Category: art

What is art? More than 30,000 years ago, our ancestors painted hunting scenes on the walls of their caves, giving free rein to their creativity. In the course of the different art epochs, beginning with ancient Egyptian art up to modern abstract art, the artists of their own epoch always put a certain stamp on their works, their own view of reality. In ancient Egypt people were painted larger or smaller according to their social representation, the old masters painted angels and legendary figures, in modern art there are many interesting levels of abstraction. Very often, you no longer recognize the objects behind the color areas and installations. I am now quite cheeky now, although I am neither an old master nor a modern artist, the freedom to visually represent my form of reality in combination with the messages that are hidden in my tracks.

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A visit to the Design Museum in Milan

Long, long ago. Before Corona was invented, I spent a few relaxing and art-filled days in beautiful Milan over Easter in 2019. It’ s funny, it was only 3 years ago, but it seems like half a millennium to me. Of course, a visit to the Triennale was not to be missed. The design museum is also housed in the building complex, here is the description:

“Museo del Design Italiano, in the evocative spaces of the Curva on the ground floor of Triennale, presents a selection of the most iconic and representative pieces of Italian design, for the first time in a permanent exhibition. The works on show are some of the 1,600 objects in the Triennale collection, chosen by an advisory committee that brings together some of the top names in the world of Italian design and architecture: Paola Antonelli, Andrea Branzi, Mario Bellini, Antonio Citterio, Michele De Lucchi, Piero Lissoni, Claudio Luti, Fabio Novembre, and Patricia Urquiola. The simple, linear display aims to show off the works to their best advantage, in chronological order, and provides insights into the history, creative period and context in which each work was designed.”

Source: https://triennale.org/en/events/museo-del-design-italiano

The items shown above reminded me (don’t anyone laugh now) of my youth, starting with moon boots and ending with a sofa shaped like a mouth. A great collection, but could be much bigger. Just be inspired by the 9 pictures above. A visit is definitely worth it, because there is much, much more to see. I, at least, spent half a day without any problems and I didn’t get bored.

Stay tuned, until the next museum visit.

More about art…

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Animated art, the first experiment: Edgar Degas.

After a long attempt, I managed to realize an idea last weekend: the animated version of the laundress from EDGAR DEGAS. Here is the description given on the Pinakotheken page:

” The Laundress

Edgar Degas treated the subject of the laundress here for the first time. By the end of the 1860s, he had his “Ingres period” behind him and was increasingly turning to realistically conceived contemporary subjects. By 1902 he had painted a whole series of pictures of ironwomen. While in the later versions the work process as such, i.e. the moment of action, predominates, in this early version Degas’ interest is more in the person; she pauses in her work and looks at the viewer: the work picture has more the character of a portrait. The date of around 1869 is derived from a pastel with the same motif in the Musée d’Orsay, which the collector Manzi Joyant, a friend of Degas, published with this date. It is supported by the “69” dated portrait of Emma Dobigny, who – apparently at the same age of 16 to 17 – posed for the “Büglerin”.”

Translated, original source: https://www.pinakothek.de/kunst/meisterwerk/edgar-degas/die-bueglerin, accessed 03/24/2022

The Edgar Degas painting is just crying out to be animated. I hope the artist will forgive me this modification and deviant interpretation of his artwork. Have fun looking at it.

Stay tuned, until the next creative animation…

Stay tuned.

More about art…

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Finally! Animated Art.

Animating classical and modern art

After a long run-up, today I managed to realize an idea I’ve been putting off for a long time: animated art.

When I visited the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in February 2020 just before the first lockdown and while looking at the artworks I developed lots of ideas how to add a nice animated story to the artwork. In the tradition of Terry Gilliam (Monty Python), I would like to breathe some life into – sometimes irreverent and anarchistic – works of art at irregular intervals. Have fun with it, this week I start with Degas.

Stay tuned, until the next creative animation…

Stay tuned.

More about art…

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The Ukraine Conflict: The End of Peace in Europe. Welcome to the new cold war?

Hairbert - Ukraine Conflict

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”

Voltaire

„Humanity, you never had it to begin with.“

Charles Bukowski

I continue to be simply speechless. I grew up with the cold war and was glad when it more or less ended in the early nineties of the last century. Those were decades of peace in Europe. Until now.

Apparently, this was a deceptive peace, because with Russia’s attack on Ukraine, I realized that the old thinking, the quest for supremacy of certain nations and the continuation of politics by other means are not things of the past.

It is so unjust for a state the size of Russia to simply attack a smaller neighbor and wipe that state out. Just like I always thought it was unfair that in the schoolyard the older, bigger students beat up the smaller ones. I just hope that the Western world doesn’t ease all the sanctions again in a few months and go back to business as usual.

And I hope that humanity will eventually come to its senses and put violence to rest. But probably Charles Bukowski is right after all.

More about art…

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A visit to the Museum Fünf Kontinente

On November 30, 2020, I was already standing in front of the Museum Fünf Kontinente in Munich (https://www.museum-fuenf-kontinente.de), but that day I decided to go to the MUCA (Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art, https://www.muca.eu) and and discover a new favorite artist, Richard Hambleton. But this is another story, I’ll tell it at another time. What can you see at the Museum Five Continents?

