She’s a painter in London, working to interpret animals the way we were meant to see them: as sacred beings each granted with an important, specific purpose. In this amazing time-lapse video Louise McNaught documents the creation of an acrylic work that’s plated in a background of gold leaf and decorated in detail with pencil. The video was created in conjunction with her current residency at DegreeArt, and her inaugural show, titled Supernatural, will be on view at the London gallery until the end of this week!
On her Facebook page Louise writes,
“In my world the animals are God-like, sublime and ethereal in their luminescence. My soft style suggests a delicate relationship between nature and ourselves, making a clear point about man’s destruction of nature, which flutters jewel-like in the balance….
The animals that occur in my work predominantly have a connection to Celtic mythology, such as deer, bees, owls, rabbits and butterflies, with otherworldly creatures such as hummingbirds making an entrance from time to time…”
Louise with her piece, ‘Wild-Life’, Size (H x W x D): 91.5 x 183 x 5 cm Acrylic, spray paint and pencil on canvas (2013). From the artist’s Facebook.
Louise on this piece, ‘Wild-Life’:
“This piece is from my ‘wild’ series, which are about nature wearing the colours of man like war paint, trying to adapt to man’s intervention. The fluorescent paint also looks like energy radiating from the animal, as it is painted on the places I find most intense, usually around the eyes, radiating down the neck – wherever there is tension. I use a lot of hummingbirds in my work as I find them magical and otherworldly, they are so tiny and beautiful they almost seem as they are not part off this world, like they exist on another dimension. Here they are forming the figure 8 on its side, which is the symbol for life, eternity and reincarnation. The hummingbird also flys in this formation as it is the only bird that can fly backwards. The colours are moving through the formation to show they are all part of the same flow of energy…..”
Thomas Eakins lived from 1844-1916, and spent the majority of that time as an artist – painting, photographing, sculpting, and teaching others the craft. He was an American realist painter whose style is remembered for its loose, rich color. Eakins used photography, still a relatively new technology at the time, to study the details of a body in motion as it travels through space – a practice now regarded as one of his most important innovations.
“Strain your brain more than your eye… You can copy a thing to a certain limit. Then you must use intellect.”
-advice to his art students; quoted in Lloyd Goodrich, Thomas Eakins (1933)
Photography
Motion study: Male Nude, Standing Jump to Right, 1885. image source
Motion Study: George Reynolds, nude, pole-vaulting to left, 1885 image source
Photograph study for ‘The Wrestlers.’ image source
He explored the heart of American life through portraiture, but didn’t receive recognition until late in life because of his role as a controversial figure when it came to the sexes. His studies of the male nude were often regarded as homoerotic, and later made him a major figure of art historical sexuality studies in the 1990s.
He insisted on teaching men and women the same way, using male models in female classes and vice versa, but was also accused of abusing female students. The scandals cut his success short, and his influence in the history of art was only realized after his death.
Ole Ukena is a German artist who uses simple, modern conceptual works to make a point. He lives and works between Berlin and Bali, and he’s shown his work all over Thailand, India, Germany and France. Although not all his works involve typography, they do have a distinctly clean look that’s only emphasized with big, bold lettering.
His artist statement reads,
“I am not limiting myself to one medium. I simply can’t. It’s a constant adventure, finding new materials in the countries in which I travel, encountering objects or phrases that can be transformed into specific, meaningful pieces. While my work often displays a strong conceptual nature, I am also very drawn to the intuitive.This balancing energy forces me to step out of my mind and just create. These forces are like my left and right hand. My works try to create a map of the human mind, in an attempt to tell a tale about the very nature of it with all its possibilities, limitations, irritations, and hopes.”
“Burnout Syndrome” burned matches, canvas, 2012
Made up of more than 9,000 matches, the matches in the last WORK‘s are struck and the smoke simmers upwards.
“Trust” nails, wood, 2012
Comprised of more than 15,000 nails, “Trust” shows where it’s safe to sit.
“Giving up is not an option” zinc letters with black lacquer paint, 2012
Giving up is always an option, apparently. The last three letters didn’t make it to the wall, still lying, barely painted on the ground.
See more of Ole Ukena’s conceptual typographic sculpture on his website.
Duality is defined as “the condition of consisting of two parts, elements or aspects.” We’ve all felt the pressure of two sides at war within us, even if it’s something as small as our lazy side overpowering our desire to go out. Everyone has a masculine aspect that works against our feminine side, and a peaceful part that contrasts the out-of-control Hulks within us.
The best thing about duality is its simplicity – it’s always one side against another and all the messy, complicated other versions of ourselves sort of fall by the wayside as the two true nemeses duke it out.
German photographer Candida Höfer brought a little Renaissance greatness to London in her series A Return to Italy. The photos were shot over the past two years, and take you through some of Italy’s most sacred stages for art of all kinds.
Candida Höfer Palazzo Ducale Mantova I 2011
Candida Höfer Teatro Comunale di Carpi I 2011
The series was exhibited this past spring at Ben Brown Fine Arts in London – thirteen large prints hung symmetrically to match the balanced scenes pictured within them. The gallery writes,
“The interiors of palaces, opera houses, libraries and theatres, which Höfer captures with incredible skill, are part of her meticulous documentation of public spaces – places of culture, knowledge, communication and exchange with a rich history and clear functionality.
Having rarely visited the Northern region, Höfer was particularly touched by the naturalness and ease with which the local people there accepted this extraordinary architecture as a part of their daily lives.”
Candida Höfer Teatro La Fenice di Venezia III 2011
Candida Höfer Teatro La Fenice di Venezia V 2011
Candida Höfer Museo Civico Di Palazzo Te Mantova IV 2010
