Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergere

 A Bar at the Folies-Bergere is one among the most known of Manet's paintings and a lot have been written to explain numerous of it's aspects especially the reflection on the mirror that doesn't follow optical rules.

Speculations about the girl's gaze - it seems to me she is completely absented minded - is another topic. Is she staring at us? 

The bottles, the crowd...

Lately I just feel like watching at the paintings I like without analyzing

I wish I could be in front of the painting. I don't know why but I can't stop watching it.

Mary Magdalene by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Left: Mary Magdalene, Dante G Rossetti 1877
Right: Mary Magdalene, Dante G. Rossetti, 1867

I don't feel like saying anything about these paintings. I took a glimpse and found biographical references, historic background and some other articles that say nothing about the art or analysis that speaks more about the person who is writing than the artist's aesthetics.
Lately I feel like watching without the need of words.
If I wanted words I would read Rossetti's poems.

Art: numerous connections and ways to see 2

On top: Woman playing acoustic guitar (detail), Renoir, 1841 Right: the painting, Left: Another detail.


I wrote a post about an experience in Beaubourg museum and promise to write about others connections with art, especially visual.
Another way of appreciation is when I go to an exhibition of the artist with numerous pieces from different periods.
I remember a Renoir collection set on Petit Palais.
Funny that in some exhibitions I go from one painting after another but when I look a the whole room nothing happens.
It was not the case of this experience. After watching each picture I took a glimpse at the whole and all l of a sudden I focused my eyes in a way where I could feel the seven colors in Renoir's white.
Renoir juxtaposes colors - watch the detail on the right - but not the seven colors that makes white. Still my mind made this decomposition of the white in seven colors.

That was a great feeling and I'll never forget it.

Beyonce, money and Beethoven

According to his biography Beethoven was forced to study music by his father who wanted to turn the young boy into a prodigy in order to help increase the low income of the family.
In the beginning Beethoven didn't like studying the musical instruments but his father made him practice day and night which led to boy to tears.
But for our lucky the genius kept this career.
Some centuries later would a father encourage his son to be a musician?
Would a father buy a guitar, a bass or drums to his boy with the same aim Bethoven's had in mind?
It doesn't sound probable. He would rather boss the lad to become  a footballer and make him practice till tears.
The world don't value great culture anymore, on the contrary, money, propaganda is destroying real art.
In the music spectrum clones are doing what is expected from them and those who become rich in this field lack not only talent but creation. Their souls are bought - reference: Beyonce. 
I think about Beethoven. He worked hard to keep his profession... and the irony of losing his hearing. Still it was in silence he wrote his most important master pieces.
As far as money is concerned he didn't care about it and what we cherish is the wealth of his imagination.

Image: Ludwig van Beethoven in his Study; from a painting by Carl Schloesser. (circa 1811)

Mona Lisa parodies

A quick "Mona Lisa" search on Google will show numerous Gioconda's parodies.

I did chose this one because I believe that the sister is tired and bored of not producing anything.

I believe she will portray Leonardo, da Vinci not di Caprio, but I have not idea if it will be in a thankful or in a revengeful way.

What do you think?

Rembrandt: Which is the copy?

Spot the original and watch the video for the answer.


Image: From a BBC Documentary "Rembrandt by Himself" an exhibition showing 70 auto-portrays of Rembrandt.

Toulouse-Lautrec portrayed Melanie Griffith

It was watching the movie "Shining Through" that I recognized who is the woman Toulouse-Lautrec took as a model for the painting on the left.
It was Melanie Griffith.
I hope that this fact is recognized by the art-world and historians dare to accept the truth.

Tango: Internal Struggle Of Lust by Leonid Afremov

Leonid Afremov paintings are at DeviantART and I just found his work Leonidafremov.
What strikes at a first glance are the colors and the lights. Tiny brushstrokes are used to construct numerous effects.
I did choose this painting because I found it very powerful and the way they are united is amazing. There is no background since it created the "room" where they're dancing, surrounded them giving movements and made them keep dancing.

Edouard Léon Cortès meets Erik Satie in Paris

A great video uniting Erik Satie's music and paintings by Edouard Léon Cortés.

Below two paintings of "les bouquinistes"- secondhand booksellers - that are still at the same place and is part of the Parisian  universe.

Two prostitutes: a touch of Toulouse-Lautrec

This piece, "Two Prostitutes", by Hong Kong's artist cellar-fcp, reminded me of Toulouse-Lautrec the second I saw it.
Cella-fcp, Deviant Art's codename, favourite style of art: Manet, Monet, klimt, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Schiele, Hiroaki Samura, Nihei Tsutomu, Yukito Kishir.
I could write about it analysing in detail characteristics of the painting, similarities and differences of this and that, and, many other aspects.
Lately, I rather "watch and feel" so this is the most important comment left at cellar-fcp page:
"I dunno why I like this."

Books and dreams

I found this piece without the author and I loved it. I would like to see more works by her/him..
I hope s/he finds this post.

