Official Portrait of Princes William and Harry

San Francisco Chronicle reported that a new official portrait of Princes William and Harry of UK by artist Nicky Philipps was on display at the National Portrait Gallery alongside other royal portraits.

The painting was well-executed - I like its somber tone and the poses between casual and formal and the apparent brotherly connection between the sitters. It recalled me Whistler's Mother. The simplistic frontal lighting did not generate drama, instead it instilled a certain serenity. Perhaps precisely because of these, the painting seems a little dated and lacks a certain edge and energy. Was the artist being ironic? However, the painting does draw viewers in and invites people to ponder. In that sense, it is a success. The golden frame however clashes with the blue sash violently and should be replaced as soon as possible.

An official portrait is always difficult to inject artistic statement, but a successful artist must find inspirations from this constraint. One of my favorite official portrait is "Charles IV and His Family" by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (see below). The Princes William and Harry is a very good official portrait; I just wish the artist and the sitters would be bolder and have made more excellent decisions.

"Avatar" - Beautiful Visual, Disappointing Message

After much debate, I accepted an invitation to join friends for an IMAX 3D showing of the movie Avatar. It is a phenomenal movie for sure - from the breathtaking scale to the sensuous beauty, I was served a grand feast. Yet, at the end of the movie, after some discussion with friends, I am left with a sense of disappointment that justifies my initial hesitation.

The movie does have a strong message, exposing the greedy and destructive nature of corporate culture and corporations. But in the end, the movie cheapened its message by providing a juvenile "solution" - fight back the monster machines with bows and arrows, you'll win the day, and the evil forces will not return. The protagonists live happily ever after.

The audience's ability to buy tickets made them (us) members of the denounced culture and destructive force depicted in the movie, arguably its driving force. Yet the movie provided an outlet for the audience to root for the good guy, who helped indigenous people to fight back the invaders from Earth. Rooting for the hero allowed us to figuratively wash our hands clean. It was unearned self-congratulation, freeing us to replay the role of hero in our minds afterward, as we munch on McDonalds burgers and slurp Coca Cola, thus continuing to enable corporations to wreak havoc on Earth and beyond.

Not only did the movie propose no true solution, no serious questions were even asked. For such a highly touted movie, I ask for more than "Avatar" delivered. The disappointment of being shown so little confirmed my initial hesitation.

My Favorite Works at De Young Museum, San Francisco

Today, I visited De Young Museum in San Francisco for the King Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of Pharaohs exhibit. It was a fantastic show, despite the fact that the most spectacular beautifully inlaid gold mask of the young king, who died at the age of 19, was not included in the current exhibit of these artifacts. Some old timers had the luck of viewing it when the show came to San Francisco decades ago. I cannot say that I was cheated out of something. It was a very beautiful and stimulating exhibit. You can still catch the show before it ends on 28 March, 2010.

I chose to visit the museum after New Year, and in the afternoon, to avoid holiday crowds and school kids. Therefore I was able to view the objects at a measured pace and spent two and half hours there.

Before my timed visit started, I visited De Young Museum's contemporary painting collections and saw quite a few my favorite paintings and sculpture, such as these:





















































































































































De Young Museum will bring masterpieces by impressionists (Birth of Impressionism) and post-impressionists (Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond) from Musée d'Orsay of Paris when it's under renovation. Impressionists exhibit will be on display from 22 May to 6 September while post-impressionists exhibit starts in 25 September and will end in 18 January 2011. I cannot wait to see these works again, hopefully, I'll be able to visit both exhibits more than once.

My Oil Paintings Completed in 2009

In 2009, I have finished fifteen paintings (two of them were re-working on previously thought finished pieces - Nos. 12 & 13):

1. Bruges, Impression, 24" x 30"




2. Funnel, 24" x 30"




3. Urban Forest, 18" x 24"




4. Cave, 24" x 36"




5. Awakening, 18" x 24"




6. Eternity – Four Seasons, 10" x 8" (x 4)




7. Daphne, 30" x 40"




8. Progression, 30" x 24"




9. Crow, 24" x 18"




10. House Of Hope, 30" x 24"




11. Swing, 22" x 28"




12. Snowy Mountain, II, 20" x 16"




13. Heavenwards Ladder, 20" x 16"



14. Heralds, 16" x 20"




15. Skyline, 16" x 20"



It was not a bad year. At this moment, I'm working on eight canvases. I'll continue to work hard.

A New Begining in the New Year

I just started a new painting, inspired by a passage in the book I'm reading now - Europe Central. Though we all hope for a better new year, I still feel like I am being threatened:

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco

On 30th December 2009, I visited the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for the first time since its reopening.

It was very crowded but one had to appreciate how people were trying to educate children. The building itself has attained iconic status and the living roof was as delightful as the houses for teletubbies.
















The "rain forest" was very interesting - people walked along spiral pathway from bottom to top, examining fish, plants, insects, birds at different altitudes.








































The aquarium has always been my favorite part. There were so many amazing creatures to see but the most wonderful thing I saw was "Leafy Sea Dragons". Since it was not allowed to photograph them, I'm directing my readers to the the Academy's official website featuring the Leafy Sea Dragon - Phycodurus eques (Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3, and Picture 4).

I also enjoyed seeing the skates "flying" in the water.