Saturday, April 27, 2013

Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 Published with My Paintings and Installation

Hot on the heels of Four Paintings of Mine Published by Superstition Review's publication of my four paintings a day ago, Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 was published by California State Polytechnic University Pomona, which also features two Paintings and an installation of mine.  The seventh issue of the magazine - mine works can be seen on pages 10, 63 and 76, and page 150, one may read a short bio of mine.

Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 - April 2013 - Page 1 - Cover

Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7- April 2013 - Page 10 - Boulevard

Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 - April 2013 - Page 63 - Lone Traveler

Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 - April 2013 - Page 76 - Stringed White Dresses - An Installation

Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 - April 2013 - Credits

More of my published works can be seen here:



Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- New Wilde Magazine Publications
- Unexpected Successes of "Stringed White Dresses - An Installation"
- Two Figure Paintings of Mine Published by Wilde Magazine Issue 2
- Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 Published with My Paintings and Installation
- Four Paintings of Mine Published by Superstition Review, April 2013
- Three Magazines to Publish My Works in April
- Publications

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Four Paintings of Mine Published by Superstition Review, April 2013

Four paintings of mine were just published by Superstition Review, Issue 11 in April 2013. 

Superstition Review, published by Arizona State University, is an "online literary magazine produced by creative writing and web design students at Arizona State University. Founded by Patricia Colleen Murphy in 2008, the mission of the journal is to promote contemporary art and literature by providing a free, easy-to-navigate, high quality online publication that features work by established and emerging artists and authors from all over the world."

Below are the screen shots of the web pages [ http://superstitionreview.asu.edu/issue11/art/matthewfelixsun ] featuring my paintings, Awakening, Dissonance, Division and House of Hope.

Superstition Review Issue 11 April 2013 - Awakening

Superstition Review Issue 11 April 2013 - Dissonance

Superstition Review Issue 11 April 2013 - Division

Superstition Review Issue 11 April 2013 - House of Hope

Below are the thumbnails of these works:

Awakening / 喚醒 / Wecken Dissonance / 不和諧音 / Dissonanz
Division / 割裂 / Teilung House of Hope / 希望之家 / Haus der Hoffnung

Finally, you can see other published works of mine:


www.flickr.com
Matthew Felix Sun's My Publications (displayed on Flickr) photoset Matthew Felix Sun's My Publications (displayed on Flickr) photoset

Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- New Wilde Magazine Publications

- Two Figure Paintings of Mine Published by Wilde Magazine Issue 2
- Unexpected Successes of "Stringed White Dresses - An Installation"
- Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 Published with My Paintings and Installation
- Three Magazines to Publish My Works in April
- Publications

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

My Favorite Sculptures in Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris

IMG_8032 - Jardin du Luxembourg, ParisIn 2008, when I arrived in my hotel in Paris, I was very pleased to find out that my hotel was very close to the lovely Luxembourg Garden (Jardin du Luxembourg) and I took daily strolls along the beautiful Boulevard Saint-Michel to the garden in order to savor the tranquility there, and to enjoy the companionship of over one hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, mostly in the classical restrained style, plus a few flamboyant modernistic works scattered about on the vast ground (left).

Of these metal or stone statues, I was particularly fond of a bronze one - Faun Dancing on a Wineskin, by Eugène-Louis Lequesne (1851), perhaps because of its convenient location - the faun stood close to the boulevard, facing the main square, just inside wrought-iron fences, always ready to greet me with his infectious wave and the inaudible horn.  It was very dynamic and full of movement and energy; at the same time, the form of the faun, or the boy, was classically graceful and a pure delight to the eyes.  Finally, it had a rich patina of aged bronze, contrasting nicely to the youthful dancing figure.

IMG_8015 - Faun dancing on a wineskin, bronze by Eugène-Louis Lequesne (1851) - Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
Faun Dancing on a Wineskin, bronze by Eugène-Louis Lequesne (1851)

My second favorite statue in the Garden was a stone statue, La Bocca della Verità by Jules Blanchard, referring to the Roman legend that one tells a lie with one's hand in the Mouth of the Truth, it would be bitten off.  The one in Roma was just a round plate of face; here a female nude made an almost teasing gesture of putting her hand inside the mouth of a quite small shield-shaped face, held in her other hand, as if she was petting a not always obedient pet, whimsical and full of fun.  It often brought faint smiles to its viewers and for that one must be grateful.

