Bullfighter
Pablo Picasso
Oil on canvas (1970)
"Picasso's father took him to see his first bullfight in 1889, when he was eight years old. The spectacle made a deep impression on him, and he made it the subject of his very first painting that year. In 1934, he took up the bullfight as a theme, using it as a metaphor for life and death. Here, Picasso painted himself as a bullfighter with his usual passion for color and feverish strokes. Nearing 90, however, his stare has a tinge of world weariness."
When I was in Alaska, just off the main street I discovered this alleyway that led to this alcove with tables outside that were surrounded by these old wooden buildings. One of them was a cafe so I ordered a bowl of chili and had lunch outside. While I was eating I looked up and I noticed all around on the rooftops were these native adornments so I tilted my camera upwards and took a few shots during lunch. Perhaps this will give you some idea of the ambiance and atmosphere amongst the power lines.
The chili was excellent and because it was off the main drag there were no lines.
La pesca II (Fishing II) 1988
Belkis Ayón
Collagraph in 4 parts
Collection of the Belkis Ayón Estate, Havana, Cuba
"Two canoes charge against each other and the precious cargo of the woman-her day's catch-is unapologetically snatched away by a man. La Pesca is the only work by the artist related directly to Abakua that does not include any of the characters easily recognizable from the myth. It should, nonetheless, be considered one of her fundamental works since she was able to concisely show the historical shift in which the transition from the old matriarchal societies of the African Calabar to the patriarchal domain in the New World. Societies formerly characterized by a natural division of labor in the hands of women-fishing in the case of the Cross River region-gave way to others, divided by the usurpation and force of man. Logical consequence of economic development led to the gradual stratification of powers and gender domination. Belkis made the characters in her prints who are faced with change and conflict seem to come alive."
Six works from the series
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Arthur Tress
Cibachrome (dye destruction print)
Clockwise from top left:
The Making of a President, Chapter VII: Getting the Message #4
What Can We Do?, Chapter II: Buying the Package #8
Your Responsibility, Chapter V: Filing for Bankruptcy, #9
Dollars on the Mind, Chapter V: Filing for Bankruptcy, #3
Radio Nites, Chapter VII: Getting the Message, #7
When Bad Things Happen…, Chapter V: Filing for Bankruptcy, #7
Large Reclining Nude
Oil on canvas (1943)
When I See You
Pablo Picasso
I have always walked forth, not wanting anything more than what I had already had. I did not need anything at all. I had scoffed at everyone when they said that my life was incomplete
That was till I had met you. You were the only one who had ever raised the feeling of loneliness in me. You were the only one who ever made me realize that my life was always incomplete; and had always been.
My heart had been always fluttering at the very sight of you. You had given me desires for the tastes that I had never known existed. My entire being had surrendered to you and your wishes the very first time we had met. My heart would skip beats when ever your proximity was precarious.
I would have gone to the ends of the world if it meant that I could have you here in my arms, in my heart till the entire eternity crumbled.
I wish you were here dear for I yearn for you. I would have left the very joys behind if it meant I could have you here, talking to me. Your breath is what interests me more than the very words.
Who are people in this equation? I see no one else save you, me and the endless love ahead. The air blows through my empty hands, and they ache with the soreness of the wind. My legs know no pain, My hands know no ache for they always wait for you, and you alone…
Meadow Heart #1
Jim Dine
Acrylic, oil collage on paper
In an interview with Ilka Skobie from ArtNet, Dine said when asked what was his fascination with the hearts, "I have no idea but it’s mine and I use it as a template for all my emotions. It’s a landscape for everything. It’s like Indian classical music -- based on something very simple but building to a complicated structure. Within that you can do anything in the world. And that’s how I feel about my hearts.”
Bust of a Faun
Pablo Ruiz y Picasso
Spanish, 1881–1973
Oil on paper mounted on canvas (1946)
"Pablo Picasso expressed the youthful innocence of this faun through the creature’s sweet smile, quirky eyes, and mismatched ears. The half human–half goat is depicted in a geometric pattern that suggests a harlequin, a theatrical trickster character. Picasso was fascinated with hybrid and mythical creatures, often portraying himself in such guises. He understood them as embodying the rational and irrational forces that live within us."
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Let’s Phosphoresce by Intellection II
Roberto Matta Echaurren
Chilean, 1911–2002
Oil and charcoal on canvas (about 1950)
"Here, Roberto Matta Echaurren constructed a tightly woven realm where three-dimensional forms converge on the painting’s surface. His intent was to disrupt the viewer’s rational expectations and liberate the unconscious mind. Black rectangles seem to pulse on the surface and recede into deep space. Diagonal lines move into and out of the painting’s apparent depth. Luminous white, emerald green, and icy blue hues offset heavy areas. These elements evoke the infinite flux of time and space, dream and reality."
The prolific tulip fields of Holland originated out of the tulips brought there from the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) sometime in the late 16th century. There is a Turkish legend with different variations about a prince named Farhad and a princess Shirin. It is believed that Farhad killed himself upon hearing the fake news of the sudden demise of the princess and tulips bloomed from his blood.
Maverick Mist 