matouenpeluche

Olafur Eliasson

Colour Square Sphere

Olafur Eliasson - the master of refracted light and colour. He is a Danish-Icelandic installation artist who works with light, water and air temperature. His biography on his website describes his work as being:

"...driven by his interests in perception, movement, embodied experience, and feelings of self. Eliasson strives to make the concerns of art relevant to society at large. Art, for him, is a crucial means for turning thinking into doing in the world".

I'm a fan!

You can see more of his beautiful work here---> Olafur Eliasson.

Common Sense Lamp

Dnepropetrovsk Sunrise

Alexander Calder

Sculptor, mobile maker and painter (amongst other things), Alexander Calder would have to be one of my very favourite artists of the 20th century. He is the master of composition and form. This is my mini-homage to this great man and his work.

P.S. If you click on the image, it will take you through to where it came from.

Sergio Clavijo

Happy Wednesday dear readers. What do you think of this amazing installation by artist Sergio Clavijo? He created it for the 2003 Istanbul Biennial.See and read more about his work here at his website--> Sergio Clavijo.

North by Northwest

A few months ago I did a post about my all time favourite Hitchock film: Rear Window. Well, I'm also very partial to North by Northwest. It has lots of iconic scenes such as Cary Grant (as Roger Thornhill) being persued by a crop duster in a wheat field and the final Mount Rushmore cliff hanger!  It's also got a fabulous suporting cast in James Mason and Martin Landau. I think Eve Marie Saint was particularly well cast as she is perfection as the film's icy blond Hitchcock femme fatale. 

Here is one of my favourite quotes from the film:

Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant): Now you listen to me, I’m an advertising man, not a red herring. I’ve got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don’t intend to disappoint them all by getting myself “slightly” killed. 

 

 Images from here, here and here.

Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth

I've just read that an enormous cobalt blue cockeral by German artist Katharina Fritsch has been chosen as the sculpture for Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth Commission. It was unveiled this morning/ afternoon by London's Lord Mayor Boris Johnson. I think it's very striking, don't you? I love the blue contrasted against the grey stonework of the monuments and buildings of Trafalgar Square. You can watch a video of the unveiling here.

       

Top image from here. Second image from here and image of the artist and a model of her sculpture form here.

Stoned Like a Statue

They sure don't make books like this anymore. Published in 1961 and with a forward by Dean Martin, this book is without a doubt something of a treasure. It features artifacts and sculptures ranging from Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece right up to the 20th Century. These sculptures are, however, all at a "party" and are in various states of intoxication.  The cover really explains its premise better than I ever could:

Dean Martin says in the introduction:

  Let me say right off that I was skeptical about this project from the beginning. I mean, how could I be party poking fun at something I've known and loved all my life? Something that people think of immediately when they hear my name. How could I join a group out to spoof art?

Ah! Makes me want to rush out and get a heap of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movies! Anyway, here are a few of the images from the book that I've selected for your viewing pleasure.

Love part 4 - Most Romantic Artwork

So, today is Valentine's Day and the last instalment of my love posts (read post 1, post 2, post 3). Apparently, this painting of Romeo and Juliet on their wedding night has been voted the most romantic artwork in Britain. It was painted by Frank Bernard Dicksee in 1884. I couldn't categorically agree that it is the most romantic artwork in Britain as I haven't done any thorough research into the matter myself, but I would say yes, it's on the romantic side. What are your thoughts? Second runner up in the romantic artwork stakes was Rodin's The kiss.

Image from here.

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!

Centennial Park Shadows

For my Shadow Shot this week I have a photo I took on a blindingly hot day last summer in Centennial Park. I think you can sort of tell it was hot just by looking at the sky. Anyway, this statue stands on a very tall plinth in the garden next to the rose garden. I've never been able to find out what the statue is but I've always admired it. The cheeky magpie casting a shadow over the face of the statue makes me laugh. I don't know why I think it's funny when a bird stands on the head of a statue, but I do!

Shadow shot Sunday is brought to you by Tracy of Hey Harriet! You too can join in the Shadow Shot fun - all you have to do is read the instructions here.

Happy Sunday folks!

Aspeci - Milano

Italian luxury sportswear brand Aspeci has a rather lovely, recently launched (September '11), online store. These photos of the Milan Aspeci store are from their new online website. Filled with colourful installations of creatures and flowers, the space looks like a feast for the senses and would be fun to explore. It's not something I would expect from a traditional sportswear clothes store!

It is now officially on my "to visit" list next time I'm in Milan (along with the cathedral)!

I hope everyone is having a fine, fine week!

All photos from here.

Happy Friday Links!

Happy Friday! It is most definitely getting warmer in Sydney - which is pretty lovely actually.

Here are my Friday links for your viewing pleasure:

a) A fab compilation of short animations curated by Julia Pott. 

b) A superb collection of Flickr finds.

c) An amazing artist called Jennifer Collier.

d) A mouth watering blog called The Stone Soup that has recipes for healthy, delicious food.

e) Absolutely hilarious and highbrow Halloween costumes for your pet.

 

...and I'll leave you with my new favourite quote by Mark Twain:

"Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is."