Art of the day, 06 - Ralph Steadman's "What did you do in the war, Daddy?"

Ralph Steadman, "What did you do in the war, Daddy"
Ink and acrylic on paper

Ralph is one of my greatest inspirations. His works are chaotic, emotional and spaztic. Every piece is the result of a wonderful catastrophe, an explosion of life, pain and reality. His works are commonly social critique and satirical, pasted with vibrant color and brash language. He is best known for his works with the journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman is an illustrator who still lives today to continue with his brilliant works.

Art of the Day, 05 - Cy Twombly's "Three Studies from the Temeraire"

Cy Twombly, Three Studies from the Temeraire, Oil on Canvas triptych, 1998-1999

Cy Twombly is known for bringing history to life in his expressionistic minimalist paintings and sculptures. His work has been called primitive be many, but under each blot of oil, each haphazardly strewn stroke, lies a wealth of knowledge and reverence to mankind's legacy on planet earth. This piece in particular piece showcases the battleship Temeraire, famous for the Trafalgar in 1805. After the ship was damaged in combat, it was broken into three seperate pieces and towed back to port to be repaired. It remained in service for many years to come, standing testament to the resilient spirit of Britain.

This piece was named "Britain's Greatest Painting" in a poll by the National Gallery.

His works are awe inspiring, yet simple and spastic. The brilliance behind the accident is none other than Cy Twombly.

Art of the day, 04 - Francis Bacon's "Head IV"

Title: Head VI
Year: 1949
Original Size: 93.2 x 76.5 cm
Technic: Oil on Canvas
Location: Arts Council / Londra - İngiltere

Francis Bacon's works are alarming and breath taking. Their extreme jostling nature pierces our conception of the human body and spirit in their intimate and meaty figures. Born in Dublin in 1900, he would be known as one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century.

Bacon dealt directly with the nature of humanity and the presence that lurks beneath the skin. His horrific filets of vibrantly colored living corpses stared surrealistically at the onlooker as if forever caught in some moment of intense agony. Flat backdrops, ambiguous scenery and high-contrast color palettes commonly accompanied this blasphemies, giving a brilliant juxtaposition of poppy cleanliness and gore.

"I would like my pictures to look as if a human being had passed between them, like a snail leaving its trail of the human presence... as a snail leaves its slime." - Francis Bacon.

His works are groundbreaking in their direct assault of the human form. A destructive appreciation for all things in man, as well as a deep and moral loathing. His work would lay the ground for many expressionist artist in years to come, such as Ralph Steadman.

Art of the Day, 03 - "Female Nude" by Egon Schiele

Egon Schielle, "Female Nude"
1910, Czech Republic
Watercolor, Indian Ink
44x30cm

Egon Schielle's work challenged the art establishment's sense of tasteful and artistic. His pieces are provocative, sexual and enticing while its strong angular and emaciated characters give the viewer a sense of surreal desire. His works are controversial and strange and often leave the onlooker a bit disturbed, but always are they remembered. This piece in particular is a part of a series of nudes, a common ground for Mr. Schielle, and begs the question "is it art, or is it porn?"

What difference lies between appreciating the human form and desiring the human form? Are the Greek statues not a testament to their blatant homo-eroticism? Are our modern film romances not a showcase of sexual repression and desire? Egon was one of the first to truly push the envelope and insult his audiences while captivating them with his masterfully sketched torsos, detailed genitalia and gorgeous organic line-work. If ever there was a text-book definition for organic line, Egon Schielle would be under its wordage.

Art of the Day, 02 - Selection Ninth November Night

"Selection - Ninth November Night" by Gottfied Helnwein.

This large demonstrative piece showcases a hundred meter long wall covered in the faces of christian, Jewish and handicapped children in Germany. Many of this artists works are consumed by the loss of innocence and the destructive power of war and men. A German artist, many of his concentrations are based on Nazi's and the abuse of children. This particular piece lines up countless children in extreme detail as if selected for some greater (or malevolent) cause.

Link to Ninth November Night Gallery ---> http://www.helnwein.com/werke/photo/tafel_2.html

The children's faces are not pleasant or easy to look upon. Their eyes tell stories of anger, loss, hate and sadness. The work parallels nicely to his other mixed media pieces showcasing children in military dress with guns and weapons. This day and age is a troubled time and the loss of youth is only but one of the plagues we bear witness too. Gottfried takes us to a very real and very dark place with each child's face. Gottfried shows us we cannot ignore the suffering of our time, and that we must face it with open clarity.

In the words of Art Director Sean Penn, "Well, the world is a haunted house, and Helnwein at times is our tour guide through it."

One the second day that Ninth November Night was on display, unknown vandals cut each and every canvas with a knife...along every child's throat.

Art of the Day, 01 - Laocoon and Sons

Laocoon and Sons, Hellenistic Greece.
"Equo ne credite, Teucri / Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis"
or "Do not Trust the horse, Trojans."

Its sensuous and emotional qualities combine with a sense of action in this masterful adoration of the human form. The drapes upon Laocoon's sons are a clear hallmark of this time period in Greek sculpture, as well as the tactile hair. Upon it's completion, this statue would have been very controversial as the end of the classical period had just occurred, and the present taste had been far more conservative. The piece has also, unfortunately, suffered from Iconoclasm, most likely from christian moralists.

Laocoon was trusted with the knowledge that the invading Greeks would set a trap for the Trojans by giving them a gift. "Beware Greeks bearing gifts." When the Greeks presented the Trojans with a giant wooden horse, he attempted to convince the Trojans not to accept. Poseidon, who was in favor of the Greeks, sent a giant sea serpent to kill Laocoon and his sons for his treachery. This piece captures that traumatizing moment in time.

This artwork would help set the stage for action painters, Hellenistic sculpture and narrative artists of the future.Its beautiful classic Greek bodies standing monument to the human form.