http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/art/ en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:29:26 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2408736/posts The married couple Allen and Patty Eckman are known for their fine and detailed sculptures made of acid free cast paper. Their art shows mostly sculptures of Indians, but it also includes nature, women, children and animals. The couple have created the sculptures since 1988 and are the only masters of their medium having Eckman Method of Cast Paper Sculpture as their own trademark. Pictures http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2408736/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:29:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407920/posts Here is an interesting video report on seven-year-old British prodigy Kieron Williamson, a young painter being compared to Picasso. He only began painting at age six, but his work is already drawing the rarified comparisons, and people from all over the world are paying a thousand dollars to own a painting by him. As for his view on his paintings, Williamson said he has no favorite because "they are all good." . . . (VIDEO) Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407920/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:12:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2406411/posts The facade of the I.M. Pei-designed National Gallery East Wing is now crumbling. Catesby Leigh reports in the Wall Street Journal that the building, constructed using an experimental curtain wall system that the architect described as "a technological breakthrough for the construction of masonry walls," has become unstable. The clean lines and solid geometrical forms of the building's design simply could not be interrupted with unsightly expansion joints. I.M. Pei quite simply was shackled to his own modern design, constrained to have large uninterrupted geometries of stone, a technological solution was an absolute necessity. The earlier Main Building, designed by... Greater Washington http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2406411/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:54:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2405769/posts The son of a prominent Pocono artist was arrested last night on charges of stealing approximately $20 million in paintings from the family-run art museum. Alfonso Frank Frazetta, 52, of Marshalls Creek was arrested by state police at Swiftwater and charged with burglary, theft by unlawful taking and criminal trespass. According to the police report, Frazetta, with the help of two men, including one operating a backhoe, broke through the museum door and took about 90 paintings on Wednesday afternoon. He loaded the paintings in his trailer and vehicle, but was apprehended before he could flee the scene. The museum... PoconoRecord.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2405769/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:04:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2403665/posts Picture in a picture photos that will inspire those creative juices for your weekend shoot. You may just have to break down and get a Polaroid. Window to the Soul by Stephen Poff Pictures http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2403665/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 14:22:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402401/posts BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 2009 – A Task Force Protector soldier here is building unit pride and esprit de corps by using his artistic skills to decorate an office inside a refurbished shipping container. Army Sgt. Henry Harrell stands next to the artwork he painted on his brigade commander’s office door at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 20, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Garett Hernandez   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The many talents of Army Sgt. Henry Harrell, a counterinsurgency noncommissioned officer with Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 16th Military Police Brigade, are evident on the office door of... Face of Defence http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402401/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 23:14:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394014/posts These images may look like just pretty patterns, but they are visual representations of songs sung by whales and dolphins. Daily Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394014/posts#comment Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:42:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2392812/posts Most people think Billy Pappas is crazy.  And why wouldn’t they?  Who other than a crazy person would spend more than 8 years of his life drawing a single portrait? And of a celebrity, no less?  But that’s what Pappas did. Every day, seven Billy Pappashours a day, Pappas stood in front of an easel, arms steadied by slings and drew, with a razor sharp pencil, what he believes to be the most detailed, precise and life-like drawing ever created. His 14” × 17” work is based on Richard Avedon’s 1957 photograph of Marilyn Monroe. It’s not an iconic photo, but it might show Marilyn Monroe... Bob Edwards Radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2392812/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:01:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391166/posts The Los Angeles County Museum of Art saw its investment portfolio lose nearly a quarter of its value during its 2008-09 fiscal year, which coincided with the worst worldwide financial debacle since the Great Depression. The $254.7-million pile of cash and investments shrank to $196 million, a 23% drop, according to figures in the audited financial statements that LACMA recently posted on its website. The most worrisome development for LACMA -- as for many nonprofits -- has been the recession's effect on fundraising. In 2007-08, it raked in gifts and pledges totaling $129.7 million, most of it for the museum's... