It’s about feeling good as you are and embracing beauty in all its glory by sidestepping overt sexiness and replacing it with beautiful women of various shapes, sizes, age, background and ethnicity.
Actress Yao Chen, the first Chinese UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Photo: Annie Leibovitz/Pirelli Calendar
Photographer Annie Leibovitz took a simple and natural approach to the portraits this year. Famous women “as themselves with no touchups.” The women who were photographed (including Yoko Ono) and many others find it to be quite empowering especially for a calendar normally famous for it’s sleek sexy look.
Showing Strength. Tennis player Serena Williams. Photo: Annie Leibovitz/Pirelli Calendar
If these images give you a *Vanity Fairvibe (see my comment below), there’s a few reasons why. Not only is Leibovitz a frequent contributor to the magazine (she photographed Caitlyn Jenner’s cover this year, for example), but the calendar was styled by the magazine’s fashion and style director, Jessica Diehl, and Senior Photo Producer Kathryn Macleod served as creative consultant.
*I was lucky to be given a private tour of the Vanity Fair offices at Condé Nastin New York for a research project once. The magazine is so creative in not only covering fashion and movie people but also popular culture and current affairs in an interesting and evocative way. The artistically shot covers never fail to capture my attention.
“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery” – Francis Bacon
The LATE PAINTINGS – magnificently framed in GOLD
There’s something about Francis Bacon’s paintings that are surreal and difficult to describe in detail (especially if you’re not an art critic) so I’ll keep it brief and just say that I find them to be completely compelling. You have to experience them for yourself. His versions of the human form are unlike any I’ve witnessed before and they conjure up disturbingand hystericalfeelings at the same time – at least for me. Brilliance on the brink of insanity? Bacon succeeded in deepening the mystery.
The Gagosian Gallery in New York just ended a run presenting “Francis Bacon: Late Paintings” encompassing more than twenty paintings that Bacon made in London and Paris during the last two decades of his life. The third exhibition of Bacon’s work following “Francis Bacon: Triptychs” (Gagosian, London, 2006) and “Isabel and Other Intimate Strangers: Portraits by Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon” (Gagosian New York, 2008).
If like me, you were too late for the exhibit, here are a few of the images of works that were shown.
Although it’s never too late to appreciate his paintings.
I like this quote:
“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is”– Francis Bacon
It’s one of the human world’s most colourful, modern day, micro-migrations.
In the first week of December of every year, the art world descends on Miami Beach for ART BASEL Miami Beach and the dizzying range of young, wannabe rival fairs that have sprouted up in its shadow. From discreet European billionaires looking out of place amidst the Latino bling, to desperate crowds trying to force entry into exclusive art parties, to the variety of art installations and performances dotted along the ocean front, the spectacle of the art world temporarily grafted onto the hot mess that is Miami Beach is truly something to behold.Buried underneath all that wealth, naked ambition and partying, is the thing-in-itself – the art. Dazed previews the best new art that’s being shown at the best fairs – NADA at The Fontainebleau hotel and Untitled, operating from a vast tent-cum-hanger right on the beach as well as Art Basel Miami Beach itself.
Feeling Moody?
Maybe one of the most interesting art installations to land in New York recently is theMuseum of Feelings.
A first of its kind installation combining innovative technology, scent and art to generate an unforgettable and emotional experience, controlled by feelings from around the world. Crazy, right? And completely amazing…
The mysterious façade of the museum allows audience members to embark on a sensory journey through five distinctive zones that explore the connection between art and emotion in unassuming and surprising ways. Meanwhile, the museums radiant exterior, linked to various social network sites, simultaneously extracts data from news and weather reports, stock exchange and even flight delays and incorporates the various information into feelings, ultimately depicted by a hue of interchangeable colors. Kind of like a giant and interactive mood ring.
The Museum Of Feelings, nestled in lower manhattans Brookfield Place (near Battery Park City) will be free and open to the public until the 15th of December.
IF YOU ♥ MUSIC you need to watch these two docs – both are on Netflix
20 feet from stardom – backup singers
I just watched a fabulous documentary called 20 Feet from Stardom and I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever loved and listened to music – so that means YOU & everyone else. This is an Oscar-winning film by Morgan Neville that is long overdue and super fascinating.
Do the names Darlene Love, Táta Vega, Judith Hill and Lisa Fischer mean anything to you? Chances are you’ve never heard of them before but chances are you have heard them before. Heard them sing that is! Many times & on famous songs and hit records. They are the back-up singers, otherwise known and relied on as being indispensable to the recording industry. The unacknowledged unsung heroes – very much appreciated by the front runners of the industry but don’t get the credit from the general public that they so deserve. Although Darlene Love was recently & finally inducted into the music hall of fame by Bette Midler.
Darlene Love
Neville talks to the big players like Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger and music producers about the mind-boggling talent of these women and how much they respect them and rely on their support. Infact, most of them sing as well or better than their superstar counterparts.
