Shot at an elevation nearing 10,000 feet in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, a series of images by Eric Gross capture a high-alpine lake covered in icy ridges and dips that mimic sleek waves. The Colorado-based photographer tells Colossal that local experts believe the phenomenon is caused by snowdrifts blowing onto the already frozen lake, melting there, and then refreezing. “Through multiple melt/freeze cycles and after periods of high winds, the mounds and divots are shaped into deep curves, sometimes with sharp ridges and lines that give the appearance of regular lake waves, frozen in time,” Gross says. “Composing images from ground level revealed that the dark ice waves exhibit psychedelic reflections of the surrounding mountainous landscape.” To see more of the photographer’s phenomenological works, head to Instagram. ; Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets. via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2PZkbie
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Phuong Nguyen “Jacquell” is an accidental Vietnamese self-taught watercolorist who was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam and after spending many years abroad, she is now settled in Bologna, Italy. Each of her works is a narration of coexistence and solitude, of nourishment and destruction, of morbidity and eternity. Human, as represented by the female body in her paintings, plays a vital role – the center piece that ties all other earthling elements together. Set in a dark yet poetic world, her artworks embrace her oriental origin and signify the harmony between human and nature and how such coexistence embodies certain subtle, clandestine messages. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/3cKfO4H via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2wJxHzL via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2VXcYmE For a glimpse into fin de siècle ;Paris, look no further than the work of the Impressionists. Fascinated by contemporary life, these avant-garde artists sought to capture fleeting impressions of their everyday surroundings, which they often rendered in quick, sketch-like strokes. While this style has come to embody Impressionism, not all artists associated with the movement took this approach. In fact, the work of loyal, long-time Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte borders on Realism, with Paris Street; Rainy Day serving as a shining example. Painted in 1877, Paris Street; Rainy Day is one of Gustave Caillebotte’s most celebrated paintings—and a key piece of Impressionism. With such a seemingly disparate aesthetic, however, you may be wondering how Paris Street; Rainy Day fits into the genre. To answer this question, we must first look at the painting’s context, beginning with the story of its creator. ; Gustave CaillebotteIn 1848, French painter Gustave Caillebotte was born in Paris. While he dabbled in art as a child, Caillebotte spent his young adulthood studying law, working as an engineer, and fighting in the Franco-Prussian War. In 1873, however, he ;entered the ;École des Beaux-Arts (“School of Fine Arts”), and the following year, he befriended members of the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs (“Cooperative and Anonymous Association of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers”), a band of Paris-based painters who would later be known as the Impressionists. In 1874, this group of artists held their first of eight independent exhibitions. Intended to offer forward-thinking creatives an alternative to the salons of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (“Academy of Fine Arts”), this new tradition appealed to Caillebotte. While he attended the Impressionists’ inaugural exhibition as a viewer, he was invited to show his work—including his famous Les raboteurs de parquet, or The Floor Scrapers, which had been rejected by the Salon—in the second edition, held in 1876. Caillebotte’s participation in the exhibition was met with positive reviews. Along with the friendships he had established with artists like Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, this prompted him to continue working with the Impressionists. In 1877, he again exhibited his work in their annual exhibition, with Paris Street; Rainy Day ;among its most celebrated highlights. ; Paris Street; Rainy Day ;Paris Street; Rainy Day shows a typical Parisian intersection on a particularly drizzly day. Specifically, it is set in the Carrefour de Moscou (known today as the Place de Dublin) in the city’s 8th arrondissement, or “district.” Though the scene looks like a snapshot, the composition was perfectly planned. Haussmann buildings—which, by 1877, had popped up all across Paris as part of Baron Haussmann’s major modernization project—recede into the background; reflective, rain-soaked cobblestone streets compose the foreground; and streams of umbrella-covered figures cascade across the canvas. While this choice of scenery may not seem revolutionary today, it is one of Impressionism’s major contributions to modern art. A fleeting “impression” of a contemporary city scene, Paris Street; Rainy Day is a far cry from the historical, mythological, and allegorical scenes found in traditional French paintings. This divergence, however, does not mean that Impressionists weren’t inspired by other movements. In fact, Caillebotte was profoundly influenced by photography, an art form practiced by his brother, Martial. At the onset of Impressionism, photography was a new and pioneering practice. Interested in exploring the artistic capabilities of this budding technology, many Impressionists—namely, Degas, one of Caillebotte’s closest friends—often cropped their compositions as if they were candid photographs. This approach resulted in asymmetrical compositions with subject matter seemingly spilling off the canvas. Caillebotte employed this technique in many of his paintings, including Paris Street; Rainy Day. ;It is primarily evident in the way in which the artist placed his subjects within the composition—especially the figure on the far right of the painting, who, with half of his body outside of the frame, appears to be walking into a snapshot. Similarly, some of the figures in the background are obstructed—not by the edge of the canvas, however, but by passersby, umbrellas, and even a horse. Deliberate cropping is not the only photographic sensibility evident in Paris Street; Rainy Day. Caillebotte also sought to evoke the way in which a camera focuses on certain objects—namely, blurred in the background, mostly clear in the foreground, and crisp in the middle. Caillebotte’s realistic style and contemporary influences lend themselves equally to this technique, as they enabled the artist to pair his characteristically precise strokes with looser, “Impressionist” brushwork. ; The Painting TodayParis Street; Rainy Day ;remained in the Caillebotte family until 1955, when it was purchased by prolific art collector Walter P. Chrysler Jr. Less than a decade later, Chrysler sold it Wildenstein and Company, a historic art dealership, who, in turn, sold to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1964. Nearly 65 years later, Paris Street; Rainy Day remains a highlight of the museum’s