Bazille - Studio at Condamine Street

"The scene is set in the studio in the rue de la Condamine which Bazille shared with Renoir from January 1st 1868 to May 15th 1870. Bazille is in the centre, a palette in his hand. But as he wrote in a letter to his father: "Manet painted me in". One can in fact see Manet's vigorous style in the tall, slim figure of the young man. And indeed, Manet, wearing a hat, is looking at the canvas placed on the easel. On the right, Edmond Maître, a friend of Bazille, is seated at the piano. Above him, a still life by Monet is a reminder that Bazille helped him financially by buying his work. The three characters on the left are more difficult to identify – possibly Monet, Renoir or even Zacharie Astruc... By surrounding Manet and his admirers with some of his paintings that were refused by the Salon, such as The Toilette (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) above the sofa, and Fisherman with a Net (Zürich, Fondation Rau) higher up on the left, and even more realistically Renoir's "landscape with two people" rejected at the 1866 Salon (the large, framed canvas to the right of the window), Bazille is expressing his criticism of the Academy, and affirming his own vision of art. His death in combat some months later, during the Franco-Prussian war, made this work a moving testament." Text from Musée d'Orsay. Click to enlarge.

Vanessa Redgrave - Tragedy and Comedy

"... you notice that there are intense moments of great tragedy and lost, events, you name it, you will always have some..." (click to listen - 1 min)

Berthe Morisot and the Manet brothers

Right: Berthe Morisot portrayed by Edouart Manet her brother-in-law. Left: Eugene Manet portrayed by his wife Berthe Morisot.

International Justice Center - support of justice and the International Criminal Court

Amazingly enough I've found this group at Second Life and of course there was nobody there by the time I was visiting because people have better things to do in their second lives such as virtual sex, vampiring, exploiting others, shopping, you know, all the activities that gives instant relief from boredom, emotional misery and other issues related to human condition. I have written about it at this post at my other blog.
Protecting animals rights, whether in real life and in virtual life, unites many people which is good but it took me a lot of time to discover International Justice Center and it was searching at Google not at Second Life.

"Welcome to the Global Kids International Justice Center, an online clearinghouse for public information and action in support of the ICC.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the world’s first truly global human rights tribunal. The ICC is designed to investigate and try those accused of committing some of the worst violations of human rights, including genocide, mass rape and war crimes.
Headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICC is investigating and trying crimes committed in Sudan, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.

Global Kids in 2008 will be exploring the use of virtual worlds to support the ICC and global justice concerns. Activities will center around the “International Justice Center,” a virtual education and action clearinghouse where people from all over the world can learn about the court, engage with ICC officials, experts and victims, and take action in support of human rights and international justice. More importantly, the Center will serve as the hub of a new social network connecting those already doing the work on the ground with each other and with individuals new to ICC issues within Second Life."

You can reach them at their site. I know that it's a hard job fighting for humans rights but who, when or where? It' about time to have a jurisprudence for humans right violations and there is too much to be done worldwide not only in Africa.

Courbet - The Painter's Studio

Many artists have painted studios some of them with people. Courbet's studio has his friends at the right, including Baudelaire reading, and critics at the left. It is remarkable that although they are all united at a same place people seems isolated and only Courbet, the model and the boy are having any kind of connection. Click to enlarge.

Wordless tuesday

Here

Locks of Love - hair prosthetics for children

Click at the image for After/Before gallery It has put a smile on my face. Locks of Love is a non-religious, non-political, non-for-profit entity that:

"What is Locks of Love?

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need."

If you want to donate hair you can find all explanations here. Perhaps it's in your mind "Should I cut my hair or not?" I'm glad we can make these questions because some children can't. Bad hair day? Lucky you!

Rowan Atkinson: Teaching Baldrick Mathematics - For Mathew

I was adding a video to my YouTube channel and came across with this one that Mathew showed me once. I've been meeting some people that skipped Renascence too.

Mary Cassat meets Vermeer

Right: Woman in blue reading a letter, Vermeer, 1662-63 Left: The Letter, Mary Cassatt, 1880-81 Both captured daily and intimate moments. Here Mary Cassatt, in a Japanese inspired technique, meets Vermeer and it seems that at her painting a decision has already been done while in Vermeer's work something is about to happen after the woman finish reading the letter.

