Matthew Felix Sun - Art · 文化 · Kunst: February 2015

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Allegorical Painting "Birds and Men"

I don't consider myself as a colorist; yet, sometimes, I managed to utilize some vibrant colors to create paintings with vibrant colors, bold, striking, yet harmonious, such as my 2003 oil painting, Birds and Men.

Birds and Men / 鳥與人 / Vögel und Menschen
Oil on Canvas
30" x 40"
2003

11 Paintings Completed in 2003 (part 1 of 2)

With that painting, and several others made in 2003, I started my Apocalypse Series, intended to document human sufferings inflicted by reckless or repressive political, religious or cultural forces. The direct impetus to create such series was the impending invasion of Iraq, led by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Tony Blair, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell, et. al.

As stated in my standard bio: "Life is a harsh experience, yet it is beautiful. Art ought to be from life, and above life. To merely document surfaces is not enough: I want to grasp what is behind, which to me is far more compelling and worthwhile.

As with many artists, my early work is grounded in realism, and evolved into a style that retains a representative cast but rejects slavish naturalism. I immerse myself in the patterns and rhythms of forms, particularly the contradiction between the surface beauty and harsh subjects, and from these foci has formed a distinctive style. The subject matter of my work ranges from portraiture and landscape/cityscape, to allegories and abstraction."

Originally published on matthewfelixsun.com

Saturday, February 21, 2015

The Moon, Mars and Venus

Last night, the Moon, Mars and Venus clustered together and formed a wonderful celestial sight. Here a few snapshots I took:

The new moon was also the first moon of Lunar Year of Ram, celebrated in majority of east Asian last Thursday.

Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst:
- The Moon, Venus and Jupiter
- Full Moon in an Early Morning
- First Full Moon in "Year of Horse"
- New Year's Greetings - Moon Rise and Sunset
- Getting Ready for the "Supermoon"
- More on Night Sky

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Wickedly Fun Hotel - The Standard in Los Angeles

Last year, I traveled to Los Angels for business and stayed in a wickedly fun hotel in downtown: The Standard. Its exterior was a rather non-descriptive, utilitarian looking, more an officer tower than your usual hotel; yet its idiosyncrasies started to announce themselves from its parking lot -- notice the upside down logo of the hotel (same upside down logo was also just above main entrance to the building):

There was no lobby to speak of if one entered from the street entrance, though there was an interesting console underneath a light globe in the far end (above); if one entered from the other side, via the parking lot, a small lively courtyard and an atmospheric lounge greeted the traveler in sequence before the receptionists:

The reception desk was against a large curtain, subtly dramatic, and together with the adjacent barber shop, it created a fantastic feeling to the humble lobby:

The courtyard mentioned above was connected to the hotel restaurant, which had a pleasant setting and served decent meals:

Checked into my room, I was delighted by the spaciousness of my room, and its unusual modern decor: see how the wall painting seamlessly extended onto the curtain:

The most unusual feature of the room was the see-through bathroom: a large room itself, its partitioned from the sleeping quarter was transparent panel, which also faced the window; I started to wonder if I booked the right business hotel:

DSCN0407a _ Standard Hotel, Los Angeles 2

DSCN0412 _ See through bathroom in Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

The fun of the hotel continued. I really liked their clever signage: such as the fire extinguisher in the lobby, and the seal on the toilet paper roll:

DSCN1174 _ Signage in Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN1176 _ Signage in Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN1178 _ Signage in Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

On the rooftop, there was a beer garden restaurant and a large swimming pool; the view on the platform was fabulous and the invitingly lit pool competed mightily with the brilliant sunset, and drew people into its deep blue tiny ripples:

DSCN0665 _ from rooftop of Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0664 _ from rooftop of Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0642 _ from Rooftop of Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0652 _ Rooftop, Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0658 _ Rooftop, Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0670 _ Rooftop, Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0668 _ Rooftop, Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0659 _ Rooftop, Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0669 _ Rooftop, Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

DSCN0662 _ Rooftop, Standard Hotel, Los Angeles

A quirky hotel with many usually, and often hidden features. Loved it.

Other Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst:
- Surprisingly Urbane Los Angeles - Downtown and Beyond
- Monumental "Andy Warhol: Shadows" in Los Angeles
- LACMA - Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Getty Villa in Los Angeles (Malibu)
- The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles- Urs Fischer Exhibit at MOCA, Los Angeles

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Anderson Collection at Stanford University

A trove of modern art was gifted to Stanford University recently by Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson and Mary Patricia Anderson Pence, the Bay Area family who built the collection over the last 50 years, and Stanford built a new facility, next to the Cantor Museum of Art at Stanford, to host this outstanding collection, Anderson Collection at Stanford University.

I will not attempt to describe these extraordinary art works; rather I will present them in clusters as curated by the museum, mostly grouped together according the the similar styles of the artworks or artists. Below are the majority of those on display, which either captivated or intrigued me when I visited the museum in December last year: