He has a collection in Houston, Texas and in Bonn, Germany to name a few.

Mixes

Remixes are the lifeblood of music for a lot of people, including some of us here. Rihanna's songs are often incredible when mixed--try Rockstar 101 vs. Come And Get It (Rihanna vs. Selena Gomez), because even you are only lukewarm on both of their musical styles, the combination is great. Another great mix is Rude Boy vs. Baby One More Time (Rihanna vs. Britney Spears).

Also try What Goes Around In Rehab (Rihanna vs Justin Timberlake) and the interesting Love The Way You Roar [Katy Perry vs Rihanna]. 

Some other great mashups are I Am The Best Freak [2NE1 vs. Enrique Iglesias & Pitull] and the more Korean pop oriented/Kpop piece Electric Lucifer [f(x) vs. SHINee].

If you like slower, more almost-ambient yet rhythmic music, try Bahramji or the great, mystical Klaus Schulze [like his track 'Freeze'], the somber Baths or more peppy Octo Octa.

Bakst



If you like Barbier's illustrations and art, be sure to look at Léon Bakst's [1866–1924] work and Erte [1892-1990] for his art deco work as well. Léon Samoilovitch Bakst (Russian: Лео́н Никола́евич Бакст) was also a costume designer for the Ballets Russes, and has some great connections to dance and art. The image above his his idea for a costume for Helen of Sparta; more info and larger image here. Look here for more of his work; what an incredible style.

Similarly interesting is the supposedly Priam's treasure [ie. the king of Troy during The Iliad] that archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered. Be sure to see the golden headdress, it's incredible! He even had his wife pose all dressed up in it and other jewels they found, but it's a black and white photo--the real gold looks amazing in color.

The aesthetics of the eldritch

In the dark grey skies of spring showers, out of the sun, one song that really defied my expectations was "Haunted" with its eerie, lovely vibe. It's unlike the rest of Beyonce's music, at least in my opinion, and has an almost bhangra or M.I.A. type edge. It's quite an incredible piece, and the music video is beautiful.

The first time I saw it I immediately stopped what I was doing and played it again. The video  has is really unnerving in an excellent, aesthetic way.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Outside



John Frederick Lewis [1804-1876] was a Mediterranean and Orientalist painter who lived for several periods in Spain and Cairo. Much of his work has incredible detail, varied raiment, and a touch of mundane, daily life sweetness to it. It is unlike much of the other famous Orientalist work [which is often heavy on nudes. His most famous work is "The coffee bearer", which is beautiful, and his "The siesta" is incredible, it's at the Tate in London.

Barefoot beware



Phoebe Anna Traquair [1852-1936] was an Irish illustrator, textile creator and artist, and her piece above is part of the larger "Progress of the Soul", I believe. Be sure to look at the details--his red wings [most pre-modern art gave angels multicolor or one tropical color for wings] and the animal skin the woman wears, and where her feet are.[!] What a great example of a Pre-Raphaelite take on ancient Greece and Rome with a Symbolist edge.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Ancient Egypt

















I love Melody Eshani's Hieroglyphics T-shirt/shirtdress, and these ancient Egyptian painting yoga pants/leggings on etsy. Recall that on the top of their heads, the small white cones are perfume that the ancient Egyptians put on top of their wigs so they would melt slowly in the heat of the day, perfuming their wigs and selves.

Music

Some techno Bollywood/bhangra style music that's quite fun is a few tracks by M.I.A. (ie. Maya Arulpragasam) from Sri Lanka and Britain. If you like live music and concert enthusiasm, try watching part of a concert of her's here.

The best song is perhaps "Matangi". Read about Matangi, goddess of music in Hinduism here. She is a wild aspect of the mother goddess Devi and a Tantric form of Saraswati [Sanskrit: सरस्वती], goddess of knowledge and wisdom [like an Athena crossed with an Apollo, to make a light, simplistic comparison].

Her song "Bad Girls" is quite fun with a wild video, and I really like her song "Amazon" [and it mentions the Rubicon for all ancient Rome enthusiasts]. Her song "Hombre" has a really lovely blurriness to it, almost a type of Bollywood type mix/rap. If you like regular rap try her song "World Town". Her song "Boyz" has a great pop and Bollywood sense to it.

