"It's funny how things happen at particular times[...] we've been going through this thing, real quiet, so when we ran into you yesterday this thing that we've been going through, real quiet, she's talking about it. You know what I mean?" - Into the Wild
All it takes is one small thing to throw everything into sharp relief and that small thing was re-reading a letter my dad had written to me, several birthdays back. Then the thoughts came rushing.So, I'm alittle lost because I think I've fallen out of love with the things that I used to find so important to me. I think I'm having a quarter-life crisis; as in who am I and what am I doing with my life? That kind of stuff. Most of it boils down to the fact that I think I've become disillusioned when it comes to art, something I care[d] so much about and some other stuff that I'm still wrestling with. This blog is where I celebrated my passion for the arts and I hadn't posted in so long because it's been such a struggle to find anything to engage in.
As melodramatic or insignificant as this may seem to some it's a big deal for me. Take away all my creative, artsy stuff and there's not alot left and I guess that's been freaking the hell out of me. I'm worried I don't care enough about things and it's funny 'cause for a while I had self diagnosed myself as ataraxic," a condition characterized by the freedom of worry or any other preoccupation really", for those who've seen Lucky Number Slevin that was for you. However, worrying about not worrying is still worrying, so I can't be ataraxic even though it sounds cool. Maybe the feeling of not caring enough is really caring about things too much? I am not a big fan of self pity and this is not it. I'm not sure what I'm going to call this, dilemma sounds appropriate.
And who knows, maybe, perhaps this is all just end-of-the-semester-itis?... Anyway, discussion ends here, but being disillusioned is actually what I wanted to explore today... well, actually subtract the 'dis' and we're set to go.
Elizabeth Bowen said "Illusions are art, for the feeling person, and it is by art that we live, if we do."
Things that make you look twice. GO!
Three dimensional street artist Kurt Wenner's work is arresting, in every sense of the word - he's had run ins with the law before. I'm not as sure about North America, but in Europe it is not uncommon to see street artists, those guys who sketch caricatures for twenty euros or make amazing acrylic paintings of panoramic city views; and street art, chalk drawings on the ground that are often religious in nature... but have you ever in your life seen something so complex on the sidewalk? Wenner is highly acclaimed for his innovative pavement pictures in which he combines a love for classical imagery with a form of geometry that he invented to create these illusionistic images. National Geographic made a documentary about him called Masterpieces in Chalk that you really should watch...
Here's part 1 of 3. He's a genius.
Tell me this is just another still life or a boring photograph. You're wrong, oh so wrong. This is the work of photorealist Roberto Bernardi... oh and it's a painting. Modern art is equated with weird drippings, geometric shapes, nude women and all manner of identifiable subject matter. But then you have these guys whose goal is to create paintings that mimic the qualities of a photograph. We're unused to this type of realism and naturalism in modern art, but Bernardi is part of a movement that began in the 60s and 70s and is still very much alive today. Tell me art and skill is dead, I dare you.
What, who, is that a man you say? Why yes, yes it is. His name is Liu Bolin, but he also goes by the Invisible Man as well. Bolin's work is characterized by him being painted to blend in to his surroundings, thus creating this illusion of invisibility. Watch the video below and you'll understand the pure devotion to his culture and craft... especially after a four hour painting session in which you aren't allowed to move.
Finally, this may be the most familiar image to most - René Magritte is a well known Surrealist and here we have Carte Blanche. I can't really say much except that I've loved Magritte since I lived in Belgium when I was eight years old. This image, while not as striking initially like the others is still equally complex and illusionistic. Seeing is believing... but can you believe this?
- Life is good
Listening to: 'August's Rhapsody' - Mark Mancina
Observations: Kingston's first snow... yay?
Craving: The spasms in my arms to please subside
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