Dance: Billie Eilish - What was I made for

Choreography: Holly Mitchell

via Holly Mitchell

Cosplay is an Art: San Japan 2023

via mineralblu 

Album Cover: Taylor Swift - 1989

Album Cover

Album: Taylor Swift - 1989

Released: October 27, 2014

Model: Taylor Swift

Photographers: Sarah Barlow and Stephen Schofield 

Design and Illustration: Austin Hale and Amy Fucci

Guillermo Kahlo

Photography Appreciation

Born on October 26, 1871, in Pforzheim, Germany, Carl Wilhelm Kahlo, later known as Guillermo Kahlo, was a prominent Mexican photographer who captured the essence of Mexican culture, society, and history through his lens. 

In 1891, Kahlo arrived in Mexico as an immigrant, and a few years later he became a Mexican citizen. His passion for photography developed during his time in the vibrant and culturally rich nation, and established himself as a successful portrait photographer. He is also recognized for capturing the construction of Mexico's modern quarter and industrial facilities.

In 1894, Guillermo Kahlo married Matilde Calderón y González, who was a Mexican of Spanish and indigenous descent. Their daughter, Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, known as Frida Kahlo, would go on to become an iconic artist in her own right. Guillermo's influence on Frida's artistic sensibilities and her eventual career as a painter is undeniable, as he introduced her to art, literature, and photography from a young age.

Tragically, Guillermo Kahlo suffered from epilepsy, a condition that would affect his daughter Frida's life as well. He passed away on April 14, 1941 in Coyoacán, Mexico City.

Fundidora Monterrey “Convertidor Bessemer, soplando” (c. 1910)

Funerals of Mr. M. C. Cano Gutiérrez at the facilities of 

La Tabacalera Mexicana, S. A., Mexico City, (1922)

Matilde Calderón y González (1897)

Sources:

Wikipedia 

http://www.revistaimagenes.esteticas.unam.mx/con_especialidad_en_arquitectura

Huhle, Rainer. "More than Frida's Father, Guillermo Kahlo as a Pioneer of Industrial and Architectural Photography in Mexico." PDF

Claude Cahun

Photography Appreciation 

Claude Cahun, a prominent figure in photography and Surrealism during the 20th century, made a lasting impact on the art world by passionately exploring gender and sexual identity. Their influence extended significantly after their passing, resonating within the LGBTQ+ community, art historians, and feminists.

Originally named Lucy Schwob, Claude Cahun was born on October 25, 1894, in Nantes, France. Challenging gender norms, they adopted the name Claude Cahun in 1919.

Growing up in an intellectually and artistically stimulating environment, Claude Cahun was exposed to a diverse range of ideas from an early age. They attended the University of Paris, Sorbonne, where, at the age of 18, they began creating photographic self-portraits.

During the early 1920s, Claude Cahun settled with their lifelong partner, Suzanne Malherbe, who took on the pseudonym Marcel Moore. They became step-sisters in 1917 when Cahun's father and Moore's mother married. This partnership led to numerous collaborative works throughout their lives.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Claude Cahun delved into photography and aligned themselves with the Surrealist movement. Their photography often explored the subconscious, pushing the boundaries of reality to unveil hidden truths. Notably, Cahun's work delved into a radical exploration of gender and identity. Through self-portraits, they played with androgyny, defying traditional gender roles and presenting a fluid, multifaceted understanding of the self.

In 1932, Cahun joined the Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires, where they met André Breton and René Crevel. Subsequently, Cahun began associating with the surrealist group and participated in several surrealist exhibitions, including the London International Surrealist Exhibition (New Burlington Gallery) and Exposition surréaliste d'Objets (Charles Ratton Gallery, Paris).

Moore and Cahun's artistic pursuits were deeply intertwined with political activism, including creating and distributing anti-Nazi propaganda. Their unwavering resistance during World War II in German-occupied Jersey, in the English Channel, led to their imprisonment and near execution in 1945. Unfortunately, Cahun's health never fully recovered from their mistreatment in jail, and they passed away in 1954.

Their avant-garde self-portraits challenged androgyny, defying traditional gender norms, and presented a fluid and multifaceted understanding of self. These rebellious self-portraits were a visual form of protest, aiming to disrupt established norms and provoke thought.

Claude Cahun (1927)

Self-portrait (1927)

“Claude Cahun in Le Mystère d’Adam” (1929)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jan/08/gillian-wearing-claude-cahun-mask-national-portrait-gallery

https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/7358/claude-cahun-a-very-curious-spirit

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/obituaries/claude-cahun-overlooked.html

https://www.artforum.com/events/claude-cahun-2-190686/

INXS - Need You Tonight / Mediate

Music Appreciation

Released on October 24, 1987, INXS' Need You Tonight solidified the band's place as one of the biggest of the 1980s.  

Written by Tim Farriss and Michael Hutchence, the song, which is included in the band's sixth studio album Kick, combines an irresistible beat, catchy chorus, and Hutchence's seductive vocals. 

The music video, directed by Richard Lowenstein, combines live action and animation. It features Hutchence in a series of dream-like sequence, which makes it probably one of the most iconic music videos of the 1980s. 

And the song and it's music video can't stand alone, without Mediate, an homage to Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues.  

"Try not to hate. Love your mate."

Sources:

Wikipedia

whf c. ai (60%)

Body Art: Cospainting, Kay Pike

via Art Warehouse