Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The Story of Ultramarine from the Silk Road to Renoir


From the National Gallery in London:

How did ultramarine go from being more expensive than gold to one of the cheapest pigements for artists? Follow the journey of this vibrant blue colour, ultramarine, one of the most celebrated and sought-after pigments in art. Joanna Russell from our Scientific Department looks at the use of this blue in 'The Wilton Diptych' and Renoir's 'Umbrellas'. The Chemistry of Colour series explores some of the weird and wonderful ways pigments were historically produced, and how we can identify them today. ๐Ÿงช๐Ÿ”ฌ 'The Wilton Diptych' and 'Umbrellas' are part National Treasures. 12 of the nation’s most iconic and well-loved paintings from our collection are being lent to 12 venues across the UK. The National Treasures displays open simultaneously on 10 May 2024, the 200th anniversary of the Gallery’s opening in London, enabling people from all over the country to see, up close, some of the greatest works in the history of Western art. ๐Ÿ’› Find out more about National Treasures: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ex... ๐Ÿ’™ Find out more about 'The Wilton Diptych': https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/pa... ๐Ÿ’™ Find out more about Renoir's 'Umbrellas': https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/pa... #NationalGallery #ColourTheory #ArtHistory"

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Through Tibetan Eyes

 


Gregg Chadwick
72"x96" oil on linen 2006-2024

"In old Arabic poetry love, song, blood and travel appear as four basic desires of the human heart and the only effective means against our fear of death. Thus travel is elevated to the dignity of the elementary needs of humankind." - Czeslaw Milosz on the poetry of travel


Movement, travel and pilgrimage are themes that often appear in my paintings. Travel can involve a physical relocation or it can exist in the realm of the senses. In 2006 I attended "A Gathering of Hearts Illuminating Compassion," an interfaith meeting in San Francisco. The Dalai Lama was the keynote speaker at the event. He entered the packed hall, briskly moved up the center aisle, but stopped briefly to greet an elderly Tibetan woman a few feet from where I was seated. Then the Dalai Lama suddenly spun around and, with a beatific smile, gazed deeply and directly into my eyes.

I was transfixed. The moment was short, but to me it felt as if all time collapsed within that point. For that moment, it seemed as if the Dalai Lama yearned to see with my eyes as I, in turn, learned to see through his. I have been working on this painting ever since to put my experience of that moment of empathy and connection down on canvas.

The Santa Monica Airport Art Walk will return on May 18, 2024

 



Great News! The Santa Monica Airport Art Walk will return on May 18, 2024 from 1-4 PM.

My studio - #15 at 3026 Airport Ave will be open from 1-4. Santa Monica Airport ArtWalk Saturday, May 18 | 1-4 PM 18th Street Arts Center Airport Campus 3026 Airport Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90405 FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

RSVP Appreciated at https://18thstreet.org/event/santa-monica-airport-artwalk/

The Santa Monica Airport hosts a vibrant community of over 60 artists, creative venues, and a spirited aviation scene. You’ll have the chance to explore over 30 local artist studios, shop unique ceramics and glasswares created by Santa Monica College students and unleash your own creativity through free artist-led workshops. Don’t miss what is sure to be an unforgettable art-filled day! While you’re here, don’t forget to check out Karla Diaz: Wait ‘til Your Mother Gets Home in the Propeller Gallery. Open through June 22. Participating Artists: Sally Lamb, Daniela Schweitzer, Crystal Michaelson, Wendy Edlen, Rebecca Youssef, Luigia Martelloni, Susie McKay Krieser, Margaret Oakley, Ameeta Nanji, Gregg Chadwick, Alexandra Dillon, Gwen Samuels, Sabine Pearlman, Maddy LeMel, Annette Miae Kim, Paula Rosen, Melinda Smith Altshuler, Claudia Concha, Julie Wiess, Sheila Karbassian, Pamela Simon, M Susan Broussard, Lola Del Fresno, Joan Wulf, Labkhand Olfatmanesh, Mobina Nouri, Isabel Van Aalst, Randy Lopez, Leili Hashemi, Laraine Mestman, Shelly Corwin, Fielden Harper, Gus Harper + Elsie Simms, and Pilot Outfitters.

But We Had Music

But We Had Music (The Universe In Verse, 2024 feat. Nick Cave) from Daniel Bruson on Vimeo.


How, knowing that even the universe is dying, do we bear our lives? The finitude and yet vastness of both our deeds and the cosmos through a fleeting moment of contemplation.

"But We Had Music" is a poem written by Maria Popova, performed here by Nick Cave and transformed into animation by Daniel Bruson, using charcoal drawings, light caustics and optical distortions with glass. The film was made as part of the seventh annual Universe in Verse — a many-hearted labor of love, celebrating the wonder of reality through science and poetry, that took place on April 7th, 2024, on the eve of a total solar eclipse.

More information on The Marginalian: themarginalian.org/2024/04/06/but-we-had-music/?mc_cid=4012e1f8d6&mc_eid=dee49e1ab2

Poem by Maria Popova
Reading by Nick Cave
Animation and Direction by Daniel Bruson
Music by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Voice edit by Pรชu Ribeiro

Created for The Universe In Verse, a project by Maria Popova.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Primrose Hill


Primrose Hill · James McCartney Primrose Hill ℗ 2024 James McCartney Released on: 2024-04-12 Composer, Writer: James McCartney Composer, Writer: Sean Ono Lennon

Sunday, April 14, 2024

3 to 1: rafa esparza


From the San Jose Museum of Art:

"3 to 1 is a video series that presents three unique perspectives on one artwork from the SJMA’s permanent collection. Watch as artists, curators, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, and more provide their take on the creative moment. In this video, singer San Cha, poet Yosimar Reyes and his grandmother Mardonia Galeana, and SJMA registrar Anamarie Alongi offer insight into rafa esparza’s artistic practice, his work with adobe, and being a Brown queer artist living in the United States."


rafa esparza, "Yosi con Abuela," 2021. Acrylic on adobe, 72 x 57 inches. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Acquisitions Committee. 2021.12.