Art Related Things I’ve Done to Improve Myself - and indirectly my Art - This Past Week

1. I saw The Tree of Life, winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival, staring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain. Set in the 1950’s and 2000’s it is the somewhat nonlinear story of the relations between the members of one family, in particular one of three brothers, the universe, and God. Though a tall order, the producers, Pitt among them, writer and director, Terrence Malick, and actors have achieved what is the most beautiful film I’ve seen in 35 years.

Moshe Safdie, Arts and Science Museum, Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (June 23, 2010)

2. I Looked up architect Moshe Safdie, famous for his Habitat 1967 in Quebec, Canada, and the brand “spandie” new Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort in Singapore among a zillion other projects. He is an architect who grew out of the mid 20th century boxy building culture into stacking the boxes, and finally into a Metamodern designer of more organic-like green spaces for Twenty-first Century mega-cities.* *1

Moshe Safdie, United States INstitute of Peace, Wahington D.C. 

3. I Discovered that the United States has an Institute of Peace because I looked up Moshe Safdie. The magnificent Safdie designed Headquarters building is in Washington, D.C. Who would have thought that with all the wars we’ve fought during the past 50 years - the most recent of which we started - that we would actually have an Institute of Peace? Perhaps despite our crazed politics our government manages to do some things correctly. However, our current illustrious congress voted to cut all spending to the Institute. Of course, peace - who needs it or wants it!!! (I refrain from further derogatory reference to our AUGUST congress.)*2

John's Graphite Photorealism (closeup section) "Norma Jeane" (1979)

4. Had a brain-fart in which I began to meld some of the old 1970’s to 80’s Photorealist techniques with my current more organic mark making pastel techniques. These would include, blurry depth of field, and glowing spots where color is lost to intense light.


Notes

* Miles, Linda, “A Convergence of Disciplines: Singapore’s New Arts and Science Museum,” imag nation Lincoln Center Institute for the arts in education at http://imaginationnow.wordpress.com/. Posted March 30, 2011. Viewed 9:50 A.M., EST, Monday, February 13, 2012.

*1 Photograph of the Museum is Copyright 2010, Las Vegas Sands Corp. All Rights Reserved. However, it is understood that one time use of an image for intellectual purposes is within United States copyright law. I have taken the additional liberty of adding a layer to the jpeg image that discloses the copyright by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

*2 Gangal, Sanjay, “United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC by Moshe Safdie Architects,” Photographs by Tim Hursley. AECCAFE Blogs: the latest posts on the AEC Industry at http://www10.aeccafe.com/. Posted November 26th, 2011. Viewed 10:35 A.M., EST, Monday, February 13, 2012.