Nov 1, 2012 | inspiration
As an evacuee of Hurricane Sandy myself, I can tell you that trying to live without power is no joke, especially in lower Manhattan where you can’t find anything and nothing works. Restaurants are using their catering gear to supply cash-only takeout and Mud coffee trucks have lines that go around the block.
Storms are scary, mean beasts of nature, especially those dubbed “Frankenstorms.” Sandy was a 900-mile wide storm that killed 110 people, left more than 8 million without power, drown NYC’s subway system and submerged more than 80% of Atlantic City underwater.
But storms bring people together, get rid of politics (or at least push it aside for a bit), and make for some pretty windy, gloomy art that reflects how truly terrible it is to have your home flooded or torn to bits by the wind. Even just living without power in the aftermath is as rough as these artworks make it seem.
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“Hurricane, Bahamas” by Winslow Homer, 1898
image found here. |
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“The Storm” by Edvard Munch, 1893
image found here. |
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“Ships Running Around in a Storm” by Ludolf Bakhuizen, 1690s
image found here. |
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“Snow Storm — Steam Boat Off a Harbor’s Mouth Making Signals in Shallow Water” by JMW Turner, 1842
image found here. |
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“Storm in My Head” by Zdralea Ioana, 2012
image found here. |
Everyone still in the affected areas please stay safe, and those lucky enough to be out of Sandy’s path can help by donating to the Red Cross here.
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Oct 29, 2012 | inspiration
Right now the trees outside are changing color and getting blown to bits by some sort of Frankenstorm while my classes keep getting canceled. So in honor of the trees that are giving their lives for me to have an extra long weekend, below you’ll find a collection of beautiful ones painted and photographed. I’ve spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the change of seasons recently, and it really is such a beautiful time, minus all the flooding and torrential rain.
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| Image found on Tumblr here. |
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Expressions of Autumn – John Scanlan
found on Tumblr here. |
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Olive Trees, Vincent Van Gogh
found on Tumblr here. |
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Birger Sandzén, Creek at Moonrise, 1921
found on Tumblr here. |
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| Image found on Tumblr here. |
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Going Inland by Rick Stevens, pastel on paper, 2010
found here. |
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Oct 18, 2012 | news
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The empty space where Matisse’s “La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune” used to be.
Next to a painting by Maurice Denis. |
Turns out the life of an art thief might not be all that glamorous after all. The problem with stealing something so rare, is that it can be very hard to get rid of when it’s something everyone is looking for, plus close to impossible to sell for all the money it’s really worth.
In the recent heist at the gallery in Rotterdam, the thieves stole seven works by Picasso, Monet, Gauguin, Matisse, and others estimated at being worth more than $100 million at auction. This article today on Fox News doubts whether the thieves even have a plan. If they don’t the works they stole can become more of a burden that they were worth to steal in the first place.
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“Reading Girl in White and Yellow”
Stolen Matisse work from 1919 |
One illegal art trafficker tried for 20 years to sell a statue of Nero’s mother stolen from Pompeii before it was announced as recovered last Thursday.
After drugs and illicit arms sales, art theft is the third most profitable crime in the world. A lot of stolen art is never found, and experts say that for criminals with connections, the lesser known pieces hardly have any trouble making a return for the thief who stole it.
But according to a recent CBS article, these thieves weren’t the savvy type, and mostly managed success through brute force, yanking the paintings from the walls, leaving only white space and broken hanging wires behind.
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“Charing Cross Bridge, London”
Stolen Monet from 1901 |
They set off the alarm at 3am on Tuesday morning, and even though officers were on the scene within five minutes, the thieves were already gone. Some say this is probably due to the location of the gallery, placed right next to three main highways. Tire tracks were visible outside the emergency exit that played a part in the supposed getaway route.
Twenty-five officers have been assigned to the case but right now the getaway car hasn’t been found and there are no suspects. The Kunsthal museum was shut down only the day of the theft. The director of the museum, Emily Ansenk released this as a part of her statement Tuesday:
“These are unique works which have already been exhibited all over the world, are well documented and were now being exhibited together for the first time ever. We, the Kunsthal, and the Triton Foundation Board are deeply shocked by what has happened, but we will not allow it to defeat us. We have all decided that the exhibition will go ahead as usual tomorrow.”
All images from this NYTimes slideshow.
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