guys, you know how everything we see of Roman or Greek culture is all about the awesome stuff guys did, and there is very little room for powerful women?  Not every culture of the time was like that, and we have proof!  And when art and archaeology meet, you know it time time to learn some cool stuff.

This is a sarcophagus of a marries couple, dated to the 6th century BC.  This was found in a tomb along with several others in Cerveteri; the sarcophagus was designed to resemble the pose people would take during a symposium (or discussion after dinner), and they would be arranged in a tomb as though the people were having a conversation.  It’s made out of terra cotta, it is relatively detailed, and it is currently housed in the Louvre. 

But okay, here is the cool thing: see how the woman’s hands are positioned?  That is what is called “talking with our hands” (or gesticulating if you want to be technical), as so many of us do.  The reason that’s so unique is because it shows that the woman is not there simply as her husband’s property/slave/what-have-you, she is involved in the discussion too.  This is NOT a common thing for this time, as both Greek and Roman discussions, sporting events, and governmental proceedings would have been almost exclusively male events.

During their time, the Etruscans were known for their metal work and murals, but the best examples of their culture that still remain are their funerary art - from small greek-style vases to these life-size terra cottas. The Etrsucans were absorbed by Roman cultures by about 100 BC.

You can’t talk about BioArt without talking about Stelarc.  He is basically the go-to if you’re looking for an artist who uses his body in new and somewhat insane ways.  He has been suspended by fishhooks and has performed with robots.  His most famous piece is “Ear on Arm”, a surgically inserted ear that is, literally, on his arm.  Not, like, stuck on, but really in there, under the skin.

^That’s not photoshop, that is HIS ARM.

In his original plan, Stelarc wanted the ear to be a third ear on his head, but that was much too ambitious.  Given the problems he’s had growing it on his arm, I hope he’s glad he went with that plan instead.

In the dream plan, the ear would be grown of his own tissues, and function as a speaker, so that people could go online and type dialogue for it, and he would hear it out of the ear in his arm.  I can’t imagine how his wife would have handled that at 3AM, but we may find out in the future - Stelarc hasn’t given up on that plan yet, it’s just not currently connected because of so many complications.

To get the ear to the stage it is currently in has taken 12 years.  Stelarc had to use larger and larger “scaffolds” under his skin to stretch it out enough.  If you’re not too squeamish, you can find videos of one of the surgical procedures, but I couldn’t make it through.

So, basically, this is what I think of now anytime someone talks about body modification, and it’s this combination of beautiful and disgusting that really draws me to BioArt as a whole.

So, who has two thumbs and completely slacked on this blog?  THIS GAL.  But, I used those two thumbs to get As in my classes and finally earn my degree, so I think it was a good choice.

I’m going to do my best to type up some longer-style posts over the next little while, but for today, here’s info on the doodle Google did for Keith Haring, and you can see my thoughts on him in this post.

Hello, Jessica here and yes I realize 2 things:
1. It’s been a long time since anything has been posted, Erica and I apologize as school has kidnapped us and made us do horrible things. Horrible. Things.

2. And yes, it’s quite a jump to go to a contemporary artist. But in case you have not noticed a trend, I tend to cover more contemporary individuals (not all the time, don’t throw things at the computer) and Erica tends to cover more of the classics. So, I am writing this post, hence contemporary. Moving on.

Tara Donovan is an American artist who grew up in New York. She does site-specific sculpture/installations. Now what makes her amazing is the fact that she uses everyday objects and then transforms them into giant and beautiful installation pieces. Her work is extremely organic and resembles a living organisms. She’s quoted to saying that she doesn’t intend to create objects that are from nature, but she is more interested in how things grow and evolve like they do in nature. Along with these organism-like pieces she also often plays with lighting and uses objects that are translucent so light can pass through or she’ll go in the opposite direction by using dark and heavy materials. Let’s move on to the examples:

Tara Donovan, Untitled (Styrofoam Cups), 2008

This is a prime example of her work. First because she uses styrofoam cups, something that you often see around and use at picnics, but instead of sipping kool-aid she’s creating giant organism that could almost be moving and growing as I type this. Second reason why this is a great example, is her use of light. She uses light to enhance her works by adding it in certain areas, it adds contrast and depth perfectly without being too much or distracting.

Tara Donovan, Untitled (Mylar)

Here she used Mylar and created more dense object. She created a world within a world.

Tara Donovan, Untitled (Buttons), 2009.

She’s amazing. Please do not hesitate to look more into her art practices and pieces, it’ll be worth your while.