Father's Day Prayer

"Dear God, this year please send clothes for all those poor ladies in Daddy's computer, Amen." Stolen from Sandee at ComedyPlus.

Dali - The Persistence of Time and Einstein

The imagery of The Persistence of Time, 1931, is often read as an illustration of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, where gravity can be seen to distort time.

Mirror's lies

Hmmmm... this is sad and very usual and not only for weight problems. Don't be deceived by the mirror.

Before seeing yourself at the mirror

Even Second Life avatars look at themselves in mirrors and they do the same we do in real life: pose to the mirror. Have you noticed that when you are approaching the mirror you do change your expression to look nicer?

Women and Mirrors - Degas, Kirchner and Picasso

Top: Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917), The Dancing Class (ca. 1870). Bottom left: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner(German, 1880-1938), Woman at the Mirror (1912). Bottom right: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1882-1973), Girl Before a Mirror (1932)

Leonardo da Vinci - St. John the Baptist

It's dimension is 69 x 57 cm still I cannot forget when I first say it at Louvre. As happens to some people who doesn't have patience to stay at the queue to see Mona Lisa I browsed around and got mesmerized by this work. Some critics say that his smile is enigmatic but I don't see it this way and find it quite human instead. Critical approach should not interfere at the first time we are in front of something that touch us in a way that time stops and our mind thinks of nothing else but what is in front of us. It's a wonderful feeling and reason is not a good guide during this rare moments.

Educational Commitment Award

I've just received this award from Herrad at Access Denied. I'm very happy because it came from Herrad, this is a Portuguese Award and it is related to education something of vital importance to make this world a better place. You can see written at the picture "Compromisso Educativo" which means "Educational Commitment" and their site is here. I loved the picture of the children and it made me think immediately at Marj at Survivors can Thrive!. who is very committed to children education and well being. This is yours my sweet Marj. I have other blog friends to pass this and I'll update it in the evening.

The Haunted Studio of Russel Connor - "My love-affair with the past"

I've just found Russell Connor's Haunted Studio site and I'm amazed by his work. You can see the gallery to see his encounters. There is a video and he talks about his work. That's how he describes "Open 24 Hrs" above, 2008.

"This painting is a return to my Masters in Pieces series, in which I combine my version of two famous paintings, or details from them, making a new narrative and a new composition. OPEN 24 HRS is an homage to a favorite American painter, Edward Hopper. One of his greatest and most popular paintings is Nighthawks, 1942, in the collection of the Chicago Art Institute. On a darkened street corner we see, through the window of a brightly lit coffee shop, a couple of customers and the counterman, looking like a scene from a film noir. I wondered, if the shop stayed open around the clock, what they might look like in the light of day, Now, across the street, we can make out the red brick buildings from Hopper's Early Sunday Morning, 1930, one of the treasures of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York."

Men more romantic than women?

Yes, according to this quiz of the book "How to make Anyone Fall in Love with You" by Leil Lowndes, 1996. Wow! I bet women will not agree and, dear Lord, if there's a formula to make others fall in love we are in big trouble.

"Men suffer a bad rap for being less romantic than women. Naturally, if you do a survey of men or women at the mall asking “Who’s more romantic?” the majority will say women. At first glance, the evidence is pretty overwhelming that women are the romantics. Indeed, they are when it comes to saying “I love you,” remembering Valentine’s Day, and knowing “it’s the little things that count” (like an engagement ring). But when it comes to the truly deep and important definition of romance, you men are the big winners.

At some point in your life, gentlemen, the woman of your dreams will probably say accusingly (in response to one of your everyday “insensitive” remarks) that “you men are all alike! You’re so unromantic!” My gift to you is the following. Someday it will come in handy, in self-defense. I’ve packaged it neatly in the form of a quiz that you can give her when she calls you unromantic.

Who really is capable of loving more, men or women?