It is not without sadness but it is also about greatness and possibility. Bittersweet.
Okay, I don’t want to give too much away except to say once again, you NEED to see this documentary if you love music. That’s all!
WATCH 20 feet from Stardom trailer:
I also really liked:
THE MEDICINE OF MUSIC and one Man’s Amazing Journey
Glen Campbell I’ll Be Me
While on the subject of music docs here’s another interesting one I recently watched (even though both have been out for a while now) on country singer & music legend Glen Campbell who was sadly & unexpectedly told to hang up his guitar after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011 as he set out on an unprecedented tour across America. Instead of the original intended 5 week tour, it went for 151 sold out shows over a year and a half while being documented as his “Goodbye Tour” as he and his wife decided to go public with his diagnosis and illness. Alzheimer’s is an unpredictable, very common disease and it is great to see his family back him up with support, love, laughter and of course music (3 of his kids play on stage with him). It is interesting, educational and heartfelt.
Interesting Tidbits: Bet you didn’t know that Glen Campbell played with the Beach Boys? Yes, he did on occasion.
My friend’s talented daughter has the priviledge of recording at his son’s (Cal Campbell) home recording studio in California and said he is a lovely man.
In it’s 19th year now, this year marked the biggest ever for the Vancouver Eastside Cultural Crawl, with artists showing off the best of their craft, and thousands of people in attendance.
The crawl has grown from what started out as only three buildings and a handful of artists to over 80 buildings and almost 500 artists. Last year was the very first time I attended and I couldn’t believe the diversity of art and the number of people. It was very lively and educational. It was a good example of what this city has to offer for ART’s sake. We have quite a few talented artists to be proud of.
The crawl began on Thursday November 19th and ran through until Sunday, the 22nd giving the public four days to check out the various work of these artists in all the locations for free.
‘Pieta’ by sculptor David Robinson
The massive building at 1000 Parker has the densest collection of artist studios on the map every year and so starting the crawl experience here is always advisable. Not only was there something magical about this building on the opening night of the crawl (crowds were thick and fast with energy, studios full and artists ready to chat) but to cover as much ground as possible, Parker Street gives you that solid start.
Zoe Pawlak | Show Me with Your Eyes | Parker Street Studios
There’s a lot to take in – so much to see.
Tanis Saxby sculpts ethereal works of art. They have been referred to as visual poems that inspire and often leave the viewer with a thoughtful stillness. Taken from website.
There really is something for everyone’s taste and budget. If you missed it, there’s always next year.
If you attended I’d be interested in your comments
It’s a little like a love affair It starts out great, makes you feel good and then there are a few bumps along the way. You begin to doubt yourself. You settle in, become comfortable with the same steps and work into a routine. But if you want to improve your dance and keep things fresh you have to always evolve and work at it. You have to be eager to take it one step further to keep it interesting and alive. And to make the leaders want to dance with you.
Anyway, that’s my little analogy of the dance
You just can’t take a crash course to be a tango dancer in a movie – Robert Duvall
Dancing is not only social and good exercise, it makes me feel good. But I’ve been lax in going regularly for a long while now and I feel like I need to improve. With tango, it seems so easy but you never quite feel like you’ve mastered it. It is said that it takes a lifetime. Well since I have some time left I started lessons with one of the best instructors – Nadia of “Strictly Tango.” She spends several months a year in Buenos Aires. She’s professional but makes it fun, doesn’t miss a beat, watches your posture, corrects you on the spot and her dance space is incredibly appealing – the most ambient dance space for learning in Vancouver. Her base is ballet – actually the best base for any dance. She’s lovely. (See a short bio below). I already feel a big improvement. But I have a looong way to go.
“A good dancer is one who listens to the music…We dance the music not the steps. Anyone who aspires to dance never thinks about what he is going to do. What he cares about is that he follows the music.You see, we are painters. We paint the music with our feet.” – Carlos Gavito
Nadia’s dance studio (and photo above)
I also started taking West Coast Swing – opposites attract! ThinkPatrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing (but not as dirty). I took West Coast Swing years ago but was travelling and didn’t continue when I came back and forgot the steps. It’s more funky, casual but lots of fun and the music is upbeat…a mix bag of rockabilly, country, blues and current pop music – club style dancing with a partner. The opposite of tango although there is a mixer where both dances are incorporated into the evening which should be interesting. My instructor Pamela Podmoroff is one of Canada’s top competitive dancers – but she knows HOW TO TEACH. A rare package. She’s fun, friendly and patient. Both of these classes are gender balanced.
A good reason to dance West Coast Swing – CHECK OUT this short video:
Strictly Tango with Nadia (BIO):
Nadia’s love affair with dance began early, with lessons in classical ballet at age ten in her home country, Iran. By the time she was fourteen, she’d earned a scholarship to study ballet in New York City. By nineteen, she was the youngest company soloist of the San Diego Ballet. Even when university studies and a successful career as a high school teacher demanded her focus — and took her from the United States to Canada and on to New Zealand— Nadia continued to teach ballet at the urging of her students. Her love of dance also took her to Cuba on three occasions, where she studied modern dance. In 2000, back in Vancouver and ready for a change, Nadia put dance on centre stage again, devoting herself full-time to her own studio, the Forufera Centre for Dance.
