"Hit the Juan" (Paisa Zumba with Tiburcio)

COMEDY

via Eddie G!

Dance: Selena Gomez - Good for You

Choreography: Valeriya Yufereva (Uferson_She)
vk.com/uferson_she


via UfersonShe

Cosplay... Is An Art: Anime LA 2016

via Nerd Reactor

The Birds

Film Appreciation

If you haven't seen Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, do yourself a favor, find it, rent it, borrow it and watch it.

The horror film, which stars Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Jessica Tandy, is loosely based on the 1925 story by Daphne du Maurier about a unexplained bird attack on people of Bodega Bay, California.

via Movieclips Trailer Vault

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(film)
http://www.moviefone.com/2013/03/25/the-birds-alfred-hitchcock-25-things-you-didnt-know/

Mary Sauer

Art Appreciation

While surfing art blogs, I came across a painting titled Genevieve by American artist Mary Sauer. The painting features a woman in a blue dress lounging on a couch with a box fan in the background and two cats in the image. Perhaps the woman is returning from an evening out, and finds serenity at home. Maybe she is contemplating how the evening went.

Influenced by John Singer Sargent, Mary Sauer is known for her impressionistic figurative oil paintings of women and children.

You can see more of her wonderful work HERE.

Genevieve via anartfulnature

Levi II via themotherofnine9

Sources:

http://www.marysauerart.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mary.sauer.581/
https://www.instagram.com/marysauerart/
http://marysauer.blogspot.com/
http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Mary_Sauer.aspx
http://www.southwestart.com/articles-interviews/emerging-artists/21-under-31-mary-sauer
http://anartfulnature.blogspot.com/2012/07/painting-of-day-painting-by-mary-sauer.html
https://themotherofnine9.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/capturing-vulnerabilty-on-canvas/

Matthew Barney

Art Appreciation

While visiting the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, I came across the creativity of American artist Matthew Barney. The museum was screening The Cremaster Cycle, a series of five films that incorporates Barney's sculptures, photographs, and drawings with the concept of ascending and descending of the male's cremaster muscle.

Fawn, Cremaster 4 (1994) via iamzhangyuan

via luetrange

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Barney
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cremaster_Cycle
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVQQtypy_6GNIeAWnp1FfVg
https://iamzhangyuan.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/matthew-barney/
http://benoliverisalive.blogspot.com/2007/10/matthew-barney-drawing-restraint.html
http://averymccarthy.blogspot.com/2009/03/sculpture-and-performance-art-by.html

Painting with acrylics

A friend of mine inspired me to paint an image I took of my son running to first base during baseball practice. The painting turned out better than I thought.

The method I used was tracing a printout of the photograph on a transparancy. The background was done first freehand, then the image was projected on the canvas. I traced the trees and the running paths then painted. After I finished, I projected the image of my son and traced it. The challenge I faced was that the projection was not clear, so I improvised and relied on my observation of the image to complete the painting.

Dance: Igor Stravinsky "The Rite of Spring"

Dance Appreciation

Choreography: Maurice Béjart

via Kanál uživatele Chlap77

Daryl Zang

Art Appreciation

Born in New York City, Daryl Zang is known for her self-portraits that are based on moments in her life such as pregnancy and motherhood. She explains, on her Facebook page, that her journals serve as a guide when developing her paintings.

You can view a video about the artist HERE and visit her website HERE.

Acceptance via artslant 

Wonder via artodyssey1 

Drained via poramoralarte-exposito 

Sources:

http://zangstudios.com/blog/
https://www.facebook.com/darylzang.artist
https://vimeo.com/114386668
http://www.cavaliergalleries.com/artist/Daryl_Zang/biography/
http://womenpaintingwomen.blogspot.com/2014/08/daryl-zang.html
http://artodyssey1.blogspot.com/2010/08/daryl-zang-art-for-me-is-deeply.html
http://poramoralarte-exposito.blogspot.com/2015/07/daryl-zang.html
http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/175184-daryl-zang

Tommy

Film Appreciation

"Your senses will never be the same."

Based on The Who's 1969 rock opera album, Tommy is a 1975 British musical fantasy film about a boy who witnesses his father's death and becomes catatonic.

Directed by Ken Russell, the film featured well-known actors such as Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, and Tina Turner. Ann-Margret won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.


via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment


Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_(1975_film)
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/mar19.htm

Hiroh Kikai

Photography Appreciation

Born in Yamagata, Japan, Hiroh Kikai was a photographer known for portraits of people in the Asakusa area of Tokyo and scenes of buildings.

In an interview with photography blogger Marc Feustel, Hiroh Kikai states that he became a photographer, "not because I thought I could make a living from it, but because I was irresistibly drawn to the medium."