QUESTIONS	MEN	WOMEN
Who falls in love faster? Who is more idealistic about love? Who usually initiates the breakup? Who suffers more from a breakup? Who loves their lovers more?	__ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __

Who Falls In Love Faster? Men! In one study, seven hundred young lovers were asked, “How early did you realize you were in love?” Men fell in love faster. Before the fourth date, 20 percent of men had taken the tumble, whereas only 15 percent of the women realized Cupid had stung them; 43 percent of the women still didn’t know they were in love by the twentieth date, compared to only 30 percent of the men. Women are more cautious about getting involved.

Who Is More Idealistic About Love? Men! Another study determined that men had a far more idealistic and less practical view of love. Men were not nearly as concerned with a woman’s social position or how much money she made. More men felt that as long as two people truly love each other, they should have no trouble getting along in marriage.

Who Usually Initiates the Breakup? Women! A group of Harvard scientists vigilantly followed the affairs of 231 Boston couples. Of those who split up, usually it was the woman who suggested the separation. The men wanted to stick it out to the bitter end.

Who Suffers More From a Breakup? Men! The men felt lonelier, more depressed, unloved, and least free after a split. The men reported that they found it extremely hard to accept that they were no longer loved and that she had really gone. What disturbed them most was that they felt there was nothing they could do about it. They were plagued with the hope that if only they had said the right thing… done the right thing…. In fact, three times as many men commit suicide after a disastrous love affair as women do.

Who Loves Their Lovers More? Men! Men love their lovers more in relation to others in their life. Several researchers at Yale University polled male and female participants from age 18 to 70 and asked, “Who do you like, and who do you love, most in your life?” The choices were lover (or spouse), best friend, parents, and siblings. Men, it turned out, loved and liked their lovers more than their best friends, whereas, with women, the rankings were about equal. Many women liked their best friends more than they liked their lovers!

Gentlemen, the next time your lover complains, “You men are so unromantic,” just show her these statistics and say, “Yeah, who says? Huh, huh, huh?” (On second thought, just say, “You know, dear, you have a good point. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more romantic. I love you.”)"

Statistics... I would like to see the result for the quizz: "Who lies better in quizzes?"

Funny signs

2009 contest - Best illusion of the year - Male Female illusion

© 2009 Richard Russell

In the Illusion of Sex, two faces are perceived as male and female. However, both faces are actually versions of the same androgynous face. One face was created by increasing the contrast of the androgynous face, while the other face was created by decreasing the contrast. The face with more contrast is perceived as female, while the face with less contrast is perceived as male. The Illusion of Sex demonstrates that contrast is an important cue for perceiving the sex of a face, with greater contrast appearing feminine, and lesser contrast appearing masculine.

This is the third finalist. Click here to see the others.

The talking frog: a contemporary fairy tale

I took it from Sandy at ComedyPlus: "A man was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over, picked up the frog, and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will be your loving companion for an entire week." The man took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it, and returned it to his pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you for a year and do ANYTHING you want." Again the man took the frog out, smiled at it, and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, that I'll stay with you for a year and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" The man said, "Look, I'm a Software Engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's really cool."

I smoke...

...only one cigarette in Second Life, the other nineteens in real life.

Moebius strip at Buenos Aires

An interactive installation for the Libery Science Center (NJ) designed to show breaking news about science to visitors in the museum. a continuous moebius strip of LEDs & projection screens allows visitors to view streaming information from all sides of the atrium. plexi ribs supporting the LED’s & translucent plexi projection surfaces span between the edge rails. visitors can dynamically select topics or upload information from various points along the mezanine handrails.

Funny signs

Toulouse Lautrec - sweet nudity

Tenderness. Rare feeling even to himself.

Joseph Kosuth - One and Three Chairs

This is one of the most famous of Joseph Kosuth's works and I believe that just by looking at this reproduction one can understand what he is saying. I don't want this blog to be theoretical and I rather rely on people's judgment and common sense to enjoy a work of art. Yes, you are seeing the chair, the photography of the chair and the dictionary definition of the chair. Three chairs. :)

Tiananmen Square - never forget

... this student.