The Dancing King
My sis took this recent pic of me in the kitchen. Me at my most natural.
I’m not so sure what to make of this…but would it be so wrong to hang a skateboard on my wall as an ART piece? I mean we hang masks, why not a skateboard?
EmilioPucciLimited Edition Skateboards
I can ice skate and rollerblade, but I have never skated on a board and my dog barks at anyone who does. But if I did (and was still in my 20’s or under), I would be attracted to this limited-edition Pucci skateboard collection.
It wouldn’t be the first time a luxury brand has put its stamp on a recreational item (Chanel surfboards, Alexander Wang pool toys, Louis Vuitton golf bags, the list goes on). It is, however, the first time a brand tapped art students to reimagine its archives as something entirely new for the younger set. The resulting street decks are emblazoned with seven graphic takes on Pucci’s classic, color-happy prints. And while each one easily qualifies as an enjoy-from-afar art piece, they’re constructed from scratch-resistant Balkan beech wood and equipped with durable, trick-friendly wheels—in short, they’re meant for riding.
Instead of a traditional announcement, Pucci collaborated with NOWNESSon a short film to break the news. HERE:
One of Vincent van Gogh’s olive tree paintings has literally sprung to life, reproduced as a large, growing field in Minnesota. Last month the Minneapolis Institute of Art(Mia) unveiled a 1.5-acre work of crop art by Stan Herd, a Kansas-based artist who has planted many earthworks around the world, including a re-creation of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches of gliders. Commissioned by Mia to celebrate the museum’s centennial, this most recent piece replicates van Gogh’s “Olive Trees,” one of 15 known paintings of the trees the artist produced in the fall of 1889. That specific work actually hangs in the museum, but Herd’s has sprouted on a site belonging to media firm Thomson Reuters, near the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.Herd has cultivated the field since spring, and his sprawling artwork will remain on view through the end of the fall. Prior to the planting, he had to carefully determine which specific plants and soils to incorporate in order to best represent van Gogh’s particular palette. The painter’s brushstrokes, too, demanded the mowing and digging of many serpentine paths.“You can see this is darker, so I’m planting these kind of more verdant, green plants, he explained in a video about the crop artwork’s creation, pointing at a gridded version of the painting he used as a plan.
“The amazing thing about van Gogh’s painting is that there’s not a single straight line in the whole canvas,” he added. “Everything is organic and curved and flowing, and it’s like a pulse.”
The result, just slightly muted in tone, is impressively faithful to the original painting. Mia chose the site specifically so planes arriving to the airport will pass it, so you’ll be able to see it from above if you’re flying into the city — just be sure to choose a seat on the left.
Source: Claire Voonfor hyperallergic.com
Photos: all images courtesy Minneapolis Institute of Arts unless otherwise stated
FOOD and ART are two things to be thankful for in this life
Hannah Rothstein, “René Magritte” (2014) (all images courtesy the artist, via hrothstein.com)
Plating the two together is an interesting concept as you can see from these images from San-Francisco based artist Hannah Rothstein, as she proposes answers to the burning questions about How Famous Artists Would Plate Thanksgiving Meals.
Hannah Rothstein, “Andy Warhol” (2014)
Have you ever wondered what Vincent van Gogh’s Thanksgiving spread would have looked like? Probably like this:
Hannah Rothstein, “Vincent van Gogh” (2014)
Would Jackson Pollock have been as gestural in his deployment of gravy and cranberry sauce as he was with his paints?
Hannah Rothstein, “Jackson Pollock” (2014)
Would Piet Mondrian have been as thoughtful in his doling out of mashed potatoes and turkey as he was with his reds, blues, and yellows?
Hannah Rothstein, “Piet Mondrian” (2014)
The results range from appetizing to off-putting, but in most cases Rothstein has done a good job cooking up culinary visual styles associated with each of the artists.
Hannah Rothstein, “Mark Rothko” (2014)
Would the GIRL who would be KINGmake sure she fit every possible food group on her plate?
Certainly she would! GIRL who would be KING (2015)
Balloons always remind me of birthday parties or open houses. A cause for celebration!
An art installation of 100,000 white balloon clusters, sculpted into the shape of magnificent clouds…or one glorious bubble bath.
Let me explain….Covent Gardens has commissioned French artist Charles Pétillon, famous for his playful balloon ‘invasions’, to create his first ever installation in a public space called “Heartbeat.” A pulsating light beams into the installation a little like a heartbeat which is meaning to indicate the notion of Covent Garden as one of London’s most central structures.
An incredibly photographic display. Wish I were there to see it in person. But just like a heartbeat…..it has come and gone.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
You must be logged in to post a comment.