The curious made extraordinary

All Visual Arts presents The Age of the Marvellous

Inspired by the Wunderkammer, or Cabinet of Curiosities, popular in the late Renaissance through the Baroque period (ca. 1550–ca. 1700). An era characterized by a revival of learning, the sum of all of man’s knowledge could be represented in rooms filled with natural wonders, artificial exotica and relics or art works concerned with the supernatural.

The Wunderkammer‘s particular ability to evoke the marvellous, to incite the emotions of awe, wonder, surprise and astonishment leading to curiosity and then learning was based on its ability to draw parallels and unify seemingly unrelated fields of human knowledge like Science and Art. The brilliant evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson considered the unification of knowledge – or what he labeled ‘Consilience’ in his eponymous book published in 1998 - nothing short of imperative for the survival of the human species.



Adam Fuss’s photograms
Alastair Mackie's Metamorphoses




Polly Morgan's At the Beginning, inspired by a Victorian proposal for a flying machine.




Kate MccGwire's sculptural works made from crow and jackdaw feathers.



----------------
Now playing: Depeche Mode - World in my Eyes
via FoxyTunes

Sometimes, things are just black and white

Bongles



Nice View



Mish Mash



Otis



Keef


Rajastan

by

Stuart Redler

Silver gelatin print
Editions of 25

jagged art


----------------
Now playing: Roxy Music - India
via FoxyTunes

Pig fever

Lot No 361
Andy Warhol
1928 Pittsburgh - 1987 New York

Pig. Polaroid. 10,8 x 8,6cm. Signed bottom center: Andy Warhol. Framed. - Verso mounted in the top sheet edge. Otherwise in perfect condition.

From Van Ham





Lot No 10
Anna Pottery Pig Flask with Rare Map and Form
American, ca 1870-1875, by Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, Anna Pottery, Illinois. Anna Pottery pig flask of Arkansas stagecoach and river route. Salt glazed molded stoneware with cobalt filled inscriptions include St. Louis near snout, also Poplar Bluff, Fort Smith, Memphis, New Orleans, Little Rock, Benton, Malvern with Texarkana on the rear and Hot Springs on the belly. Inscriptions of rivers include Ark River (Arkansas), Miss River (Mississippi) and Ohio Ri.. Anatomically correct and of rare small size with atypical location of hole at the top center of pig's back; 2.25" high x 4.5" long.

Condition: Undissolved salt spots. Old chip on back leg.


From Cowan's



----------------
Now playing: Little Nell - Fever
via FoxyTunes

Question

When is a picture, pretty or otherwise, just a picture and not art?

Affordable Art Fair list of exhibiting galleries.

----------------
Now playing on iTunes: Peter Gabriel - That Voice Again
via FoxyTunes.

Out of context...

The most ordinary of things can be quite smart. Such as these Cuban cinema posters.

----------------
Now playing on iTunes: Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
via FoxyTunes

Anthropology worth having

LOT 170
BINI HORNED FACE MASK, NIGERIA Ekpo society carved wood mask with attached horns, its classicly rendered hair line and beard accented with indigo and white kaolin pigments, early 20th c. Reputed to cleanse the society of disease and protect the village from witchcraft. (Exhibited in ''Images of Authority: From Benin to Gabon,'' Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL, 1973; ''African Art: Nature, Man, and Vital Force from the Collection of H.B. Greene and Family,'' Richard Madigan, Norton Gallery of Art, West Palm Beach, Fl., 1975. Provenance: Private collection, South Carolina). Some looseness to horns, erosion to back of mask, stress fractures, well handled and used.



Lot No 216
SONGYE KIFWEBE SOCIETY MASK, ZAIRE Boldly carved example with precise linear design, raised finial, protruding four-sided mouth, complete with nose hairs, early to mid-20th c. (Provenance: Jean-Pierre Hallet collection, Belgium. Lifelong collector Hallet [1927-2004] authored several books on African art, including, ''Congo Kitabu'' and ''Pygmy Kitabu,'' and created the Pygmy Fund). Very well-worn interior, light staining to kaolin, small chip to eye, all consistent with field use.



