Experiencing the creative work of architectural brothers, Greene & Greene, is like sipping a rare, richly-made wine—offering sensory delights from the firm of two authentic American Arts and Crafts masters. As the brothers Greene—Charles and Henry—worked primarily in California, they created the ‘gold standard’ for the Arts and Crafts design style. Their work, both as entire projects and in the detail found there, serves as an exquisite example of design, presented in clear, concise and elegant terms. artes fine arts magazineMore
Classical limestone bank buildings line the streets of downtown Wilmington, Delaware; facades that suggest prosperity and life. But until recently, the streetlights shining vigilantly at night exposed nothing but emptiness. And, although Wilmington became a national financial center for the credit card industry – since the Financial Center Development Act of 1981 removed the legal cap on interest rates that banks charge customers – at the receiving end, its population had a median household income of $35,000 in the 2000 census. fine arts magazineMore
A mid-20th century architectural rendering for urban renewal
“Except man, nobody lies. A rosebush cannot lie. It has to produce roses; it cannot produce marigolds — it cannot deceive. It is not possible for it to be otherwise than it is. Except man the whole existence lives in truth. Truth is the religion of the whole existence — except man. And the moment a man also decides to become part of existence, truth becomes his religion.” –Indian Mystic, Osho
Architectural Forensics is a term to describe how it is that the ‘built environment’ perfectly expresses the intrinsic quality of any society’s sociological, economic, and political nature. In the search for truth, the parsing of concepts, deliberation of ideas, or the use rhetorical analysis to glean the essence of our reality pales in comparison to the truth at it is revealed by the world which we have wrought; and with this fact, there can be no mistake or equivocation. fine arts magazineMore
ARTES: This is such an unusual structure, projecting so much of the natural beauty of its surroundings, that it attracted my attention at a recent Scandinavia House exhibition in New York. I just had to contact you. Tell me a bit about the inspiration for the Juvet Landscape Hotel.
J&S: The Juvet Landscape Hotel is located at Valldal, near the town of Åndalsnes in north-western Norway. Passing tourists are attracted by a spectacular waterfall, in a deep gorge near the road in Gudbrandsjuvet. The client, Knut Slinning, is a local resident. The idea emerged as an opportunity to exploit breathtaking scenery with minimal intervention, allowing locations which would otherwise be prohibited for reasons of conservation. fine arts magazineMore
Is art a part of life, or does it, in certain ways, stand apart from other forms of expression? Though sometimes challenging to categorize, broadly and philosophically- speaking, artistic expression deals with constantly evolving notions of aesthetics and rasa (taste), that is, varied ways of seeing and perceiving life and the surrounding world, but always with creativity as the central axis. More specifically, the distinction between art and craft, or between fine art and design/ fashion/applied art is equally disputed. All creative endeavors, in any form of visual art or the performing art or literature, epitomize a given time and space. Artists of all genres and designs- painters, sculptors, designers, illustrators, craftsmen, architects, fashion designers and new media practitioners, individuals or groups, in a juxtaposition of art and artifacts represent the vision, vitality and plurality of the cultural matrix in which they exist. Resulting from a cross fertilization of ideas and experiences, immersed in aesthetics as well as some form of functional value- may be just visual or sensual stimulation, each art form with its distinct characteristics, in whatever genre, color, style or media; involves cerebral and emotional inputs as well as skills, materials and a play of creative energies as a complete human activity.fine arts magazineMore
Fred Johnson, Bearded Lady (c. 1930). Collection Howard and Robin Marks
Twenty-one paintings were featured in Sideshow, an exhibition that highlighted a traditional piece of Americana – circus sideshow banners. The exhibit, co-curated by Dr. Amy Vigilante for the University of Florida’s University Gallery, included the work of legendary banner painters Fred Johnson, Snap Wyatt, Jack Cripe, Jack Sigler and Johnny Meah.
Sideshow banners and their creators have long been excluded from discussions of art; a primary dilemma has been the inability to fit them neatly into any category of art making. Though they are, in fact, oil paintings on canvas, banners were not created to be and are not embraced as fine art, and are most often described as American self-taught or folk art. fine arts magazineMore
In dream-like sequence, a gossamer stream of vintage Ascher scarves glides by, rippling, hypnotic and weightless, to the table…silken reminders of an earlier, elegant era…each unique and even more stunning than the last, in color, design and flow. They are simultaneously quite delicate and bold…perhaps reflecting their complex genesis….
This tale is, aptly, a tapestry of sorts, as Peter and Sam Ascher told me recently, replete with armies and battles fought, fair maidens, heroes, great houses and even slain “dragons”— all hieroglyphs woven throughout their family saga.
Left: Antoni Clave, Combat de Coqs (1947), screen-printed on silk crepe (1947). Find the framed image in the vintage publicity photo, below. All photos courtesy of Ascher family fine arts magazineMore
Moorcroft pottery and I have a history that goes back more than 34 years, to my first visit to the Richard Dennis Gallery in London’s Kensington Church Street. This was unquestionably a mecca for Moorcroft. For a hopeless ‘potoholic’ such as myself it was obvious that I had found nirvana in W8.
Fast forward to the present day and I have made it to the promised-land ,by virtue of being a non-executive director of W.Moorcroft PLC. I am quite simply Willy Wonka in the chocolate factory. Having had the benefit of a sneak preview of The Richard Wright Collection of Moorcroft Pottery, I can reliably inform you it offers a fascinating selection that illustrates the varied output of this much-loved British Art Pottery, with an abundance of rarities.
Above: (detail) William Moorcroft, Cornflower, a large vase (c.1913)fine arts magazineMore
Black Mountain College was founded in the fall of 1933 by a group of faculty who had broken away from Rollins College following a fracas in which several faculty members were fired and others resigned in protest. It closed in the spring of 1957 after a judge ordered that academic programs should be ended until all debts were paid. In the intervening twenty-four years, the college evolved into a unique American venture in education, and the energy and ideas engendered there continue to influence the arts and education in the United States. Fine Arts Magazine
Left: John Andrew Rice. Courtesy NCSA, BMC Papers.More
Navajo rug. A 'transitional' piece using both diamonds and pictoral motifs
Two recent exhibitions looked at the multiple stories woven into textiles. Navajo Textiles: Diamonds, Dreams, and Landscapes was a year-long exhibition in three themed rotations held at the University of Colorado’s Museum of Natural History in Boulder, Colorado (May 31, 2009 – May 31, 2010). Trading Cloth and Culture was the spring exhibition at the Arizona State University’s Museum of Anthropology (April 8 – June 30, 2010). Both were created under the supervision of Judy M. Newland, the director of ASU’s Museum of Anthropology. In a two-part series, Newland and other members of the faculty and staff at ASU and CU have worked together to produce an important and unique narrative regarding the Native American culture of the Southwest and the important role that woven artifacts have played in understanding the indigenous communities of the far west and the global influences that affect the design work, even today. All pieces pictured are from the University of Colorado textile collectionFine Arts MagazineMore