Regardings the art of photography, Hiroh Kikai explains, "A photographer must constantly put himself into perspective because photography is not an innate language. It is not because I spend 24 hours running through the streets looking for photogenic models to pose for my camera that I will get good results." You can read the complete interview HERE.

Hiroh passed away on October 19, 2020.

You can see more of his wonderful photographs HERE.

A Performer of Butoh Dance (2001) via bremser

Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa, Tokyo (1986) via zoebalthus

Sources:

http://www.kikaihiro.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroh_Kikai
http://www.yanceyrichardson.com/artists/hiroh-kikai/index.html
https://www.lensculture.com/articles/hiroh-kikai-hiroh-kikai-talks-about-photography
http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/hiroh-kikai
http://bremser.tumblr.com/post/79265336409/hiroh-kikai-a-performer-of-butoh-dance
http://zoebalthus.tumblr.com/post/75798142313/kitashinagawa-shinagawa-tokyo-1986-hiroh

Marco Rubio's Immigration

I rarely do post political stuff. I mean, this blog is about art and not politics, right. However, I did appreciate some of what Presidential Candidate Marco Rubio had to say in his concession speech delivered on March 15, 2016 regarding immigration.

...I know immigration in America is broken. No one understands this issue better than I do. My parents are immigrants. My grandparents were immigrants. Jennette's parents were immigrants. I live in a community of immigrants. I’ve seen the good, and the bad, and the ugly. I’ve battled my whole life against the so-called elites, the people who think that, you know, I needed to wait my turn or wait in line or it wasn't our chance or wasn't our time. So, I understand all of these frustrations.

...My mother was one of seven girls born to a poor family. Her father was disabled as a child. He struggled to provide for them his entire life. My mother told us a few years ago she never went to bed hungry growing up, but she knows her parents did, so they wouldn't have to. She came to this country in 1956 with little education, no money, no connections. My parents struggled their first years here. They were discouraged. They even thought about going back to Cuba at one point, but they persevered. They never became rich. I didn't inherit any money from my parents. They never became famous. You never would have heard about them if I had never run for office. And yet I consider my parents to be very successful people. Because in this country, working hard as a bartender and a maid, they owned a home and they retired with dignity. In this country, they lived to see all four of their children live better off than themselves. And in this country, on this day, my mother, who is now 85 years old, was able to cast a ballot for her son to be the president of the United States of America.

I too come from a family of immigrants. My dad is a naturalized U.S. Citizen--he was born in Mexico but grew up in the United States. Both my parents grew up in low-income households, and similar to Senator Rubio's family, my parents struggled.

Senator Rubio, however, failed to elaborate "struggle," or perhaps he only wanted to focus on the social-economic sense of the word "struggle."

...For we in this nation are the descendants of go-getters. In our veins runs the blood of people who gave it all up so we would have the chances they never did. We are all the descendants of someone who made our future the purpose of their lives. We are the descendants of pilgrims. We are the descendants of settlers. We are the descendants of men and women that headed westward in the Great Plains not knowing what awaited them. We are the descendants of slaves who overcame that horrible institution to stake their claim in the American Dream. We are the descendants of immigrants and exiles who knew and believed that they were destined for more, and that there was only one place on earth where that was possible. This is who we are, and let us fight to ensure that this is who we remain. For if we lose that about our country, we will still be rich and we will still be powerful, but we will no longer be special.

My parents lived at a time where blacks and Hispanics had to enter through the back and dine in a different room. They lived in an era where people were judged based on skin color, and called derogatory names associated with their race. But they too persevered to get a higher education and land great jobs. I benefited from that and never really understood the word "struggle," because I grew up not having to worry.

It goes beyond "We are the descendants of slaves who overcame that horrible institution to stake their claim in the American Dream." Try overcoming racism and hate years after the Emancipation Proclamation, during the Civil Rights Movement and even today. Try overcoming discrimination based on the color of your skin and having that hinder acceptance to a university, a job, or a loan.

Yes, we as a collective are "descendants of go-getters," but there are many, especially the go-getters in the minority population, that aren't given the opportunity that privileged whites have. 

