Out of Lascaux

Still Lifes

The NY Times has an article on the still life images of Peter Claesz. This artist is representative of the 17th Century Dutch still-life artists. Very realistic, lots of gleaming objects, images of excess and the requisite momento mori images of skulls.

Pieter Claesz
Still-life with Turkey-Pie
Oil on wood
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

While trolling Blogshares (surprise!), I came across a modern artist doing the same type of thing. She's not alone. Lots of artists really like the old Dutch still-life tradition, like this one.

The image I chose above doesn't really show you what the modern artists are doing, so I've added this:

Pieter Claesz
Still-life with Wine Glass and Silver Bowl
Oil on wood, 42 x 59 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

Animal Rescue

I have been just sick about all the animals left in New Orleans. If I had time and money, that's what I would be doing right now - rescuing animals. It's the one cause I give money to (plenty of people giving to human causes; animals need love, too!)

So I was so tickled to see this entry on a blog I came across through Blogshares. Seems Gaygaybrad is a New Orleans resident. The rest of his adventures are worth reading, too.

Cluck, Cluck

Oh, this is just great. It seems the Tate Gallery in London, one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world, has sprouted feathers and a yellow streak. They have decided not to exhibit John Latham's "God is Great," for fear of offending the Muslims. This art work "consists of a large sheet of thick glass with copies of Islam, Christianity and Judaism's most sacred texts - the Koran, Bible and Talmud - apparently embedded within its surface." Ooooh, how very anti-Islamic! I bet the Christians and the Jews are going to be up in arms, too... oh, wait, we weren't worried about them. Just the Muslims. The Tate is afraid of violence.

Understandably, John Latham is ticked off and is demanding his work back. If the Tate curators are going to be such a wusses, they should give it back so a gallery with a backbone can exhibit it in a place of prominance.

Green Day

I realize I'm no expert on music, but, as they say, "I know what I like." I like Green Day's American Idiot, especially "Holiday". Got it home and took a look at the lyrics. Lyrics? What lyrics? I expected something deep or profound, but all I read was "oh, life sucks, everyone hates me, and I hate them, and life in America sucks, and isn't life grim, etc., etc." Aside from these sentiments, their lyrics didn't say much of anything. I just think the members of Green Day are a little old for the whole "disaffected youth" thing. Still, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Holiday" both sound great and I'll continue to listen to them - when I can get the CD away from my son.

Now, R.E.M., "Losing my Religion." That's a great song, especially since the phrase "losing my religion" was explained to me by my husband. Yeah, that describes me - open mouth, insert foot, feel stupid forever afterwards. That's a song that speaks to me.

UPDATE>: So maybe the song speaks to me, but it's speaking in tongues 'cause I didn't quite understand it. See comments.

Katrina in Pictures

I saw this on this person's blog. It is a photo document of New Orleans pre-flood, post-flood and up to the time the author managed to get out. All I can say is WOW.

Greatest Painting Winner

Oh, I am so good! The painting I voted for is the WINNER! Fighting Temeraire by Joseph Mallord Turner. Yeah, baby!

QBIC

Well, I have been "attending" my library science classes for almost two weeks now and have already learned a few things. I discovered an image recognition technology used for search engines that is just too cool. Below is a portion of the assignment with the exciting part left in.

There are currently two basic ways to search for images - using text and using image recognition technology. Google Images uses text - type in a phrase, and it will find all images with that phrase attached, usually as a file name. However, this way of searching is limited, especially if you don't know the name or anything about the image. IBM developed QBIC which allows the user to search by color and pattern. No text necessary! The Hermitage Museum in St.Petersberg, Russia, uses QBIC on its website. I recommend everyone go to this site now.

You really need to go there and play with this. Really.

Appalled

I am so naive. I tend to believe the best about people, give them the benefit of the doubt, you know, innocent until proven guilty. I would not have imagined that law enforcement officials could have been responsible for the death and horror that followed immediately after Katrina's wake. But, the horror stories are starting to come out. Refugees threatened with guns, safe encampments dispersed by being fired upon. People told to fend for themselves, then told they could not leave, and then left to find food and water on their own. No wonder people were looting. They had to just to survive. OK, they didn't need the plasma TV, but the food and water in the grocery stores, yes, they were entirely justified.

And where was Lousiana's National Guard? In Iraq. I thought it was the National, not the International Guard. They should have been here, protecting Americans, not in Iraq getting blown up.

I am just completely disgusted with FEMA, with New Orleans' law enforcement, with everyone. But especially with the president.

Bush has a lot of explaining to do. But you know, I bet he doesn't care. He's not up for re-election, so why should it matter to him? But, we have to do something to make sure all his cronies leave when he does. Otherwise, we won't be any safer at home than we were before.

And I'm sorry, Oprah, but it's not the nation that needs to apologize, it's the government. The nation is the people, and everyone is willing, even eager to do all they can to help. The goivernment fucked up. The government should be held accountable.

Mail Art

I've discovered an interesting fad in blogging. Well, it's actually in art and snail mail, but there are lots of blogs about it. It's mail art, and it consists of people creating works of art on postcards and sending them to each other. There are some really beautiful things out there. This one is a favorite of mine. You can see a brief list of these blogs on Blogshares