IMG_8071 - La Bocca della Verità, statue by Jules Blanchard, Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
La Bocca della Verità, statue by Jules Blanchard

IMG_8072 - La Bocca della Verità, statue by Jules Blanchard, Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
La Bocca della Verità, statue by Jules Blanchard


My Favorite Museum Collection Series

>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 66:  My Favorite Paintings at Église Saint-Sulpice, Paris
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 64: My Favorite Sculpture and Painting at Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris

List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited


Other Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst:
- Grand Palais in Paris
- Musée de Cluny - Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris
- Travel Inspired Paintings
- Get Ready for the Treasures from Musée d’Orsay
- Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris - De Young Museum, San Francisco
- Birth of Impressionism at De Young Museum, San Francisco

Friday, April 19, 2013

My Favorite Sculpture and Painting at Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris

Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris (MAM) (Paris City Museum of Modern Art), is less talked about than other institutions in Paris, such as Musée du Louvre or Musée d'Orsay.  But, a rich city as Paris has much to offer and even its "lesser" museum could be a treasure trove and MAM is just one of such wonderful museums.  I stumbled upon this museum when I wandered about the city alone in 2008, and beside an amazing special exhibit which lured me in, I was very happy to see many wonderful permanent collections there, many of them by masters such as Modigliani, Bonnard, etc.

My pick of the two favorites, however, went to Pablo Picasso, both in the more representative style, which I appreciate more than his later works, whose abstraction and absurdity often baffled me.  Here, I love his wonderfully melancholic bronze bust of a fool, Le Fou, whose sharp and intense feature contrast strongly to the title of the sculpture.  A wisest fool, a soberest crazy one. A lovely bust.

IMG_8923 - Le Fou, 1905, Pablo Picasso - Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 2008
Le Fou, 1905, Pablo Picasso

IMG_8924 - Le Fou (The Crazy), 1905, Pablo Picasso - Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 2008

His somber mood carried over to his painting, L'enterrement de Casagemas, the interment of his friend, a fellow Spanish painter Carlos Casagemas (1881 in Barcelona - 17 February 1901 in Paris), who shot himself because of an unrequited love for Germaine Pichot, who was later one of the models depicted in Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon.  The funeral scene was a fantastic one -- the mourners on earth juxtaposed with those overtly sensual ones, femmes fatale, in the heaven.  The overall tone was almost religious and devotional.  It is a very strange and moving piece of work, a most tender and personal one. 

IMG_8921 - L'enterrement de Casagemas, 1901, Pablo Picasso, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 2008
L'enterrement de Casagemas, 1901, Pablo Picasso


My Favorite Museum Collection Series

>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 65: My Favorite Sculptures in Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 63: My Favorite Paintings at Musée Marmottan Monet

List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Three Magazines to Publish My Works in April

Incredibly, three art and literary review magazines are to publish my works in this single month.  These magazines are:
Currently, my works have been published or featured by several magazines and book cover, published by these institutions:
  • The Artist Portfolio Magazine (MyArtContest.com)
  • Epistemologies of Ignorance in Education (Information Age Publishing)
  • Sychronized Chaos (synchaos.com)
  • The Amistad (Howard University)
  • William and Mary Review (William and Mary College)

My already published works can be see on my website: www.matthewfelixsun.com/publications/
 
Below is the slide show survey of those previous publications.  Stay tuned for the updates once the new publications come out.




Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- Two Figure Paintings of Mine Published by Wilde Magazine Issue 2 
- Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 Published with My Paintings and Installation
- Four Paintings of Mine Published by Superstition Review, April 2013 
- Opening of "Free Art" at Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland
- Featured in "News and Buzz" on ArtSlant
- Honorable Mentioned in A Juried Competition

Monday, April 15, 2013

2003 Recapitulations - Video Presentation of Paintings

My watershed year was 2003, when I started my Apocalypse Series of paintings and drawings, when the US was poised to invade Iraq and I made several dark paintings such as "The Triumph of Saint George".  I also created my best work so far, "Grandma", which was simple, elegant, darkly beautiful yet foreboding.  Several of these paintings have been published by various magazines and some are to be published.