Iggy Azalea has some kind of similar, fun music in her "F--- Love" and her new song "Problem" with Ariana Grande. Just like Rihanna and Katy Perry, M.I.A. and Azalea have songs that are perfect for remixing and mashups.

Also if you like the way those old casio keyboards sounded, The Capricorns are a neat band to try if you like odd music, kind of a different type of M.I.A.-ish style, just in the sense of how fast the beat goes--try their song "The New Sound".

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Today



I love The Great Gatsby feeling of the Jeffrey Michael Short Feather Dress from London. It's a cute update on flapper, Poiret and Eastern tinged fashion from the 1910s and 1920s.

On the other side of the globe, let's focus on Tarun Tahiliani, the Indian famous designer; here's some of his work on sale. One of the ultimate Indian style blogs is Luxemi [TheLuxeReport]. The picture above is Esha Deol from Bollywood. Her sari is gorgeous.

If you like sites like The Sartorialist, be sure to check out WhatDoIWear, which has tons of looks to page through.

Mysterious




Today I want to feature a famous illustrator, the French George Barbier [1882-1932]. His work is quite eerie and draws you in, filled with little strange details. He has this secret, obscure edge to himself. It kind of reminds me of Bedelia as played by Gillian Anderson in her exchanges with Mads Mikkelsen in the tv Hannibal series.

Some of Barbier's work is very art deco and twenties in style, and other parts of it have an edge, a Greek feeling. He does many time periods. Some of it is risqué, as well. If you like the work of American Edward Gorey [1925-2000], be sure to try Barbier.

He also famously did some drawings of Nijinsky, the infamous dancer. Vaslav Nijinsky [1890-1950] was a Russian ballet dancer who was incredible, had amazing costumes and is truly a pinnacle of ballet.

I also want to highlight the excellent score to HBO's Game of Thrones. Whether or not you like the show, or whoever you'd like to win the seven kingdoms, the show has some great scoring by Ramin Djawadi, nothing like his earlier projects. His best tracks definitely include 'The Pointy End' and 'Valar Morghulis'.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Henry Ossawa Tanner



One great painter is Henry Ossawa Tanner [1859-1937], his work is often quite reminiscent of John Singer Sargent's [1856-1925] watercolors. Tanner's piece above is "Gateway, Tangier". The Moroccan and Arab world was a popular theme for many painters before and around the turn of the century. Tanner also created the beautiful "The Arch", and the famous "The Annunciation", where the angel Gabriel is a glowing light. Tanner also has the distinction of being one of the pre-eminent early black painters.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Art

 


One artist to highlight is Sarah Stilwell Weber for her piece "Woman with leopards"; there's more of her work here. She's one of the many people represented in the National Museum of American Illustration, site here.

It's interesting to look at the top artists from America, seeing as this is such a new country. We've got Parrish, Rockwell, Leyendecker, Wyeth--and the Impressionist Childe Hassam. We also have Abbott Thayer [many of his large paintings that include angelic figures are in D.C. museums], Whistler, Sargent, Winslow Homer, the modern Jasper Johns and Pollock, and O'Keeffe.

New music

Pauline Kamusewu, [often know just as 'Pauline'] the great Zimbabwean and Italian singer from Sweden, has some great songs especially if you like classic pop--half modern and half Sinatra. She has four top songs.

They stand out even against modern, daily Katy Perry pop--I actually think her fans would like this as well as older listeners. Actually, she has some musical similarities to Rihanna, I think; there's sometimes a reggae edge. Here are the four top songs: "Loving You", her "Answer",  her "Happy People", and "Give Me a Call".

Here's her official youtube channel. They're crazy catchy, and have great progressions, I love it. Also, "Little Did I Know" is fun too.

If you need a running/gym/exercise song, one great track for the playlists is Namie Amuro's "Hands on me"--and we typically don't care for Japanese music/'jpop'.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Interesting



Fun reads:
- The LA FIDM fashion and textile museum blog

- If you like TheSartorialist, be sure to look at world fashion at WearAbout, it's incredible to see all the variety in the world, the clothes are gorgeous in Bhutan, India, and Far East.