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391166/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:36:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2386849/posts When the eggheads speak of tribalism in Iraq and Afghanistan, they're usually talking about the loyalties of the locals. But if anything in these countries is tribal, it's the U.S. military, with its array of heraldry and slogans. Some of the art painted on the blast walls here speaks of regional pride, but a lot of it declares, in words and images, that the people who work herein are the baddest dudes (and dudettes) around. Lots of Hellriders, Grim Reapers, Devil Gunners and whatnot. Even the finance and legal companies try to make themselves sound menacing. Oregon Live http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2386849/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:38:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384109/posts To some (like the man from Communist China who created the thing) this may represent Obama the trailblazer ... To others a great representation of Obama as Satan. Drudge Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384109/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:17:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375770/posts A Seattle police officer was shot to death and another officer was wounded late Saturday night while conducting a traffic stop in the city's Central District neighborhood. The officer who died was a veteran of the department, and the woman who was wounded is a student officer in training, Assistant Chief Jim Pugel said KOMO TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375770/posts#comment Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:05:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380759/posts Yesterday, the White House announced that it was removing Alma Thomas’ plagiaristic piece “Watusi (Hard Edge)” from its walls. The White House announced that the painting was moved “because it didn’t fit the space right.” The Washington Post pointed out that posters at FreeRepublic.com had examined the similarity between “Watusi (Hard Edge)” and Henri Matisse’s “The Snail” (1953), ignoring the fact that Big Hollywood actually broke the story. The Washington Post covered for the White House, explaining, “Stephens’s explanation makes sense because it is inconceivable that the White House’s art experts would imagine Thomas’s painting was fraudulent or a copy... bighollywood.breitbart.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380759/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 12:20:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379322/posts A painting by the artist Alma W. Thomas, which had been selected to go on Michelle Obama's wall in her East Wing office, will no longer be mounted. "The reason why it was moved was because it didn't fit the space right," Semonti Stephens, the first lady's deputy press secretary, said of "Watusi (Hard Edge)," which had been borrowed from the Hirshhorn Museum. Stephens noted that the Obamas still "have a piece of [Thomas's] work in the residence. So they appreciate the artist's work." A Thomas artwork titled "Sky Light," also on loan from the Hirshhorn, hangs in the family's... The Washington Post.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379322/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:34:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378715/posts .SNIPARTnews has reported that the White House has quietly de-listed a painting by Alma W. Thomas that it chose last month, among some 45 pieces borrowed from several Washington museums, to decorate the private White House residence and the West and East Wings. Titled, “Watusi (Hard Edge)” from 1963, the work takes a Matisse collage and, as Holland Cotter wrote in The New York Times, praising the selection, “shifts the pieces around, cools the colors down, and adds a title that refers to a Chubby Checker song.” “But through copying Matisse,” Mr. Cotter added, “she began to work out a... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378715/posts#comment Wed, 4 Nov 2009 23:20:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2376048/posts McNoughton's response to liberal criticisms of "One Nation Under God." Incredible painting. As you move your cursor over the various images, a brief description is revealed on the side panel. McNoughton Art http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2376048/posts#comment Sun, 1 Nov 2009 20:31:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2374007/posts Back when Norman Rockwell ruled Saturday evenings, Adobe wasn't even a gleam in some nerd's eye, but a new book shows that the painter was, nevertheless, a photoshop god. Very few Gizmodo readers were even born when Rockwell painted his last Saturday Evening Post cover, but we all know them. You hear that name and suddenly you can picture those overly detailed, cartoonishly dramatic but ultimately kinda corny depictions of American life. Well, Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera, written and compiled by Ron Schick, has given me immense newfound respect for the man, for the meticulous photography, the real people... gizmodo.