Raphael's use of perspective

"Like many artists of the 1500's, Raphael was fascinated by formal composition. He used perspective to create a 3-D space in a flat painting. That may sound like old hat to us, but perspective was the hot new thing in those days.

Raphael's use of perspective. See how the whole painting is arranged around a vanishing point on the horizon? Everything follows the perspective lines to that point. And objects get smaller and higher in the painting, so they look like they're farther away."

I took it from this site which is very good for those who want to start to understand some aspects of painting.
Raphael, Titian, Millet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Picasso are the artists whose paintings are used to explain very easily historical changes and personal choices of each of them.

Nicolai Bessonov artist, wirter, theater artist, journalist and antrhopologist

I just came across with the work of Nicolai Bessonov and felt like sharing.

I'm still getting in touch with his work so I copied the biography he left at his site. It is a Google translation:

Nikolai Bessonov Vladyslavovych.
was born in Moscow in 1962.
He graduated with honors majoring MVHPU "metal artist" in 1984. Was assigned to the Institute of Atomic Energy. Since 1988, the position of "human free profession."

Created several cycles of paintings , he worked in the field of book illustration and design. Tried his hand as a theater artist. He was a consultant on television; published articles in journals and collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Wrote several books in the genre of journalism and popular scientific literature currently published two issues of "Gypsies and the press" and "History of the Gypsies - a new look." In addition to ethnography in the interests of - Witching processes, as well as the history of slavery in the New World. Book "Trials of witchcraft" has already been published, and the study of African-Americans to be published.

Personal painting exhibition held in Madrid in 1992, in the building of the State Duma in 1998 and in the Czech Cultural Center in 2001. Over the last decade paintings were exhibited at the Central House of Artists Gallery "action."

Workshop studio located in the suburban village bulls.

Married. Two daughters, the eldest - Artist theater "Romen"

Famous paintings you must know 1

René Magritte "La Trahison des Images" (Image's treason) was painted in 1929. Magritte is a famous surrealist painter who approached issues linked to language a characteristic that was not shared with  other members of this movement.

"Ceci n'est pas une pipe." is the realistic representation of a pipe and not the pipe itself. Simple as that.


There are some paintings and artworks that are part of the western cultural heritage and are used in propaganda, graphic design, clothes stamps... they are everywhere.
I decided to post some of them so that those who don't know them can identify that the T-shirt they wearing is inspired by one of this famous art  pieces. Art is not being teached anywhere and only those who like it very much have access to this world.
I hope it helps some people knowing these renowned pieces.

Mondrian's The Red Tree

The Red Tree, 1908.
Piet Mondrian

You might know Mondrian by his Compositions. I feel the same harmony here.

The artistic brotherhood universe

When I looked at this photography at Joe's blog I had the feeling that I have already been to this room and  sat on a chair where I could watch the drawing according to this perspective.

Everything is familiar to me and it seems that I know the artist who lives in this house that also has friends that I know.

The brushes waiting to be used, the frame of the drawing... I look around the room and, yes, I came here many times and we talked for hours.

Joe lives in Hungary and even thou I'm in Brazil it doesn't matter. We have already been talking many times because those who are passionate by art are part of a group that doesn't know borders.
From the corner of a room we can see the universe.

Erik Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1 and Monet

"I don't think I've ever heard this piece before in my life, but listening to it for the first time now, it feels like it's an old friend. I wonder if 
my tears are from the music or from my own reflection."

       Remstrom 4 months ago 11 

This comment at Youtube expresses the feeling of many people when listen to this music for the first time.
I hope this is the soundtrack for August: quietness and peacefully.
At the left Monet's 1905 Water Lilles.
The video was done by Radchenko who did a sensible and beautiful work adding images to this great music.
It was one of the reasons why I decided to post the video and also because this is a must-listen music.
Click and see for yourself.

Alireza Darvish's Illustration over Books

I found Alireza Darvish's Book inspired paintings and it was difficult to decide to pick one among so many amazing pieces. There are 40 paintings now from a collection he started in 2000.
The Iranian artist and composer is also a graphic designer emigrated to Germany and later to Spain where he is a famous illustrator for some newspapers.
This is the painting I did chose to introduce Alireza for those who follow this blog. You can see them at this site.

Erik van Elven's children at the beach

I just came across with this painting, "Double Problem", by Erik van Elven and felt like sharing.
He is starting to work on largest paintings for his next exhibition.
This is quite inspiring to start the week.

The dance of the cows in Spring by Erik van Elven

This is one of the great works of Erik van Elven. I was taking a look at his blog and felt like sharing some of his sketches. "Jump" is the first one:

"In Dutch, the translation for "Jump" is "Spring", the same as the season. For me, spring has not begun until the cows are back in the meadows, after they've stayed indoors all winter long.
The sheer joy, like little kids in a playground, of these massive animals is very inspirational and you can't help but smile when you witness the cows do their dance..."
Erik van Elven

I remember the first time I, a city-person, saw a cow. I stared into her eyes and... no words to describe that feeling.