Lot No 200
IMPORTANT BLACK PUNU MASK, GABON Carved wood with classic coiffure complete with human hair, early to mid-20th c. These masks' dark color allude to their ominous nature in potentially condemning the living, and are much less common than their white counterparts. (Provenance: DeCredico family collection. A similar example can be seen in the Musee Dapper, Paris.) Overall fair condition with signs of heavy use. Includes metal display stand.



Lot No 12
IROQUOIS/SENECA FALSE FACE, NEW YORK Exceptional carved wood mask with strong downward mouth, bulging cylindrical eyes, bold red paint, and black horse hair, early 20th c. Worn in healing ceremonies. (Provenance: Private collection, New York). Interior shows wear and handling consistent with ritual use, several layers of paint evident.

All from the upcoming auction at Rago.


----------------
Now playing on iTunes: Toni Childs - I Met A Man
via FoxyTunes

Anthropology worth having

LOT 170
BINI HORNED FACE MASK, NIGERIA Ekpo society carved wood mask with attached horns, its classicly rendered hair line and beard accented with indigo and white kaolin pigments, early 20th c. Reputed to cleanse the society of disease and protect the village from witchcraft. (Exhibited in ''Images of Authority: From Benin to Gabon,'' Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL, 1973; ''African Art: Nature, Man, and Vital Force from the Collection of H.B. Greene and Family,'' Richard Madigan, Norton Gallery of Art, West Palm Beach, Fl., 1975. Provenance: Private collection, South Carolina). Some looseness to horns, erosion to back of mask, stress fractures, well handled and used.



Lot No 216
SONGYE KIFWEBE SOCIETY MASK, ZAIRE Boldly carved example with precise linear design, raised finial, protruding four-sided mouth, complete with nose hairs, early to mid-20th c. (Provenance: Jean-Pierre Hallet collection, Belgium. Lifelong collector Hallet [1927-2004] authored several books on African art, including, ''Congo Kitabu'' and ''Pygmy Kitabu,'' and created the Pygmy Fund). Very well-worn interior, light staining to kaolin, small chip to eye, all consistent with field use.



Lot No 200
IMPORTANT BLACK PUNU MASK, GABON Carved wood with classic coiffure complete with human hair, early to mid-20th c. These masks' dark color allude to their ominous nature in potentially condemning the living, and are much less common than their white counterparts. (Provenance: DeCredico family collection. A similar example can be seen in the Musee Dapper, Paris.) Overall fair condition with signs of heavy use. Includes metal display stand.



Lot No 12
IROQUOIS/SENECA FALSE FACE, NEW YORK Exceptional carved wood mask with strong downward mouth, bulging cylindrical eyes, bold red paint, and black horse hair, early 20th c. Worn in healing ceremonies. (Provenance: Private collection, New York). Interior shows wear and handling consistent with ritual use, several layers of paint evident.

All from the upcoming auction at Rago.


----------------
Now playing on iTunes: Toni Childs - I Met A Man
via FoxyTunes

Speaking of Berlin

20 Reinhardstrasse




The newly added penthouse apartment of Christian Boros.


Boros Collection

The bunker was originally built in 1942 by Nazi architect Albert Speer as part of the Germania project. After the end of World War II, being in what would become the Soviet sector, the Russian army used it as a prison for captured German soldiers. After the fall of the Iron Curtain the building was used to store bananas, oranges, and other fruits imported from Cuba by East Germany. With the fall of the Wall, East Berlin became the centre of the city's party scene and The Bunker became one of the hottest places for wild techno raves and gay S&M parties. The last one being held in 1996. Since then, the bunker had stood empty.

In 2004 architects Jens Casper, Petra Petersson, and Andrew Strickland of the Berlin-based firm Realarchitektur began the renovation. This summer it opened to the public.