Interesting designers:

- There's some incredibly creepy, amazing jewelry by EilisainJewelry, like their Triple Crow Claw Ring -- and there's similarly great stuff at the aptly named MacabreGadgets from Kiev. They've got skulls, snakes, eels, tails, raven skulls, an eerie oxen, unicorn, octopi, kraken, shells, coral, crowns, and upyr [Ukrainian, vampires that eat fish] and mavka [Ukrainian, ghosts].

And an creepy skull fighting with an amethyst. The hooded almost cloak-like transform dress by Dzhus from Kiev is also something to look into if you love Hecate, Circe or need to cast something of your own.

- If you love stone, gems and rock, be sure to look at Jade Mellor's jewelry, which is heavy, big and very beautiful; the green jade-ish malachite bangle is for the old fashioned, and the modern stylish people will want the turqouise, teal and dark green Island Strata Double Ring.

Ancient, timeless fashion


One of my favorite new, young designers is Esteban Cortazar, and his very Roman and Greek ancient style dress here at TheOutnet is just gorgeous. His style is reminiscent of the lost ancient technique of making Delphos gowns, like those of 1920's Mariano Fortuny. I'd buy it, but I'd only be hanging it on my wall to admire. There's a little more of his work at TheOutnet here and at Net-A-Porter.

If you like new, young designers, be sure to read NotJustaLabel, where they profile a ton of them.

If you love Indian clothes and the lovely pieces they often feature in Bollywood and Tamil films, be sure to check out Manish Malhotra who has incredible desi clothes. The colors are gorgeous and strong--I really like the teal/turquoise/green sari here.

Rest within travel



Riad El Fenn is somewhere I have to see, it's a beautiful hotel in Morocco's city of Marrakech, featured in both LonnyMagazine and HWTF. I also liked HWTF's look at Marchesa's spring 2013 scarlet and India-inspired collection. You can buy a ton of Marchesa stuff at the famous Net-A-Porter site. In the future, we will focus on traditional Indian wear, which is gorgeous.

My favorite old designers are Marchesa [that's the tumblr, this is Neiman], Christian Lacroix's old work and Alessandro dell'Acqua, who's now calling his designs "No.21"- I love the VestiaireCollective for finding fashion pieces, it's so fun to look through all the beauty.

Travel can be oddly restful, to be in a new place, trying to speak another language or two the best you can. You're free. You can watch the cream of the crop dash by one of the famous outdoor cafes in Madrid as a fan blowing cool water mist rolls past, or you can hike on foot everywhere day after day.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Dipping a toe

A toe into classical music, I mean--it's often easy to get into another form of music one song at a time, or one aria, in this case. Here's part III. Sicilienne: Allegretto molto moderato from Suite 'Pelléas et Mélisande', opus 80 by Fauré.

This 1898 song is infamous and very easy to enjoy. It was scored for a symbolist play [not the opera by Debussy, that's something else] and is about two doomed lovers--Mélisande falls in love twice, and the second time she begins cheating on her husband Golaud with his brother Pelléas!

Golaud sends their son Yniold to spy and when he learns they are together he kills Pelléas and hurts Mélisande as well. She has a sickly, small daughter and then dies. The story shows the power, danger and irrationality of love, in a way; it shows how discord reigns supreme in life.

If you want to try the opera, it's very soothing and lovely, listen here for Act III, scene 1. It helps to listen to opera a little bit at a time, that way you whet your appetite without overdoing it. Be sure to listen to the most famous arias and preludes, as they are often very listener-friendly and allow you to see what kind of music you prefer.

If you saw The Dark Knight Rises, the classical piece during the charity benefit was Maurice Ravel's "Pavane for Dead Princess", very beautiful and easy to love if you want to try it.

Music with a side of fashion

A great piece is by Jeff Beal from the HBO Rome tv series, the main Egyptian theme, Cleopatra & Caesar. Roman, Greek and Egyptian music are all something we have to imagine, as the ancients had only rudimentary systems of recording music that we can read just barely. Some people have reconstructed what they imagine it all might sound like, which is really neat. I will focus on it in the future.

