Study for Portrait

Study for Portrait (1971) by Francis Bacon

notable works by Francis Bacon

Bacon’s romantic involvement with George Dyer, the focus of many of his artworks, was volatile and its eventual outcome tragic. Just a couple days before the first showing of the 1971 Francis Bacon Retrospective in Paris , Dyer died from an alcohol overdose in the bathroom of a Parisian  hotel. Bacon produced portraits of Dyer with feverish regularity even after Dyer's death. Most famously, Triptych (May 1973) documents the painful events of  his death. 

They'll Make a Comeback

In the 70's we were told that everyone was going to wear jumpsuits in the future so you might as well get yours now. Man, I wish I hadn't bought into the hype.

The Belted Sweater

So, you've got the right facial hair, you've got a cool fedora, and you've got the required "ironic" vintage clothes from prior fashion eras, but you still can't get into the best hipster bars. Well, Iv'e got the answer to your dilemma, something guaranteed to get you to the front of the line... the Belted Sweater. 

The stuff was gold in the early 70's before the leisure suit took hold, no disco would turn you away. Wearing one of these striking pieces today will put you far out in front of the other hipsters, so powerful it should probably be illegal. You need to act fast though because fashion is fickle. You can thank me later.

Schizoid Man

Schizoid Man by Barry Godber (1946–1970)

artwork at Catmota.com

Album  art for the record In the Court of the Crimson King by the rock group King Crimson. It was created by Barry Godber, a software engineer, shortly before he passed away from a heart attack in 1970, only a week after the album went on sale. This is the only artwork he is known for, and is now owned by the group's guitarist Robert Fripp after he rescued it from the record company's lobby where it was getting damaged by direct sunlight.

Blue Dancers

Blue Dancers by Edgar Degas

notable works by Edgar Degas

Mlle. Fiocre in the Ballet La Source was first shown in the Salon of 1868. It was the first time Degas used dancers as a subject, something he would later become very well known for. He increasingly utilized ballet dancers in his works as the years wore on, mostly because they were popular and demanded a high price, which gave him much needed cash after his brother's debts led the family to bankruptcy. 

Pablo Now

When I was younger, especially during the 70's Picasso was often held up as the greatest living artist. Even people that didn't enjoy his work held this belief. They would point out that in his early years he was a highly proficient artist that could produce portraits and landscapes on par with the greats such as Rafael. Because of his established traditional ability haters of modern art would often  acknowledge his importance even though they hated his contemporary works. I heard the following comment quite often " I hate modern art, don't get it, but Picasso must be great at it because he was a talented tradition painter".

When looking back at Picasso's work today, the vast majority of his later work is garish and slapdash. He fell back on his fame and would just churn out childish paintings that people would eat it up just because of his name. I've noticed that current artists hardly ever tout Picasso as an artist they admire and want to emulate. Picasso will always feature prominent in art history because of his early cubist works and his huge popularity during a seismic shift in art style but his influence and relevance will continue to decline.

"He was a great traditional painter" argument for his importance in modern art is silly. This was more a reflection of his technical skill rather than his creative powers. There are huge aesthetic choices artists need to make involving composition, themes, colors, etc. that have nothing to do with technical skills. A great general does not need to be a great marksman. RIP Picasso, I hope you continua to fade away, likewise the piles of through-away art you produced during the last half of your life.

Nude Descending a Staircase

Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1912) by Marcel Duchamp

notable works by Marcel Duchamp

This work is commonly regarded as one of the most influential pieces of modern art, and has become a celebrated work from it’s era. It was initially rejected by the Cubist art community as too Futuristic yet managed to be exhibited at Galeries J. Dalmau, Cubist Exposition of 1912 in Barcelona. Later it caused such a frenzy while exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show in New York that lines stretched for blocks with people waiting to see it.

Yulin Festival

Please people stop the cruelty, get a bed that is big enough for your pet so they don't have to suffer like this poor little guy in his undersized bed.

On a serious note, I've been reading about the upcoming dog eating festival in the Chinese city of Yulin. The really bad part is that some of the dogs are boiled alive. Don't google it for images or videos, it's pretty rough stuff. I personally don't think dogs should be eaten. We've formed a special friendship/contract with them over many thousands of years, but if you do feel the need to eat them at least have the decency to kill them humanely.

Finding My Religion

My requirements for a religion:

- no special hats required, I look bad in a hat.

- no requirements to hate certain groups of people, I already hate enough people as it is.

- no requirement that the clergy remains celebrate, seems to bring in a weird crowd.

- heaven sounds nice but entrance requirements should be easy.

- free will, god doesn't predetermine day to day affairs. He doesn't intervene in football games and determine who wins based on prayers. Now if something really bad is about to happen, like a comet hitting the earth, yeah, please give us a helping hand.

- pork is allowed because bacon is delicious.

- acceptance of scientific theories and facts like evolution, gravity, spherical earth, and planetary orbits. Intolerance for Einstein's theory of relativity is OK since I think it would be cool to travel faster than light.

- a religion that is mostly tolerated by the rest of society. I don't want to be persecuted if times get tough.

- no requirement to read translations of poorly written iron age texts.

- mammals (maybe birds too) should be allowed in heaven, it would be nice to see my childhood pet dog.

- minimal number of meetings.

- no beard required, I have these bare patches that just won't grow hair, makes me look mangy when I try to grow one.

- no genocidal floods, famines, plagues, fires, etc. because humans are misbehaving or not showing god enough respect.

- no requirement to indoctrinate others in my belief.

- gift giving holiday is nice, kids really like it.

- god doesn't ask a parents to kill their children.

- caffeine, marijuana, and alcohol consumption is allowed.

- women are allowed to drive cars, vote, go to college, and wear whatever they want.

- limited number of stunt miracles. Turning bread into fish is cool and a useful source of protein, but walking on water is just too showoffy.

Branches of an Almond Tree

Branches of an Almond Tree in Blossom, Interpretation in Red  (1890) by Vincent van Gogh

notable works by Vincent Van Gogh

Blossoming Almond Tree is clearly inspired by Van Gogh's love of Japanese prints. In addition to his many emulations of Japanese paintings he also collected works by Japanese artists and used concepts such as striking color, morose outlines, and the fragility of the natural world in his work. Much like prints by the Japanese artist Hiroshige, Almond Tree sprawls the branches of a lonely tree against the background of a red imperial sky. This cultural appropriation creates a moving and contemporary piece while still being an obvious Van Gogh painting.