----------------
Now playing: Berlin - The Metro
via FoxyTunes

Natural devotion

This odd looking fruit, known as Buddha's Hand, is actually one of the oldest members of the citrus family. It is thought to resemble the fingers of Buddha, hence its name in Chinese, foshou, which has almost the same pronunciation as the words for blessings and longevity. Although it smells strongly of lemon, it has no pulp beneath its rind. Instead, Buddha's Hand is grown for its aromatic zest. Chinese and Japanese households use it as a natural air freshener, and it even has a place in Buddhistic ceremonies.



An elegant example of a Buddha's hand, the thumb and third finger making the gesture symbolic of imparting knowledge.



Buddha’s-Hand Citron, 1800s. China. Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Nephrite. The Avery Brundage Collection.




Ming Buddha's hand citron, 1368-1644.




Nephrite Buddha's hand citron, circa 1800-1900

----------------
Now playing: David Bowie - Buddha of Suburbia
via FoxyTunes

When in doubt look to the masters

Las Meninas painted in 1656 by Diego Velázquez
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain


Detail of the Infanta Margarita



Infanta Margarita Teresa of Spain, painted in 1656 by Diego Velázquez
Museum of Art History, Vienna, Austria

Colour palettes are not just about the obvious choices of paints and fabrics. They are also about balance, light, texture, and mood. Why don't you do the unexpected and take colour out of its usual context.

----------------
Now playing: Snap! - Colour of Love
via FoxyTunes

More fashion

This October the Royal College of Art will exhibit over 150 black and white photographs and large-scale color works, spanning Sarah Moon’s entire career, and two new film installations, The Red Thread and The Mermaid. The Michael Hoppen Gallery will host a separate exhibition, which will include previously unseen fashion photographs alongside the iconic images that established her reputation. The two exhibitions will run concurrently from 17th October 2008.

Model turned photographer, Sarah Moon’s distinct commercial and personal work have made her a Grande Dame of contemporary photography. To date there have been over 35 solo exhibitions of her diverse and prolific work. She won the Grand National Prize for Photography in 1995, her feature film Mississippi One became a cult film in Japan, her book Coincidences brought her international esteem, and her fashion work for editorial and advertising including Cacharel, JP Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, Comme des Garcons, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, have all ensured that her iconic and celebrated style is now instantly recognisable. - Michael Hoppen Gallery, New york



Sarah Moon 1 2 3 4 5, will be released by Thames & Hudson on 13 October 2008. Comprising of 5 notebooks assembled in a slip-cased box, and including over 400 images.

----------------
Now playing: This Mortal Coil - Kangaroo
via FoxyTunes

The poisoned room

A contemporary account of Longwood House, its interiors, and its furnishings from T.E. Wathen's A Series of Views Illustrative of the Island of St. Helena. Published by Clay, London, 1821.



No. 7. LONGWOOD HOUSE.