collection. Like other important works housed by the Art Institute of Chicago—including A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Nighthawks, and American Gothic—this seminal painting proves that any subject can inspire a masterpiece. ; Related Articles:Impressionist Painter Captures Poetic Scenes of Rain-Swept Streets The Story Behind Renoir’s ‘Bal du moulin de la Galette’ The Story Behind Renoir’s Impressionist Masterpiece ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’ Art Institute of Chicago Makes Thousands of Hi-Res Images Available for Free The post How This 150-Year-Old Painting Freezes a Fleeting Parisian Moment in Time appeared first on My Modern Met. via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2TAcd1e Artist Helen Morgun has a knack for finding the Disney twin of famous celebrities. Her captivating digital illustrations merge actresses and singers with their animated likeness, even including their animal companions. Listed among her star-studded portfolio are Amanda Seyfried as Rapunzel, Blake Lively as Sleeping Beauty, and Lucy Liu as Mulan. Before Morgun begins sketching, the artist scours Disney’s repertoire of princesses, queens, villainesses, and more to find the perfect match for the celebrity she has in mind. Then, using a photo of the star as a reference, Morgun carefully renders each subject in Photoshop. During this time, the artist adds clothes and accessories reminiscent of the Disney character. Occasionally, Morgun also adds the co-starring animal companion to the composition. For example, in the portrait of Rihanna as Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, the famous singer sports Tiana’s jewelry and gloves from the movie and is accompanied by Prince Naveen as a frog. The recently Grammy awarded singer-songwriter Billie Eilish also makes an appearance in Morgun’s art as the white-haired Kida from the film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Additionally, Margot Robbie stars as Elsa in the Frozen 2-inspired illustration. You can learn more about Morgun’s artistic process (and even watch her paint step by step) by visiting her YouTube channel and keep up to date with her latest creations by following her on Instagram. Keep scrolling to see more illustrations starring celebrities as Disney characters. Artist Helen Morgun digitally paints celebrities as iconic Disney characters.She captures the likeness of famous actresses and singers and merges them with beloved animated characters.Helen Morgun: ; Instagram | Youtube My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Helen Morgun.Related Articles:Illustrations Reimagine Keanu Reeves as Every Dashing Disney Prince Iconic Disney Characters Reimagined as Classic Oil Paintings Disney Princesses Get an Edgy Twist Reimagined as Noir-Inspired Femme Fatales The post Illustrator Reimagines Famous Celebrities as Iconic Disney Characters appeared first on My Modern Met. via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2PYrWp0 Tomohiro Yasui is best known as the creator of the paper robot wrestlers called kami-robo, but that’s not the only medium his imagination has conquered. Using wire and cheap rubber duckies, squirting frogs, and plastic hammers, the Japanese artist builds posable action figures that deserve their own Saturday morning cartoons and comic books. Having spent the past 35 years designing paper robots and plastic toys, Yasui is an expert when it comes to humanoid anatomy in dynamic poses. Multiples of the same donor toys were used to create the chiseled physiques, which means that all of the pieces match in texture and color and did not have to be repainted. If the fantasy figures were packaged and displayed on a shelf in the toy section, no one would be able to guess that they were cut, reconfigured, and assembled by hand. To see more of these unlikely heroes come to life, follow Yasui on Twitter. ; Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets. via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/3aH9CZ5 Australian artist Shane Drinkwater writes on his website that when it comes to painting, he in interested in the “making.” Using a system of lines, dashes, numbers, and circles, Drinkwater creates works that often appear as astronomical maps of imagined star systems. Abstract stars form repeated patterns around vibrant planets. The artist allows the act of painting to dictate how the cosmic compositions land on his canvas, and the results are visually arresting. “I delve into the act of painting with a minimum repertoire of visual elements aiming for a maximum visual intensity,” Drinkwater writes. “Ideas and images appear through the making of the work, language becomes unnecessary, I let the work speak for me.” To see more of these cool maps and other paintings by Shane Drinkwater, follow the artist on Instagram. (via This Isn’t Happiness) ; Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets. via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2TJfpGZ Typically known for their care-free attitudes, the dogs in Elke Vogelsang’s portraits are experiencing some of their more intense moments of canine anticipation, like waiting for a taste of bacon cream or finding the right time to snatch a squeaky toy. The Hildesheim, Germany-based photographer captures the canine’s fleeting expressions, shown through tilting heads, open-mouthed smiles, and wide-eyed stares. Each piece is matched with an equally playful title, like “The Dog Side of the Force” and “Bessy Muppetational.” Vogelsang began photographing her three rescue dogs during a period of family hardship that started in 2009—she was charged with caring for her mother-in-law, who was suffering from dementia, shortly before her husband was in a coma due to a ruptured aneurysm. “I decided to start the project, despite my husband being in the hospital, or rather because of it, as I wanted to try to keep up a bit of normality and have something like a visual diary for my husband of that time,” she tells Colossal. Now, the photographer’s work has expanded beyond the absurd images of her furry family members, and she tries to “get to know as many dogs as possible. Each and every one of them will have their own personality.” She’s traveled to Morocco and Spain to capture the lives of those living in shelters and on the streets, which has posed unique challenges. She “had to document whatever I was presented with. I couldn’t throw treats or get out a squeaker. Here I have to learn to wait for the decisive moment…These dogs had lived on the streets and didn’t know any basic commands. Those can be very difficult to photograph. ” In order to get such revealing shots, Vogelsang isn’t afraid to appeal to their canine desires. “With every dog I learn a new trick. The energetic terrier might need action to really enjoy the session, while the sensitive sighthound might prefer a very calm environment and some super treats,” she writes. “The key is patience, trust, repetition and lots and lots of bribery.” To see more of Vogelsang’s posing pups, head to her Instagram. ; Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets. via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2TCdbJa via Art with Shop https://ift.tt/2VRY1lY |
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