One more light hearted and summer-y is Widy's Baby Baby and here's the acoustic version which is very cute.

When I saw Peter Som's spring 2013 collection at HWTF here, I knew I had to feature it someday--it's so light and floral and dreamy without being twee or looking too frothy. I like the modern edge it has, which doesn't bleed over into brash or harsh lines. Sometimes people think pairing extremes is a good idea, but it only works when great skill is involved. In this case, the way he incorporates his prints is excellent--and even his pastels are done in a great manner.

The photo is from the great SnobEssentials here, I cropped it to focus on the details. If you love fashion, the site might be a daily check for you, as it is for me. It's a fun read, covering a lot of stuff.

Art and entertainment

For any Marvel fans, there's a 'real world' gossip and entertainment news site MediaAvengers with all the top mags--except they feature the Avengers. It's hilarious.

For a fun trip in art, be sure to get exposed to many different styles, countries and time periods of art in this overview of the paintings on the walls in the tv show Hannibal at ixiLecter here.

The picture above is just a beautiful wood painting of Krishna and Radha from a crafts museum in New Delhi. Notice the little Lotus in her hand, beautiful. And the multi-styled parts of the backdrop or wall behind them, what lovely patterns.

Intricate patterning




I love One Kings Lane for their antiques and unique pieces, especially the Batik blue Chinese themed large pillow from the Hunan province, antique plush blue armchairsGreek key edged bookends, antique Anglo-Indian Inlay low chest. I saw their vintage Berber-style rugs highlighted at LookLingerLove and was thrilled, they've got such a neat collection.

A spin on travel reading


Design*Sponge is a site that needs no introduction, but what I like the most about it is its city guides, like the one to Florence--it makes me want to write in and give my opinion, to try their suggestions and meet up in a shop near San Lorenzo and talk.

What a great way to explore other places, just through reading. They do tons of cities in the USA and almost every country. Whether you agree or not, or want to add things, it's a great starting point to get exposed to other cultures and places.

I have complicated feelings about their posts on Rome and Montreal and Madrid--and that's how you know they got into the meat of things. I love it. I want to go to Bali, Jamaica, Brazil and a host of other places.

Tropical Home


These pictures of the north of Vietnam are really beautiful from HWTF, I love travel photos, especially National Geographic. Also, I love these gorgeous examples of strong, wild wallpaper that entices, that you could live in. I find wallpaper is often a pastel, weak joke instead of something invigorating. I'm not even very modern, but fragile colors can't dominate a room, they usually are more for edging. I like a lot of the orange patterns, surprisingly. They're in great shades of tangerine.

I also really like Sketch42's posts on wallpaper. ElleDecor had some neat looks, but their focus on entryways unexpectedly turned out to be incredible, with photos from disparate beautiful interiors--be sure to see the one from Egypt filled with unique antiques and the bright colored patterns that dominate several of the rooms. The one thing I always love is bright colors, or excellent antiques, or unique flotsam and jetsam, or enormous mirrors.

Fromental from the UK has some great wallpapers and furniture in this tropical vein--I love the big green trees and leaves on this set of stuff at ElleDecor--I love the PierryFrey Aloha patterns, like Miami and Mauritius.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Road Signs


Be sure to use any open windows to get to incredible roads--for example, loving the Pre-Raphaelites can lead you to Leighton's famous "Flaming June" in her sleepy tangerine diaphanous dress, and then to his "Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna" as it's pulled through the streets Florence in a procession.

This can lead to an interest in the Renaissance, in Florence, in late medieval art or even let you discover Dante or Petrarch. Or you are just led to the late-medieval painter Cimabue [c1240-1302] and then Giotto.

And you get granita in the morning and gelato at night in Florence off Santa Croce at Gelateria Carabè. I know it's the best because I've been to them all... literally, for research purposes. Make sure to jump out a window to get on a good path, they always lead out to amazing places.

P.S. If you need a tour guide for most of Italy, let me know--I'm always available, make insanely detailed plans with seven alternates and am laid back about everything. You have to be over there.