The late residence of Napoleon Buonaparte, where he arrived in the letter part of 1815, and at which he died on May the 5th, 1821. The situation, and other particulars concerning Longwood, have already been given at Page 6; and a very brief description of the building is all that remains to be added. The present erection was formed in timber framework at Woolwich, by the Architect for the Ordnance department, to be erected at St. Helena. It is designed in the cottage style, and contains 24 rooms, the general size of which is 25 feet by 18. The length of the house in front is about 120 feet; and it contains 16 windows with an open corridore. The depth of the building is 100 feet, and the back is also ornamented with a corridore. It is two stories in height, and the right hand wing was appropriated to Buonaparte, In the centre stands the Drawing-room, coloured of various shades of green, and arabesque gold panels; with curtains of light silk taboret, of Pomona green, and velvet borders edged with gold coloured silk twist. Above them is a matted gold cornice, to conceal the rings and curtain rod, and the top of the room is finished by a cream coloured ceiling. The carpet is of Brussels texture, of various shades of brown, olive, and amber. The furniture consists of an elegant oak centre table; pier table, inlaid with a slab of Verd Antique Mona marble; splendid pier glass, with a frame of Buhl and ebony; chairs of British oak; two Greek sofas and footstools ornamented with Or Moulu; a piano forte; and chandeliers and candelabri to light the apartment, The Dining-room is next in the suite, the fittings up for which are of a lavender tint, and the curtains of silk, with a black border and gold coloured silk lace fringe. The carpet and walls are of the same lilac hue, as well as the coverings for the chairs. The furniture consists of a fine oaken Dining-table, capable of accommodating from six to fourteen persons; a side-board, peculiarly made for holding the Imperial plate, with the wine coolers constructed of Bronze and rich wood. Adjoining the Dining-room is the Library, which is furnished in the Etruscan style, with several dwarf book-cases; a Library table with desks and drawers, and curtains of a new cotton material, having the appearance of cloth. The Sitting-room is ornamented with an ethereal blue carpet shaded with black, and several ebony cabinets inlaid with brass. In the Bed-room is a high canopy Bedstead, enclosing a silken musquito net, and hung with furniture of lilac persian edged with gold coloured fringe. The Bath is lined with marble, and made to admit hot or cold water. The other wing of Longwood House contained spacious apartments for Buonaparte's suite, with servant's offices and store-rooms in the rear. The Kitchen is a detached building, yet convenient to the Dining-room. The materials for this erection, together with the elegant furniture, table services, dresses, and plate presented to Buonaparte, by the noble munificence of the British government, amounted to 500 tons in weight, and were contained in 400 packages. A number of artists were also sent with them to fit out the Establishment.



Longwood House as it is today.


A wallpaper fragment from Longwood House showing a single star, the principal of which is green and brown. It is possible that the brown had originally been gold. Gold and green were the Imperial colours.

One of the theories surrounding Napoleon's death was that he had been poisoned by his wallpaper. The wallpaper at Longwood House was painted with Scheele's green, an arsenic compound called copper arsenide. When attacked by certain molds, possibly present in the damp environment of St. Helena, arsenic would have been released into the air. Giving further credence to this scenario, in the late 1950s Clare Boothe Luce, the then American ambassador to Italy, was diagnosed with arsenic poisoning caused by paint chips falling from the stucco roses on her bedroom ceiling.

The original, but less romantic, cause of death has been confirmed by the use of modern technology.

----------------
Now playing: ABC - Poison Arrow
via FoxyTunes

Imagine

Japanese carving of a male figure

a small army of these, all in different poses, trooping along the shelf of a bookcase or a tabletop...

In a mad world, only the mad are sane. - Akira Kurosawa

----------------
Now playing: Air - Alone in Kyoto
via FoxyTunes

Define majestic

adj 1: majestic in manner or bearing; superior to mundane matters;
"her majestic presence"; "olympian detachment";
"olympian beauty and serene composure" [syn: olympian]
2: having or displaying great dignity or nobility; "a gallant
pageant"; "lofty ships"; "majestic cities"; "proud alpine
peaks" [syn: gallant, lofty, proud]
3: belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler; "golden age of
imperial splendor"; "purple tyrant"; "regal attire";
"treated with royal acclaim"; " royal carriage"
[syn: imperial, purple, regal, royal]
4: Miss Jessye Norman



Miss Jessye Norman singing the aria When I am laid in earth from Dido and Æneas by Henry Purcell, recorded at Yves Saint Laurent's gardens in Marrakech. From Jessye Norman - A Portrait, directed by André Heller.





Jessye Norman by Irving Penn graces the cover of Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits by Deborah Willis (Editor)

The book features 100 images selected by the principal author Deborah Willis from the photography collection of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. The book traces the history of portrait photography through the lens of the African American experience, exploring its influential role in shaping public identity and individual notions of race and status. The book also explores the effect on race relations of these positive images that celebrate the beauty of African Americans from the mid–nineteenth century to the present.