Tinguely and Saint Phalle - La Fontane sculptures in Paris

I don't know why today I remembered the fun being at this place in Paris. Next to Centre Georges Pompidou there is this little fountain with 16 mechanical sculptures the colored by Niki Saint Phalle and the black by Tinguely. I took some photos but I don't know where they are. It is a real joy being sat watching the sculptures moving and blowing water.

Ragnar Kjartansson - "The End" at La Biennale di Venezia

Reykjavík, Iceland, March 13, 2009: The official Icelandic representation at the 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will feature Ragnar Kjartansson, a self-described incurable romantic, whose multifaceted artistic practice is rooted in a tradition of acting and performance with an existential and absurdist sensibility that can be linked to artists ranging from Caspar David Friedrich to Gilbert and George. Kjartansson’s exhibition for Venice, entitled The End, will feature a tableau vivant of the artist and his model - Haukur Bjornsson, also a painter, - that will last for the entire six-months of the Biennale, along with a monumental video and music installation. It will be presented in the Palazzo Michiel dal Brusà, a 14th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal near the Rialto, which has served as the Icelandic Pavilion since 2007. Transforming the Pavilion into a makeshift studio for the Biennale, Kjartansson will relentlessly paint the portrait of a young man posing day after day against the backdrop of the Grand Canal. The young man modeling for him will be smoking cigarettes and drinking beer, while clothed only in a bathing suit. For six months, Kjartansson will limit his art production to the painting of this scene. He will produce one work after the other, with the paintings made on previous days left to accumulate in piles around the studio. Though not an idealized version of the artist and his model – such a proposal being disrupted by the incongruous appearance of the Speedo, the cigarettes, and the beer in an otherwise romantic setting – the performance is partially based on questions of the artist’s self, suggesting his perpetual re-conceptualization in relation to his surroundings and previously existing works of art. “I imagine the Venice Pavilion being a lighthouse at the end of the world, watching the verge of nothingness. Waves chasing the lost souls and the mist blurring the horizon, protecting you from the vertigo of the abyss. It is a nameless sea and sitting on the dock is a man without fate.” Ragnar Kjartansson I will write another post about this piece and Ragnar Kjartansson. It is only an introduction that is at the Biennalle site. Painting for six months the same model and producing a painting a day. There is something here. Notice that the video is dated November, 11, 2009 the day settled to the end.

Escher Moebius strip and Camus's myth of Sisyphus

Here is a variant of the Moebius Strip formed out of Escher's ants walking forever and covering both sides of the ring. Click on this small movie on the right to see the real large version.
At this site "Escher for Real" there are works of Escher that are not illusions and they did a great work showing the real side of Escher's work.
I only pity these ants that will walk forever without going anywhere but I did a post about Camus Myth of Sisyphus so "One must imagine the ants happy".

Imaginary signs for workplaces

I've got these imaginary signs here. I bet the creator was fired. Isn't it unfair to write such things about the jobs in a era that values individuals, there are plenty of jobs to those who want to work and everything is great?

The Wonderful Favorite Award

Herrad at AccessDenied, a great woman that I love dearly, gave me this award. I feel honored because I received it from her and also because of the spirit of the award. Thank you Herrad! The Wonderful Favorite Award. These are the rules in accepting this award. Deliver this award to eight people (or as many-few as you'd enjoy giving it to or have time to) bloggers who then must choose and deliver the award to eight more (or as many-few as you'd like to) and include the following text into the award. "These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.’ Please give more attention to these writers." I will post my eight choice in the evening. Here are my choices. It's always a little hard because there are so many amazing people doing great things that I always think that I'm being unfair. Cheryl at Wishing and Discovering; D Bunker at Psychiatry, It's a Killing; Gianna at Beyond Meds; Mari at 365 Days; Mark at PsychSurvivor 2.0; Sandee at ComedyPlus; Susan at If you're going through hell keep going; Werner Kurosawa at Werner van Dermeersch; I hope you like it but remember it's not mandatory. Have a nice week.