Below is the random selection of three paintings from the group:


www.flickr.com
Matthew Felix Sun's Paintings Completed in 2003 by Matthew Felix Sun on Flickr photoset Matthew Felix Sun's Paintings Completed in 2003 by Matthew Felix Sun on Flickr photoset




>> Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part XXX: A New Video of "Liberation Road"
<< Video presentations of paintings and drawings, Part XXVIII: Video Presentation of Oil Painting "Black Woods"

List of Video Presentation of My Artworks

Monday, April 8, 2013

My Shifting Views of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan

Speaking of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in late 1980s through early 1990s in China, the prevailing response was unbridled admiration. This was my personal perspective at the time as well.  After all, it was the time repressive Communism, bluntly criticized by Thatcher, Reagan and Pope John Paul, seemed to be crumble and the whole world was running towards a more entrepreneurial and individualistic system, the opposite of what China had been for many decades, therefore, the broad gestures from aforementioned leaders were hugely popular in China and they offered Chinese people hope.

We were utterly ignorant of what Thatcher and Reagan's highly controversial domestic policies and their adverse effects on the societies as communities, such as the inequality and other wrongs came along with their hallmark laissez-faire capitalism.  We saw them as the embodiments of personal and societal freedom, as brave warriors facing down the Communism evil.  Besides, televisions, black and white and later colored, brought them to our humble adobes, and their film-star glamor seduced the whole generation of Chinese people, who were so used to seeing poker-faced politicians and all other the individuals had been dressed like the same working ants in cheap blue Mao suits till only a couple years ago and no good sense of style had emerged yet.

We cared if they were friendly towards China and Chinese people or not; we cared if they were to help to defeat the Soviet Union or not.  We cared for their entrepreneurial and free market doctrines, the opposite to the failed collective economic policies which had been plaguing China for decades.  We cared not, however, if the qualities of their universities suffered, like the great University of California.

Therefore, how could a bewitched Chinese not to love Thatcher?  And how could they not be loved by their own fellow citizens?

The first dissonance I heard came in the late 1980s, when I studied language tapes recorded in the UK, with a scene of young people protesting against Thatcher.  I was utterly bewildered.  Why was she so hated?  Didn't she beat down the hugely ineffective and cumbersome rules, busted the hated union leaders, smashed the wasteful welfare states, and opened the way for sweeping privatization and deregulation?  Shouldn't she be lauded for all those achievements instead?

Only after I'd lived in the US long enough, and had witness the destructive force of those laissez-faire capitalism policies of Thatcher and Reagan brand, and the consequent hugely indecent, and ever-larger wealth inequality in the society, that I realized why their policies and their legacies were not so golden, as I once had believed, and then I understood why they were considered controversial, at the least.

Of course, they had achieved much and not all of their policies were wrong; therefore let me just say that they both were political giants, who had cast long shadows.


Margaret Thatcher - Capitalism and a Free Society

Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- Remembering Mao's Death
- Tragedies of Our Time

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Graz - the City Without Entrance, and Exit


DSCN9537 _ Herrengasse, Graz, 9 October
Herrengasse, Graz

Last October, I returned to Vienna and Venice, and explored the new territories of Graz in Austria, Bologna and Ferrara in Italy.  Graz, second largest city in Austria, the capital of Styria (Steiermark), was a lovely Renaissance city, and its city center and nearby Schloss Eggenberg are listed as the World Cultural Heritage Sites by UNESCO.  It had a rapid river Mur and an imposing hill which sat squarely in the center of the city.  It was supremely clean and well kept and I very much enjoyed my short three-day stay there and managed to visited several museums, palaces, cathedrals, ruins, a university and some ancient squares and boulevards and alleys.

But it was achieved not without challenge.  The biggest one turned out to be finding entrance, and at the end, the exit to this city, a city apparently loved to play tricks on its visitors.  In the end, I give it a marketing tagline - Graz - die Stadt ohne Eingang, und Ausgang, or Graz - the City Without Entrance, and Exit.

After we had settled in our hotel, we took a walk and saw the fascinating sculpture outside the Graz Opera House - there was only Puccini's Manon Lescaut being performed during our visit, so we gave it a pass.