MacArthur Fellowship laureate Deborah Willis gives an insight to her work on NPR's Challenging Stereotypes Through Photos




Amazing Grace sung by Miss Jessye Norman

Everything is decor related

when it relates to the condition of man.



The Russian novelist, dramatist and historian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died 3 August, 2008.

The opening of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Prize lecture, which he won in 1970, ...for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature. -

Just as that puzzled savage who has picked up - a strange cast-up from the ocean? - something unearthed from the sands? - or an obscure object fallen down from the sky? - intricate in curves, it gleams first dully and then with a bright thrust of light. Just as he turns it this way and that, turns it over, trying to discover what to do with it, trying to discover some mundane function within his own grasp, never dreaming of its higher function.

So also we, holding Art in our hands, confidently consider ourselves to be its masters; boldly we direct it, we renew, reform and manifest it; we sell it for money, use it to please those in power; turn to it at one moment for amusement - right down to popular songs and night-clubs, and at another - grabbing the nearest weapon, cork or cudgel - for the passing needs of politics and for narrow-minded social ends. But art is not defiled by our efforts, neither does it thereby depart from its true nature, but on each occasion and in each application it gives to us a part of its secret inner light.

But shall we ever grasp the whole of that light? Who will dare to say that he has DEFINED Art, enumerated all its facets? Perhaps once upon a time someone understood and told us, but we could not remain satisfied with that for long; we listened, and neglected, and threw it out there and then, hurrying as always to exchange even the very best - if only for something new! And when we are told again the old truth, we shall not even remember that we once possessed it.



Yo Yo Ma plays Dvorak's Silent Woods

Must read

this, it references Alain de Botton and John Ruskin. And, it is wonderful.

----------------
Now playing: Mary J. Blige - Beautiful One
via FoxyTunes

Lick it and see

Whilst one is happy enough to give a definition of an abstract concept such as elegance, it becomes trickier with something so personal as taste. Especially without sounding cunty. Everyone, rightly or wrongly, likes to believe that they have good taste and are tasteful. In fact, most people are. They are too afraid not to be. Afraid of what or whom I am not entirely sure.

Good taste is nothing more than an accepted paradigm. No one is born with it; it is something that is learnt.

In spite of all that I know, I neither have good taste nor am I elegant. It simply is not in my nature. For me, either something is fabulous or it is not. There is no in between. As Nietzsche said, The grand style follows suit with all great passion. It disdains to please, it forgets to persuade. It commands. It wills.

Here is an overview of what could be described as my paradigm as prescribed by the previous generations.

First there was the thesis: Classic French furniture and decoration.


Elsie de Wolf's Villa Trianon

Then there was the antithesis: Sparse modernity.


Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion

And Finally the synthesis: An informed eclecticism.


The living room of Henri Samuel


Donna Marella Agnelli, nee Caracciolo di Castegneto, the epitome of patrician beauty.
Of her endeavors, Agnelli was to say in an interview with Joan Juliet Buck for Vogue in 1971: One applies a certain technical know-how, some culture, and a certain amount of taste—which I hope I have. It is my little soufflé.


Marella Agnelli by Avedon


Expressionist painting by the likes of Emil Nolde,

I had an infinite number of visions at this time, for wherever I turned my eyes nature, the sky, the clouds were alive, in each stone and in the branches of each tree, everywhere, my figures stirred and lived their still or wildly animated life, and they aroused my enthusiasm as well as tormented me with demands that I paint them.


Autumn Sea VII by Emil Nolde

Sculpture for some unknown reason was deemed important. Perhaps it harks back to some reminiscence of, or desire to recreate, the Grand Tour. To this day I have an affinity to the work of Aristide Maillol.


The Mediterranean by Aristide Maillol


Music consisted of singers such as The Divine One, classical, or opera.


Sarah Vaughan in Berlin 1969


This film, Diva, changed everything. It opened my mind to the possibilities of a world outside of what were very clearly defined boundaries. It is still one of my favourites.




----------------
Now playing: A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
via FoxyTunes