This is the gallery in my area that we frequent.  Many of my professors are featured in the show, and it is really diverse show (photography, printmaking, sculpture, video, mixed media, painting, you name it).   It’s one of the largest Biennials the AGW has had, and the show looks beautiful.  The curator, Ian Baxter&, gave a tour around and let each artist talk briefly about their work, which is always much better than just reading what you can on the info card.  It also made them very approachable to ask questions about their concepts and techniques.

If you like metalwork, may I direct you to Zeke Moores?  He makes incredibly detailed replicas of everyday items in a variety of metals, from bronze dumpsters to aluminum coolers (the cooler column was featured in this show).

If you prefer wood sculptures, block printing, or intricate drawings, Victor Romao is your guy.  His sculpture of the Curator, Ian Baxter&, was featured in the show tonight.  I had never seen Baxter& before, but I recognized him instantly after seeing this.

Anyway, the link has a full list of participants you should check out in your own time, especially if you’re in Ontario.

If you like really delicate porcelain and also skulls, may I suggest how awesome this is?

…updates will be sporadic and/or short for a few weeks.  Going back to school is awesome because it means I get to learn about more artists and create some works of my own, but it also (sadly) means that I am busy writing papers for grades instead of tumblr entries for fun.  So be prepared for more quick links to cool stuff instead of long entries.  Like this link, for example.

Photography is one of those arts that not everyone agrees IS art - few people would argue that a painter is an artist, but some people think that photography doesn’t belong in the same category.  Ansel Adams’ work helped changed that idea for a lot of people.  And though he died a few months before I was born, his work is still popular and beautiful.

1 - Adam’s photographs are pure love of nature.  Adams fought for new parks and to preserve existing national forests.  In his photographs of Yosemite, you are as close as you can get to the park without going there.  You can feel how big nature is, and how wild.  His prints make you want to go outside and see what there is to see.

2 - Everything is in focus.  Adams used large negative sheets - normal consumer film is 35mm about 1x1.5 inches, but Adams used negatives that were 4x5 inches or larger.  A large negative means higher resolution for larger prints, allowing him to capture small details in a large scale.  Large negatives also need a much larger camera body to lug around with you.  Adams also used a small aperture, letting light hit the film very slowly.  A small aperture allows for the background to be in focus as well as the foreground, but the camera must stay still for a long time.  Long exposures require a tripod, which meant Adams was carrying even more equipment around with him.  To get these giant scenes entirely in focus makes them dramatic, but it is extremely difficult to do (and this is the reason Adams routinely spent 18 hours a day in the darkroom).

3 -Adams wrote many books on photography that are still useful today.  Adams was a technical kind of artist, taking joy in making a perfect exposure and print.  His technical books are filled with suggestions on how to set your camera in different settings, including a system he developed called “the zone system” that photographers often use even with digital cameras.

Just taking a break today from all the art history to show you something really cool and beautiful.  This guy takes a helicopter ride over Rome and then draws it from memory.  Humans are pretty amazing. (the drawing starts at about 1:30 into the video, 3:00 in they show you the comparison between what he drew and what he saw)

Sometimes commercially successful artists don’t get enough credit, especially graphic designers and illustrators.  If you already know who Steadman is, chances are that you like Hunter S Thompson.  If not, read on dear follower to see the awesomeness.

1 - Hunter S. Thompson was, well, eccentric and opinionated to say the least.  He was a journalist, a man of strong political opinions, friends with Johnny Depp, and talked a lot about drugs and the 1960s.  Thompson and Steadman had a long partnership, with Steadman doing illustrations for Thompson’s written work, as well as many portraits of the journalist; they are caricatures to be sure, but that does not mean they are inaccurate.  They style of Steadman’s art matched Thompson’s personality quite well. 

2 - Flying Dog beer is really good beer with even better labels.  Aside from telling you exactly how hoppy or bitter the beer is, it is also covered in Steadman’s art.  The founder of the brewery was a friend of Hunter S. Thompson; they even made a special brew in honor of Hunter S Thompson called Gonzo Imperial Porter, which featured one of Steadman’s portraits of Thompson.  The beer is branded in a way that gives it a lot of attitude, and Steadman’s art helps catch your eye with that same kind of sharpness.  It’s hard to walk by a shelf of flying dog without at least looking at it:

3 - Alice in Wonderland is full of strange and creepy scenes, and Steadman did the illustrations for and edition in 2003.  While the original art was very sweet, Steadman gives a whole different feeling to the book.  Instead of seeing Wonderland as a confusing but cute dream, you really feel like Alice is in danger; the Mad Hatter, for example, actually seems crazy.  And I don’t know about you, but I would probably not follow his white rabbit to closely.