Ghosts and Lightning author Trevor Byrne interview at Second Life

.. and I was there. He is an Irish writer and "Ghosts and Lightning" is his first novel. I've just discovered the "Meet an Author" project and fortunately today's guess was Trevor Byrne. This is the description Jilly, the hostess who is also a writer and did a wonderful interview, wrote at her blog:

"Three free signed and personally inscribed copies of Trevor Byrne's novel 'Ghost's and Lightning' will be won by audience members at the next Meet an Author show and sent out internationally. Trevor is one of the most exciting new voices in Irish fiction. Acclaimed by Roddy Doyle as 'a very powerful writer', Trevor will be reading from his book 'Ghosts and Lightning', being interviewed and taking questions from the audience. This event will be filmed at the Written Word's Red Sky Club at 2pm SLT on Saturday 6th June. Stay around to chat to Trevor after the show.

Ghosts and Lightning is a fantastic tour de force written in Irish dialect and following the escapades of Denny as he returns to his home after the death of his mother. It's a fantastic romp following Denny and his friends, but there are deeper levels tracing Ireland's glorious past and comparing it to present day degeneration. Love and humour win the day. I loved it!"

I will have the opportunity to read it since they will send me a copy. Here you can find an interview with Trevor where he says:

"Joyce was born there and wrote the most beautiful ending to a short story ever, in the final passage of 'The Dead' . . . it's a deadly place, but it's complex, too. With the money dragged in by the Celtic Tiger, we became a little jealous, we were (to imx our metaphors) the dragon sitting on its hoard, biting and flame-belching at anyone who strayed too near. That bothers me. For a long time, we Irish prided ourselves as the world's friendliest nation, but it hadn't truly been put to the test. I feel we let ourselves down a little when the influx of foreigners began. And the politicians, and the church - urg, don't get me started."

I arrived early and met him, I mean his avatar and mine, and he said that "The Dead", the last piece of Joyce's "Dubliners", is one of his favorites.

I fear meeting authors that I already know the work because we always picture a person that has nothing to do with the reality. When will we remember that what we are reading is fictional? But this time I met the author and will read the work after.

I still didn't read any critics about his work but Jilly said that some of them got a little annoyed by some bad words and one of them has even counted the number of "f" words on a page or even if Irish people courses too much was discussed. This is very strange but Trevor said that they don't. lol

I'm amazed by the some projects at Second Life in Literature and Arts. It's also great to be able to be in touch with bright people from other countries.

Trevor said he is going to Tanzania. Wow!

Update:

The interview can be seen here at Treet.TV.

Victor Vasarely - Op Art

For those who don't know, this blog is not only for people who are artists or art lovers, if you keep looking you will see the forms moving. It's very interesting to see it once but a little tiresome after staring too much. What is interesting that it was one of the first ways of making the public participate sensory, using the perception in another way.

Finally Brunette!

Creating your avatar in Second Life is just like playing with Barbie again. Finally I got my brunette look!

Art Hurts - Ichibot Nishi experience

I was visiting Brooklyn is Watching and all of a sudden these boxes started pushing and beating me. I could not go anywhere or stop it so I decide to wait for it to stop by itself as it always happens. I waited and waited and waited... It kept pushing me away from the site I was and heating me and even when I was away from the site at the sea area on the ground they kept heating me even when I was forced to be lying down. I almost couldn't get up. I've been to many exhibitions in my life and seen lots of works but never suffered any kind of physical touch that I was not aware or could not prevent or stop. I got out from Brooklyn site and got back. The boxes were still there following me. I would love to have it in RL to use it as a defense weapon. I felt terrible. And there was also the sound of the boxes chasing me everywhere. Not funny, not a great experience. I wonder if it has to do with Second Life environment where there's a lot of disrespect. It was worse than the Bloodlines vamps approach. At least they ask you if you want to join them or if you allow them to take your blood. lol Perhaps there was a way to stop the boxes but as I'm new at SL I still don't know. Wishful thinking is good. Update: The title of this post was changed because the author of this aggression, Ichibot Nishi, said that it was another person who did this.

Roy Linchestein, Drowning girl - nobody should suffer alone

I've just looked for this Roy Lichtenstein piece and pages one, two and three at Google's image search has this reproduction. Sometimes we have to suffer alone but not always. I think that we have to call someone else, not Brad. I hope that this individualist society in which we live that tells that it's dignifying holding the tears still have room from a little help of our friend.