Milin


I love Milin in the fashion world, I saw it at AuCourantDaily and loved the creamy, cloud fabrics and delicate colors, it dodges the usual mistake of being too twee [it's the ss 2011 collection]. It's lovely, a beautiful set of work by the Bangkok creator Milin Yuvacharuskul. The website has tons of different tones and moods, with an eerie mystique in some collections, it spans every idea. I saw the pics at Mogleyohara, which has more photos and info, be sure to look at the details, I like the refinement.

Art essentials


My favorite music often turns out to be mixes, when it comes to modern stuff.

I keep checking the Emm Kuo site to see if she's got any bright blue, delicate, wide, glowing snakeskin [almost briefcase like] bags after seeing her incredible work at AuCourantDaily and MP here.

Be sure to enjoy and relearn about Pre-Raphaelite [1850s-1890s] classics like Waterhouse ie his famous "The Lady of Shalott", I love his unqiue, not well known "Sleep and his half-brother death", which is really neat and Roman-esque. His other odd, unique piece is "Saint Eulalia", what a legend!

Make sure you know his famous "Cleopatra", his "Dolce far Niente" [it's sweet to do nothing], the similarly famous "Magic Circle", his "Ophelia" painting, his "Circe" painting about the sorceress and Ulysses, his scene from the Renaissance Italy "Decameron" story set by Boccaccio.

Also, there's his famous "Hylas and the Nymphs" which you'll probably know, his "Juliet" from Romeo and Juliet, his "Pandora", his "Tristan and Isolde" drinking the love potion, "Nymphs finding the head of Orpheus" after the maenads tear him apart, "The Siren" luring a sailor to death, his "Annunciation", his "The Charmer" and a ton of other Greek and Roman inspired work I will not profile here as it's lesser know, it will be focused on in the future.

Some Pre-Raphaelites did mostly Renaissance medieval, Biblical and mythic themes, they loved romance and poetry--others in the same time period were more neo-classical, focusing on ancient Greece and Rome. Others painted scenes of the Arab world, both real and imagined, called 'Orientalism'.

Lawrence Alma-Tadema is a more classical painter--his work is exceptional, often Merovingian [ie Clovis, king of ancient France] or Egyptian, like his "Egyptian chess players". His work often is similar to Godward [who will get his own post], like his famous paintings "Silver Favorites", "The Roses of Heliogabalus", "Unconscious Rivals", "Spring"--he did the very famous "The Finding of Moses" and "Sappho and Alcaeus" [famous ancient Greek poets and lovers]

There's Millais ie. for his famous "Ophelia", and "Isabella" about Renaissance Italy. There's also Cowper for his very famous works, see all here: his "Fair Rosamund and Eleanor" about the mythic jealousy between to the two famous women, his beautiful "St. Agnes in prison" with an angel, his gorgeous painting "Vanity" [1907], his very famous "La belle dame sans merci" based on the poem,

There's also Hunt ie. his famous version of "The Lady of Shalott" looking at her mirror in her tower as she works [tons of tiny details in that one, study it], and of course the cream of the crop Godward. There's also the great Léon Comerre, with his work "The favorite" above. If you like Les Mis be sure to see his painting of little Cosette with the doll, it's heart breaking and really beautiful [and I'm not even very into Hugo's novels].

There's William Morris's work, like his "La belle Iseult", and Rossetti has a few paintings that go beyond form and achieve greatness [like his infamous "Ecce Ancilla Domini" [Latin: behold the haidmaid of the Lord] of the Annunciation, and his "Proserpine" ie Persephone], and if you like Klimt be sure to try Galileo Chini.

Also try scandalous Aubrey Beardsley if you like drawings and illustration better than full scale paintings. Edward Burne-Jones's works look like tapestries.

Jungle allure


I am very picky about interiors, but sometimes they are more art than not. Usually I prefer solid color over pattern, but these busy rooms on HWTF are incredible, as are these at Lonny--especially the Greek key 'meander' pattern at the top of the second one.

In the same wild, intense, hot color vein, I love the the Danish Rabens Saloner [summer 2013 collection] that was profiled on HWTF here. Gorgeous. Hot summer colors and patterns, many reminiscent of the Berbers, Algeria and Morocco can be amazing if done well. Be sure to look at the incredible photos at IGAKOOY of the creator's house in Bali [and the house in Copenhagen if you love Scandinavian design]!

