Tag: art

Emotional Reality of Life

Ever felt you were in a loop from which there just seemed no escape? That’s what Vincent van Gogh tries to capture in his painting Prisoners’ Round,and believe me, it is much deeper than it seems. So let’s break it down!

This painting here was inspired by an earlier work by Gustave Doré; but Vincent Van Gogh? He took it to a whole new level!

We see a group of prisoners walking in a tight circle in a dreary prison yard. No destination, no end in sight. It is essentially the same as being stuck in a looping Monday morning. Seriously, though, this is more than just a gloomy prison scene; it is teeming with heavy symbolism.

First of all, take a look at the round movement of the prisoners. Round and round they move, caught in some kind of ‘no end’ cycle. Van Gogh was super interested in depicting what it’s like to be confined, physically and psychologically. These men aren’t only prisoners of the state, but they are also prisoners of their existence. Ever feel like you are walking in circles in your own life? Same.

And look at that wall, so lofty, almost overwhelming. Van Gogh knew a thing or two about feeling shut down; he did this during his stay in a psychiatric hospital. The walls here seem symbolic of his loneliness and isolation, and he wasn’t afraid to tell it.

Now, the cool part is right in the middle of the painting. Check out the guy turning around and directly facing us. He’s breaking the fourth wall! This prisoner can almost be considered a stand-in figure for Van Gogh himself, giving his regards to his confinement and, somehow, relating to us viewers. He is not a part of the crowd; he’s aware. It’s that sort of “Wait a minute, this is my life?” moment we all have sometimes.

What does this amount to? Well, Van Gogh was all about the emotional reality of life, and this painting feels hauntingly like what it means to feel trapped-be it within a physical space or simply in your head; we’ve all been there. Stuck? Don’t worry, even Van Gogh had those moments.

Join Mitchell’s brilliance

“I don’t know if I’ve learned anything yet! I did learn how to have a happy home, but I consider myself fortunate in that regard because I could’ve rolled right by it. Everybody has a superficial side and a deep side, but this culture doesn’t place much value on depth — we don’t have shamans or soothsayers, and depth isn’t encouraged or understood. Surrounded by this shallow, glossy society we develop a shallow side, too, and we become attracted to fluff. That’s reflected in the fact that this culture sets up an addiction to romance based on insecurity — the uncertainty of whether or not you’re truly united with the object of your obsession is the rush people get hooked on. I’ve seen this pattern so much in myself and my friends and some people never get off that line.But along with developing my superficial side, I always nurtured a deeper longing, so even when I was falling into the trap of that other kind of love, I was hip to what I was doing. I recently read an article in Esquire magazine called ‘The End of Sex,’ that said something that struck me as very true. It said: “If you want endless repetition, see a lot of different people. If you want infinite variety, stay with one.” What happens when you date is you run all your best moves and tell all your best stories — and in a way, that routine is a method for falling in love with yourself over and over.You can’t do that with a longtime mate because he knows all that old material. With a long relationship, things die then are rekindled, and that shared process of rebirth deepens the love. It’s hard work, though, and a lot of people run at the first sign of trouble. You’re with this person, and suddenly you look like an asshole to them or they look like an asshole to you — it’s unpleasant, but if you can get through it you get closer and you learn a way of loving that’s different from the neurotic love enshrined in movies. It’s warmer and has more padding to it.”Joni Mitchell
Saint Laurent/photoShe knows this truth intimately. Joni has always been and will forever be an extraordinarily  remarkable human being. I’ve said many times before she helps me feel very proud to be a member of this human family. 
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Her music and paintings do all the talking. Thanks for sending this.
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Amazonian Medusa sculptor @ London gallery

”In the U.K., another significant Medusa sculpture has been unveiled at the same time. The British sculptor Susie MacMurray’s “Medusa,” showing at the Pangolin Gallery in London, features a handmade copper chainmail dress fitted all the way down, before devolving into a serpentine fringed bottom. The piece took eight months to make, and she was assisted by a group of art students.
“I wanted her to be Amazonian in presence,” MacMurray told The Daily Beast of her Medusa. “I didn’t want her to be the idealized Barbie playing to the problematic gaze. She’s so strong, the male gaze gets reflected back… I wanted her to be voluptuous. It’s quite important to me that she wasn’t a size zero. She’s a size 16. I think she’s quite noble.”
Though the Argentine-Italian Garbati completed his artwork in 2008, it went viral 10 years later after #MeToo galvanized women from all industries to call for greater attention to issues of workplace misconduct and sexual violence.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/medusa-is-back-standing-tall-and-complicated-in-the-metoo-era?via=twitter_page

This Artist with Synesthesia Sees Colors in Music and Paints Your Favorite Songs – Broadly

This is pretty cool !

Melissa McCracken grew up with a neurological condition that means she processes songs as colors—a gift that translates into paintings inspired by her favorite musicians.
— Read on broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/gyxq73/melissa-mccracken-synesthesia-painter-interview