SoBlondeArt: Inspirational Art

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Scream - Edvard Munch

„I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.“ – Edvard Munch on his inspiration for the „Scream“ - one of the most famous expressionist paintings of all time. Seeing this painting for the first time, a long time ago, made me fall in love with expressionism. It didn't depict a pretty scenery, it wasn't about some dreamy landscapes, it wasn't soothing, it wasn't nice, lovely, it wasn't painted realistic, and it certainly wasn't a beautiful sight. It was all about how it's like to experience something; it depicted an intense emotion, a state of mind, a real story that was far from real, a distorted perception, how what was inside got on the outside. I loved it instantly. Made me think. Feeling his scream and how he experienced it, then seeing the two other figures walking calmly behind him in the distance, completely unaware of what he is experiencing inside of his head made me think about how truly remarkable it is that we all experience reality differently – seeing it from within. I remember thinking – this is it, this is art. A perfect release and transference of emotion in material form – a masterpiece. (And I could never understand people who don’t get it).

Scream executed in oil, tempera, pastel on cardboard, in 1893 by Edvard Munch

Scream translated into a lithograph, in 1895 by Edvard Munch

Joy Division "She's lost control"

Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Fantastic Laurie Lipton

If you’re into black, humor, provocative and disturbing you’re going to definitely love Laurie Lipton. One of the hardest techniques in visual arts is definitely pencil drawing. This, one of the most time-consuming techniques, takes a great amount of effort, patience, precision, persistence, attention to detail, talent and most importantly, true love for drawing to make a good outcome. However, when you look at the drawings of Laurie Lipton you cannot but think in the extremes when it comes to those factors. This is one truly outstanding artist whom you simply have to admire not just for her talent but for her obvious passion for drawing and her insanely unique style. Born in New York, Laurie started drawing at the age of four, has earned herself a Fine Arts Degree in Drawing, traveled across the world and has now become a part of the pop-culture. Her stuff is worn printed on celebrities’ T-shirts and other accessories these days since she started collaborating with AllSaints, a fashion company. On her official website she wrote: “it’s an insane way to draw, but the resulting detail and luminosity is worth the amount of effort. My drawings take longer to create than a painting of equal size and detail.” As for her inspiration, Laurie claims that she was mostly influenced by the work of Durer, Memling, Van Eyck, Goya and Rembrandt and the famous photographer Diane Arbus. And as for her style I guess the Guardian puts it best:” No escapism here; all dark corners are revealed. “Abounding with black humor, irony, symbolism, thoughts on sex, destruction, insanity, terror, death and the afterlife, this women’s work truly speaks for itself.