“The Museum Fünf Kontinente, formerly known as the Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, was founded in 1862 as the first ethnological museum in Germany. The collection of artefacts of everyday life, ritual objects and works of art which are preserved and continually expanded here reflect humanity’s cultural diversity. They build bridges from the past to the present day and open doors to other ways of life and viewpoints. The Museum offers access to the cultural riches of the earth’s peoples in a way which is unique with Munich’s broad range of museums.”

Source: https://www.museum-fuenf-kontinente.de/services/english-summary.html, Access 30.1.2022

In a nutshell: the museum lives up to its own claim. It is a very exciting foray through completely different cultures, religions and their everyday life. I was particularly enthusiastic about the puppets from Myanmar and the temple statues in the exhibition of the same name. Tip from my side: bring a lot of time, it’s worth it. Here are a few pictures from the exhibitions:

  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München
  • Museum der 5 Kontinente, München

Stay tuned, until the next museum visit…

Stay tuned.

More about art…

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Dark Faces in Milan

Today, briefly, a few impressions from the Duomo Museo in Milan. It is one of the largest museums in the city and deals with the history of the cathedral, especially with its long construction history of the cathedral. The scale wooden model of the building alone is impressive, but I was most impressed by the great illuminated stone figures. Here are a few impressions from the museum.

  • Museum in Milan
  • Museum in Milan
  • Museum in Milan
  • Museum in Milan
  • Museum in Milan
  • Museum in Milan
  • Museum in Milan

In the next weeks there will be more from Milan. Stay tuned.

More about art…

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A visit to the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion

A Visit to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Museums attract me magically, at least most of them. Therefore, it was quite clear that I will pay an extensive visit to the archaeological museum in Heraklion during a beach-and-sun-break. What can you find there?

“The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of the oldest and most important museums in Greece, and among the most famous museums in Europe. It houses representative artifacts from all periods of Cretan prehistory and history, covering a chronological span of over 5,500 years from the Neolithic period to Roman times. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum prides itself for its unique Minoan collection, which includes the masterpieces of Minoan art. It is rightly considered as the Museum of Minoan Culture par excellence. “

https://heraklionmuseum.gr/?page_id=1718&lang=en, accessed 11/1/2021

I rummaged a bit in my photo box and compiled the most interesting objects in my opinion in the following gallery. All subjective. Let’s start with my number one. In the video you can see the clay model of a Minoan house.

The clay model of a minoan house.

I was particularly excited not only by the well-known exhibits (the dolphins, the snake goddess, the lily prince and the bull sculptures) but also by those with surprising artistic elements, which can be seen in the first 3 photos: a clay bowl depicting a shepherd with his dogs and his flock of sheep, a clay vessel in the shape of a sitting woman and a clay vessel in the shape of a sea snail.

  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum
  • Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Enjoy looking at the photos. Stay tuned.

More about art…

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An afternoon in Knossos

An afternoon in Knossos, Crete.

In Knossos are the remains of the largest Minoan palace on Crete. The place was already inhabited in the 7th millennium BC. It is an extremely exciting and interesting site, where the archaeologist Evans wanted to give the visitor an impression of the original palace through his own interpretations. His approach was certainly inspired by good intentions, but unfortunately he destroyed the original state of the excavation site. Still worth a visit.

Stay tuned

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Haus der Kunst Munich, Phyllida Barlow. Is waste art?

On May 26th this year, it was finally allowed to visit a museum again after the long lockdown. After a short inquiry it was clear to me that I absolutely had to see the exhibition of Phyllida Barlow at the Haus der Kunst. The brief description promised an exciting experience in art:

Phyllida Barlow‘s sculptural structures are unwieldy and difficult to take in: timber, cardboard, cement, clay, plastic pipes, and colorful textiles pile up, spread out, or block the visitors’ way. The view ranges over these landscapes made of everyday materials, unsure what to hold on to, and drifts up to grasp their enormous dimensions. Barlow‘s works pose a constant challenge; they conquer the space as if they led a life of their own. They invite viewers to reconsidering spaces, perceive volume, and hear the language of architecture.

Source: https://hausderkunst.de/ausstellungen/phyllida-barlow?locale=en, Access August 6, 2021.

The museum’s website has a lot more really fascinating information, videos, pictures, etc. about the exhibition. Worth seeing!

My expectations were accordingly high and in no way disappointed. I was totally thrilled by the dimensions of the artworks and especially by the wacky ideas of the artist. I’ll just let the photos (see gallery) speak for themselves and refrain from commenting. However, one experience left a lasting impression on me. As I strolled around one of the artworks, a museum employee approached me and told me that it was allowed to go inside the artwork. What a fascinating experience. I made a video about it, it can be found on YouTube and in the Instagram story accompanying the post. Enjoy looking at the photos.

  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?
  • Phyllida Barlow. Ist Abfall Kunst?

Stay tuned.

More about art…