Latitude

- With maps, I either love them or hate them. They are tricky to get right, but are as beautiful as art sometimes. I saw the map as art post on HWTF and really, Majesty Maps & Prints here has all the great pictures and maps. I love the photo above and the map too.

- Also be sure to look at the beautiful photos of old, abandoned and time worn estates, palaces and buildings of the German Sven Fennema photographer here on HWTF. It makes even sloths want to become urban explorers--which would be especially neat in countries like Italy and Indonesia, I think.

- One of my favorite places for beautiful objects is Bly, which spans the globe with imports from everywhere. They've got Mexican stuff, things from India and Malaysia, it just goes on and on. I want all the beautiful kitchenware pieces from Morocco here. It's like an expanded, huge, awesome version of the little NYC store Kiosk.

Actually these Moroccan Azilal carpets from Imports from Marrakesh make me want to just use all my leisure money on carpets--and hang them on the wall. I find that they are often so beautiful they're more like art than anything else. It's fascinating how they're very modern art-like and yet ancient beyond words. Truly an incredible tradition.

Art

   



Some great links include:

- Howard Pyle's [1853-1911] illustrations, what a classic, talented American artist; more info here and be sure to see his "Garden of Eden" illustration, it's beautiful; and don't forget other American classics like Winslow Homer's "Boys in a Pasture" [1874] above and Wyeth as well

- Photos of the model Nikia Phoenix, who I first saw in AuCourantDaily in a beautiful photo modeling a Melody Ehsani scarf--the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics shirtdress is lovely, very bright and wild and M.I.A. in style, a type of flapper and Beat mix

- The art of the far East by Jie-Wei Zhou and also that of Christopher Zhang; I believe both are painting areas in and around China's many ethnic and religious groups. It's great to see so much raiment, how beautiful it all is!

- A cool neutrals/Scandinavian/minimalist blog is A Merry Mishap [also mentioned on AuCourantDaily, she doesn't miss a step!]

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Object form


There is nothing more beautiful that style, than simplicity in it. The pendulum can go too far either way, too Scandinavian [though I love you all] or too bright [like parts of South America and the Mediterranean, which is all beautiful]--true balance between things is rare. I like the Japanese interest in shibui (渋い) but do not always feel their interior design and aesthetic reaches it.

I like the esty shop TribalExport and their beautiful emerald ring here, which is just too gorgeous. They have a million cool pieces, many of which actually look Berber to me, though I believe most are from India. It reminds me of how the Etruscans were thought to come from Asia, to be different from the peoples that surrounded them in Italy. Their art was certainly quite different, here's more info.

The bright glowing stone platters/sheets/big pieces from Brazil from Rablabs here are incredible, I saw them at AuCourantDaily here and loved them.

There were also some cool photos from Gaza in the Middle East of women in various jobs in the NYT here; it's always neat to see the landscape of the Middle East too here; and there are some pretty photos of nearby Egypt on reddit here. Now I want some man'ouche!

Music Recs

Interesting music is something hard to pin down. It's more than fun stuff like The Skygreen Leopards, Psapp or Peachcake--it's something like Beady Eye's 'Dreaming of Some Space and Start Anew', heard on Elementary, the USA Sherlock Homes tv show.

Now just because there's a big reversal and almost concept in that piece doesn't mean that's what's great--it just happens to be at work in a great song. The song 'O Death' by Jen Titus [heard on Supernatural] was also one I thought neat. Be sure to listen to the older vocal, gospel-bluegrass version that is the origin of her great work.

Another piece with a totally different flow is 'Lily Dreams On' by Cotton Mather. In a more upbeat vein is 'Sitting on the dock of the bay' by Otis Redding, which was well placed in the background in Top Gun.

Many film scores also have great tracks, like HBO's Rome when Julius Caesar rolls through in one of his official triumphs. The Romans supposedly had a man ride beside the victorious general's chariot whispering that he was but mortal. Be sure to listen to The Tudors tracks by Trevor Morris, like 'Henry and Anne', 'Wosley's end' and 'A historic love'.