DSCN2060 _ Grazer Oper, 7 October
Grazer Oper

Next morning, our entrance challenge began.  First, we had trouble in finding the Burg itself let alone the Zwillingswendeltreppe (Double Staircase) inside the compound.  When we finally located the complex, we couldn't find the hidden treasure - a double staircase spiraling ups and downs in parallel or converged like DNA, designed by the Habsburg Kaiser Maximillian I.  After some inquiry, the impatient staff pointed at a hidden corner of a building deep inside the courtyard and only after we had peeped inside the building, did we see the staircase.  When we left the compound, we witnessed the poor staff giving directions to more visitors. There was a direction sign of the site, nailed next to the entrance to the Double Staircase, hidden by a large tree.

DSCN2162 _ Zwillingswendeltreppe, Burg, Graz, 8 October
Zwillingswendeltrepp, Burg

We didn't have trouble in finding the cathedral (Dom) itself - we saw it from our hotel window (below), but we could not find the entrance to the imposing cathedral, despite the fact that the Dom had many doors.  We pushed many of them and none of them yielded.  After our visiting its annex, Ferdinand II.'s Mausoleum, we walked round it again and again, and accidentally, one of those almost identical and unmarked doors opened noiselessly. 

DSCN2090 _ Dom, Graz, 7 October
Dom, Graz 

DSCN8638 _ Dom, Graz, 8 October
Dom, Graz 

DSCN2226 _ Kaiser Leopold I. Mausoleum, Graz, 8 October
Kaiser Ferdinand II. Mausoleum 

Then, there were closed sites, scheduled or unexpected.  We knew before our visit that we couldn't go in the excellent museum inside Schloss Eggenberg, but even the scheduled open State Room inside the Schloss was unexpectedly closed, we learned upon arrival after 20-30 minutes tram ride. However, we were able to visit the ground and the building itself, including the courtyard and corridors, which were very unique and definitely deserved its status of UNESCO's World Heritage Site.  We were also able to peep into the State Room and a museum room with a lovely triptych.

DSCN8760 _ Schloss Eggenberg, Graz, 8 October
Schloss Eggenberg, Graz

DSCN8784 _ Schloss Eggenberg, Graz, 8 October
Schloss Eggenberg, Graz

DSCN8795 _ Schloss Eggenberg, Graz, 8 October
Triptych in Schloss Eggenberg, Graz

Naturally, our visit to Graz did not contain only curtained gratification.  There were several more museums in Graz and some of them are fantastically modern, even in this well-preserved ancient city, they did not look out of place.  The best is the Kunsthaus (Art Haus), which showcased modern art.  Like the famous Paris Centre Pompidou, Paris, the building itself was far more interesting than its collections.  Its morphing patterned lights at night were very attractive and hypnotic.

DSCN9042 _ Kunsthaus, Graz, 8 October
Kunsthaus, Graz

DSCN9411 _ Kunsthaus, Graz, 9 October
Kunsthaus, Graz

Another futuristic structure nearby was the Murinsel (Mur Island), which was actually not an island at all, but an artificial floating platform in the middle of the Mur river, designed by New York artist Vito Acconci on the occasion of Graz becoming the 2003 European Capital of Culture.

DSCN9035 _ Murinsel, Graz, 8 October
Murinsel (Mur Insland)

One more fantastic museum was Neue Galerie (New Gallery), which had inverted towers leading people to the underground entrance, or just peeping holes, and were artworks in their own rights and the whole building looked particularly wonderful at night when those inverted towers were illuminated with pale greenish-blue light.  It was in this building, once again, I felt that Graz earned its name the city without entrance.  I tried many times to enter a restroom but the door seemed always locked.  I waited for a long time and no one ever came out of it.  Finally, I gave the door a gentle pull and it opened.  I didn't expect that the door would open outwards into a very narrow hallway.

DSCN9514 _ Neue Galerie, Graz, 9 October
Neue Galerie, Graz

Besides the building itself, this museum had many wonderful modern paintings, older than those in Kunsthaus, mostly in the period of Egon Schiele, as the one below:

DSCN9492 _ Stadtende (Häuserbogen III), um 1917, Egon Schiele, Neue Galerie, Graz
Stadtende (Häuserbogen III), um 1917, Egon Schiele, Neue Galerie, Graz

The Schloßberg, sitting in the middle of the otherwise flat city, used to have a palace but it was destroyed by Napoleon's army.  Now, only some ruins and a clock tower remained.  Graz citizens actually had to ransom the tower.  We took the funicular train up the steep hill and enjoyed the great view of the city along the short ride and on top of the hill.  There, near the ruins, I also took a picture of a lovely wrought-iron well cover, good enough for a wedding background:

DSCN9308 _ Schloßbergbahn Funicular, Graz, 9 October
Schloßbergbahn Funicular, Graz

DSCN8953 _ Uhrturm, Schloßberg, Graz, 8 October
Uhrturm, Schloßberg, Graz

DSCN8921 _ A well on top of Schloßberg, Graz, 8 October
Ornate wrought-iron well cover, Schloßberg, Graz

It was on our way out, I added the last part to Graz's nickname.  We were to take an early morning bus for Klagenfurt, Austria, and transfer there two hours later, then continue to Venice, Italy.  After our breakfast in the main train/bus station, Hauptbahnhof, we waited patiently, with several other passengers, at the platform with the sign of "Klagenfurt", for our double-decker bus.

Ten minutes before departure time, a double-decker came but it didn't go to Klagenfurt. Five minutes later, the our bus number started to blink on the electronic schedule board sign inside the bus stop, indicating that the passengers were boarding the bus, but our bus was still no where to be found.  I hauled my luggage to the other bus parked nearby and asked the only available personnel, the driver, if he knew where the bus destined for Klagenfurt was, in German, and he directed towards the main entrance to the Hauptbahnhof, again, in German.  Had no time to lose, I dragged my luggage and ran through the lot towards the main entrance, waving at other passengers towards that direction.

After navigating some inconvenient maintenance spots, we arrived at the main entrance and lo and behold, our bus driver was loading luggage to the side of our bus.  He did check our tickets before loaded our luggage on the bus, but never checked to see who was or not on board. 

DSCN9568 _ Hauptbahnhof, Graz, 10 October
Hauptbahnhof, Graz

Yes, Graz was lovely to visit.  But you have to know your way in, and out, and preferable, in German, or the Austrian way.


Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele in Wien (Vienna)
- Magnificent Churches in Vienna
- Visiting Four Universities in Austria and Italy
- UNESCO World Heritage Semmering Railway from Vienna to Graz

Label: AustriaAustria and Italy Trip 2012

Monday, April 1, 2013

UNESCO World Heritage Semmering Railway from Vienna to Graz


Last October, we returned to Vienna and Venice, and added Graz in Austria, Bologna and Ferrara in Italy to my new frontiers.

During our smooth train ride from Vienna to Graz, we not only saw lovely scenery along the trip but a UNESCO World Heritage Semmering Railway as well.  The UNESCO World Heritage listing gives us a brief on this engineering wonder as this: 
The Semmering Railway, built over 41 km of high mountains between 1848 and 1854, is one of the greatest feats of civil engineering from this pioneering phase of railway building. The high standard of the tunnels, viaducts and other works has ensured the continuous use of the line up to the present day. It runs through a spectacular mountain landscape and there are many fine buildings designed for leisure activities along the way, built when the area was opened up due to the advent of the railway.
DSCN1451 _ Semmering Railway, Spittelau, Wien, 6 October

We saw part of the viaducts the day before our trip, on an excursion to the vineyard, and if it looked less than amazing in the modern day suburb as show above, it was quite wonderful to look at in the winding mountainous passes below:

DSCN1964 _ Semmering Railway between Wien and Graz, 7 October

DSCN1980 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

Besides, the scenery along the railroad from Vienna to Graz was very lovely, particularly in the light rain, with views of leafy mountains, valleys, meadows and villages, and once in a while, a grand palace or an imposing castle perching atop of a stony cliff. We followed our tour book's recommendation to sit on the left side of the train from Vienna to Graz, in order to have the best of the view.  If you travel from Graz to Vienna, do try to sit on the right, or reserve the seat on the right side of the train, for only a couple of Euros. 

DSCN1967 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN1981 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN1990 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN1992 _ Small town between Wien and Graz, 7 October

DSCN2001 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN2007 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN2010 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN2012 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN2021 _ Kloster between Wien and Graz, 7 October

DSCN2026 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012

DSCN2027 - From Vienna to Graz, October 2012


Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele in Wien (Vienna)
- Theater Experiences in Wien (Vienna) 
- Magnificent Churches in Vienna
- Visiting Four Universities in Austria and Italy

Label: AustriaAustria and Italy Trip 2012