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2374007/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:34:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364852/posts NEW YORK — Shepard Fairey's claim that he had the right to use a news photo to create his famous Barack Obama "HOPE" poster became a widely watched court case about fair use that now appears to have nearly collapsed. By Friday night, his attorneys – led by Anthony Falzone, executive director of the Fair Use Project at Stanford University – said they intend to withdraw from the case and said the artist had misled them by fabricating information and destroying other material. Fairey himself admitted that he didn't use The Associated Press photo of Obama seated next to... San Diego Union-Tribune (AP) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364852/posts#comment Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:04:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364529/posts "Shepard Fairey has now been forced to admit that he sued the AP under false pretenses by lying about which AP photograph he used to make the Hope and Progress posters," Kasi said. "Mr. Fairey has also now admitted to the AP that he fabricated and attempted to destroy other evidence in an effort to bolster his fair use case and cover up his previous lies and omissions." Kasi said the AP would continue to "vigorously pursue its countersuit alleging that Fairey willfully infringed the AP's copyright in the close-up photo of then-Sen. Obama." New York Times (you may need to register at NYT to access full article) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364529/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:57:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364391/posts A statement emerged tonight from AP concerning its long battle with artist Shepard Fairey over his use of an AP photo as the basic image for his famous Obama campaign poster. AP claims that Fairey's attorneys admit he tried to destroy some evidence, faking others and that his attorneys have sought to get off the case. Statement from Srinandan R. Kasi, VP and General Counsel, The Associated Press, follows. * Striking at the heart of his fair use case against the AP, Shepard Fairey has now been forced to admit that he sued the AP under false pretenses by lying... Editor & Publisher http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364391/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:20:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2363444/posts Here is a quote from Mao, concerning art: "There is in fact no such thing as art for art's sake, art that stands above classes, art that is detached from or independent of politics. Proletarian literature and art are part of the whole proletarian revolutionary cause." Why does that sound familar? Oh yeah...A 39-year-old Los Angeles film producer is accusing the National Endowment for the Arts of initiating a "call to action" to artists to support President Obama's domestic agenda. The film producer, Patrick Courrielche, said he was one of roughly 75 artists, musicians, writers, poets and others on an... All American Blogger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2363444/posts#comment Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:11:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2363230/posts A painting from 1617 appears to show a type of telescope thought not to have been built until much later. It's hard to find an invention more emblematic of the birth of modern science than the telescope. And yet surprisingly little is known about its early development. The inventor of the telescope remains unknown to this day. Now a study of the paintings of Jan Brueghel the Elder, a Flemish painter of the Baroque era who was working in Amsterdam at the beginning of the 17th century, is throwing some light on the early development of the telescope. It has... Technology Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2363230/posts#comment Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:09:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2362873/posts A portrait of a young woman thought to be created by a 19th century German artist and sold two years ago for about $19,000 is now being attributed by art experts to Leonardo da Vinci and valued at more than $150 million. The unsigned chalk, ink and pencil drawing, known as "La Bella Principessa," was matched to Leonardo via a technique more suited to a crime lab than an art studio — a fingerprint and palm print found on the 13 1/2-inch-by-10-inch work. Peter Paul Biro, a Montreal-based forensic art expert, said the print of an index or middle finger... npr http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2362873/posts#comment Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:26:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2362066/posts The controversial works are part of a wider exhibition of 60 pieces that are being shown for two weeks from Wednesday at the former Holy Trinity Church, now known as One Marylebone, in central London. The exhibition featuring 16 artists, called The Age of Marvellous, coincides with the Frieze Art Fair in nearby Regent's Park. Organisers say the exhibition is designed to “integrate areas of human knowledge that exist outside the boundaries of traditional art making”. Among the more controversial pieces on display in the historic church, which was built in 1825 by Sir John Soane, are two from Paul... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2362066/posts#comment Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:55:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2361148/posts Art Market Fingerprint points to $19,000 portrait being revalued as £100m work by Leonardo da Vinci 12 October 2009   ATG correspondent SIMON HEWITT gains exclusive access to the evidence used to unveil what the world’s leading scholars say is the the first major Leonardo Da Vinci find for 100 years.   New scientific techniques have uncovered evidence that this picture is a previously unrecognised work by Leonardo da Vinci.  Is this 13 x 9in (33 x 24cm) portrait, in chalk, pen and ink on vellum, mounted on an oak board, a long-lost work by Leonardo da Vinci? That... Antiques Trade Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2361148/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:57:21 GMT