Beautiful everything


One artist I immediately knew I had to highlight when I saw her at ThisCPH is Louise Overgaard from Denmark. I want to get a dozen, her birds are done in a style of such energy and excitement.

I have a serious love of untouched industrial steel windows, the Scandinavian-looking type, and now I want to move into all the rooms of a HonestlyWTF post here.

I found some of the flower photography for OAK Magazine by Line Thit Klein neat; I always check out Line Thit Klein, and have complicated opinions, weirdly! Klein's shots of Yvonne Kone, with one here at AuCourantDaily is so beautiful, and Kone's blog is amazing. I want everything.

Giant green plants are always amazing, especially the ficus lyrata--there are tons of beautiful photos here.

Crete


One incredible place to see is the ancient remains of the city of Lappa [Λάππα] on Crete. Be sure to look here for tons of photographs and info--scroll down and look at the labyrinth coins, how incredible. The old necropolis is still there. I always find Crete in all its ages and the Minoans to be the most interesting thing ever--even without the labyrinth and the minotaur.

Toward Summer links


Up top I want to feature a painting "Le baiser" [The kiss] by Auguste Toulmouche [1829-1890]. Be sure to see his "The admiring glance" and "The note" as well, all classics. The room interiors of "Le baiser" have an interesting resemblance to Roman building interiors--really interesting, so read about it if you love ancient art and Rome.

One adorable new summer thing I just saw was translucent colored sunglasses at ThisCPH here. I like how they're differentiated but not loud--or boring. I don't like either extreme.

One other thing to highlight as summer comes is Linnea Strind's paintings, which have a beautiful fluidity and seem to be very sharp. There are more here at ThisCPH here. I really like her wave paintings as well.


Dance

 

I want to focus on Princess Buppha Devi and the classical dance and traditional music of Cambodia. The photos above are of her circa 1965. What a beautiful place and tradition--watch one dance here. You can read about apsara dancing here. The music is beautiful.

The dancing includes incredible poses, and is often slow like a fluid Ruth St. Denis,  tai chi or almost reminiscent of some of the modern dance before Martha Graham, with the energy of Isadora Duncan. The dancers wear incredible headdresses, extensive jewelry, beautiful costumes and often bright flowers.

Cool links

Great places to read:

My top necessary reads in fashion are Au Courant Daily and ThisCPH for modern fashion/art as well.

Gardenista - about both gardens, beautiful buildings and the outdoors, with amazing photos

i. For example, there are some great photos of bright yellow forsythia flower boughs by Erin Boyle; personally I am old fashioned with fashion, crafts and interior design--so I want just the flowers alone on the table [no frill allowed]

ii. There's also a great simple interiors of Australian designer Sarah Trotter [yet not off-putting cold minimalist modernism] in some photos here by Lauren Bamford; there are tons of beautiful, enormous tropical green plants and the whole thing is just well done


Elisabeth Sonrel



One great French painter is Elisabeth Sonrel [1874-1953]. Look for more here at VintageRama. She created classic Pre-Raphelite, Mucha style art.

Ilya Repin


Another great piece of art about Easter is Russian Ilya Repin's [1844-1930] painting "Easter [or religious] Procession in the Region of Kursk" [Крестный ход в Курской губернии.]. There's a detailed part above, to see the whole which includes a wild, angry crowd look here. The icon housed in the little protective case they are carrying is the famous region piece "Our Lady of Kursk".

J.C. Leyendecker


Happy Easter, let's welcome spring. The above is by artist J.C. Leyendecker [1874-1951] from The Saturday Evening Post. Check out more of his work at LeyendeckerArt. Here's a great quote by Shelley from "Despair", more here, that I feel fits early spring:

                                             [...] thus calm
In cloudless radiance, Queen of silver night?
Can you, ye flow'rets, spread your perfumed balm
Mid pearly gems of dew that shine so bright?
And you wild winds, thus can you sleep so still
Whilst throbs the tempest of my breast so high?
Can the fierce night-fiends rest on yonder hill,
And, in the eternal mansions of the sky,
Can the directors of the storm in powerless silence lie?