Source:

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-prez-marco-rubio-speech-transcript-20160315-story.html

Memento

Film Appreciation

Considered one of the best films of its decade, Memento is a neo-noir psychological thriller that explores a man's memory and perception.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is structured in two timelines, chronologically and in reverse order. The movie stars Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano.


via TrailersEmpire1's channel

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_(film)
http://www.cinefania.com/movie.php/143073/

The Killers - Somebody Told Me

Music Appreciation

American rock band the Killer's Somebody Told Me was released on March 15, 2016. The music video, which was directed by Brett Simon, features the band performing in front of a giant LED TV screen.


via TheKillersVEVO


Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somebody_Told_Me

Dance: Selena Gomez - BEATS

Choreography by Stéphanie Rollet
Mov'n Dance à Lyon
http://www.movndance.com/


via movndance stephanie

Marc-Antoine Coulon

Art Appreciation

Marc-Antoine Coulon is a fashion illustrator influenced by artists such as René Gruau, Andy Warhol, and Antonio Lopez. His work has been featured in many fashion magazines like VOGUE Paris, ELLE, and Palace Costes.

You can see more of his work HERE.

via marc-antoine-coulon

via jeffybruce

via erosart

Sources:

http://marc-antoinecoulon.fr/
https://www.facebook.com/coulon.marcantoine
https://www.instagram.com/marcantoinecoulon/?hl=en
http://marc-antoine-coulon.tumblr.com/
https://erosart.tumblr.com/post/110905095617/french-fashion-illustrator-marc-antoine-coulon
http://jeffybruce.blogspot.com/2014/12/marc-antoine-coulon-artist-illustrator.html
https://drawadot.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/swide-archives-marc-antoine-coulon/

Dance: Planets, excerpt - Quartet from Venus

Dance Appreciation

Choreography: Lar Lubovitch


 

David LaChapelle

Photography Appreciation

 
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, David LaChapelle is a fine arts photographer best known for conveying social messages in his work.

At the age of 17, he was offered a job as a photographer by Andy Warhol for Interview magazine. Soon after, his photographs have appeared on the covers and pages of magazines such as GQ, Rolling Stones, and Vanity Fair. His subjects have included many celebrities such as Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Courtney Love.

You can see more of his amazing work HERE.

Kissing Sailors for Diesel (1994) via homodesiribus

Deluge (2009) via emilywebster

La Pieta with Courtney Love (2007) via alauristoncps

Sources:

http://www.lachapellestudio.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_LaChapelle
https://myspace.com/davidlachapellestudio
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-lachapelle-claims-pop-art-throne/
http://homodesiribus.blogspot.com/2013/11/blog-post_611.html
http://emilywebster.com/deluge/
https://alauristoncps.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/assignment-4-narrative-photography-research/david-lachapelle-courtney-love/

Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell - Blurred Lines

Music Appreciation

Robin Thicke is an Americsn singer, songwriter and music producer best known for his music video Blurred Lines which features Pharrell and T.I.

Born on March 10, 1977, Thicke is son to actor and songwriter Alan Thicke and actress Gloria Loring. He made a name for himself first as a songwriter and producer for artists such as Brandy, Jimmy Jam, Jordan Knight, and Christina Aguilera.

The Blurred Lines video, which was released on March 26, 2013 and produced by Pharrell Williams, featured models Emily Ratajkowski, Jessi M'Bengue, and Elle Evans.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blurred_Lines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Thicke

Maurice Ravel - Boléro

Music Appreciation

French composer, pianist and conductor Joseph Maurice Ravel was born on March 7, 1875. He is best known for his one-movement orchestral piece Boléro. The piece is written for a large orchestra beginning pianissimo (soft) and rising in a continuous crescendo to fortissimo (loud).

Conductor: Valery Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bol%C3%A9ro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Ravel

Juan Carlos Manjarrez

Art Appreciation

Mexican born artist Juan Carlos Manjarrez is known for his hyper-realistic paintings. The details in his paintings are precise and photographic-like.

You can see more of the self-taught painter HERE.

Tribute to Anne Geedes via fubiz

Seduction via emptykingdom

Introspection II via elhurgador

Sources:

http://juancarlosmanjarrez.net/
https://www.facebook.com/JuanCManjarrez

https://youtu.be/D2vuso_GY4w

http://www.fubiz.net/en/2013/08/06/juan-carlos-manjarrez-paintings/

https://bonexpose.com/featured/juan-carlos-manjarrez/

http://www.emptykingdom.com/featured/juan-carlos-manjarrez/

http://elhurgador.blogspot.com/2013/12/juan-carlos-manjarrez-pintura.html

http://designcollector.net/juan-carlos-manjarrez/

Cosplay... Is An Art: ANIME LOS ANGELES 2016

via Digitized TV

Frédéric Chopin - Prelude No 4 in E minor, Op 28

Music Appreciation

I'm a big fan of Polish composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin. Born on March 1, 1810 in east central Poland, near Warsaw, Chopin was a child prodigy who left his country and settled in Paris at the age of 21. He suffered from poor health and is thought to have died of tuberculosis in 1849.

Pianist: Khatia Buniatishvili

via Cantus 5

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin