Nüwa Creating Humans
Oil on Canvas
30" x 40"
Completed in 2007
Nurturing
Oil on Canvas
24" x 36"
Completed in 2006
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day
I wish everyone a happy Mother's Day!
Nüwa Creating Humans
Oil on Canvas
30" x 40"
Completed in 2007
Nurturing
Oil on Canvas
24" x 36"
Completed in 2006
Nüwa Creating Humans
Oil on Canvas
30" x 40"
Completed in 2007
Nurturing
Oil on Canvas
24" x 36"
Completed in 2006
Friday, May 7, 2010
Location, Location - Floatingsheep's Take on Geographies of Wikipedia in China
Floatingsheep.org, a fascinating website dedicated to mapping and analyzing user generated Google Map placemarks, so as to provide one glimpse of what internet users (in the aggregate) think about particular places, posted a fascinating article on the Geographies of Wikipedia in China.
According to the Floatingsheep, the geotagged articles in Chinese are concentrated on the more developed regions, particularly southeast part of China:
However, counting articles in all languages, the patten shifts and the emphasis is on the western region, particularly Tibet and Xianjiang:
The article argues, "It has been demonstrated that there appears to be a correlation between the locations of contributors and the topics that they write about. The fact that most Chinese Wikipedians are from eastern provinces would then seem to explain some of the differences between the geographies of Chinese Wikipedia and all other Wikipedias."
However, when I was in China in March 2010, I found that in China Wikipedia was blocked (homepage was not, but search results were).
Floatingsheep plan to revisit this topic at regular intervals in order to map any possible spatial shifts over time. I definitely will stay tuned.
According to the Floatingsheep, the geotagged articles in Chinese are concentrated on the more developed regions, particularly southeast part of China:
However, counting articles in all languages, the patten shifts and the emphasis is on the western region, particularly Tibet and Xianjiang:
The article argues, "It has been demonstrated that there appears to be a correlation between the locations of contributors and the topics that they write about. The fact that most Chinese Wikipedians are from eastern provinces would then seem to explain some of the differences between the geographies of Chinese Wikipedia and all other Wikipedias."
However, when I was in China in March 2010, I found that in China Wikipedia was blocked (homepage was not, but search results were).
Floatingsheep plan to revisit this topic at regular intervals in order to map any possible spatial shifts over time. I definitely will stay tuned.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Great Pastel Painter - Odilon Redon
Recently, I grew enamored with drawing about - charcoal, pencil, crayon, graphite. One medium I haven't experimented much is pastel - perhaps I find it too intimidating. I love the vibrant colors pastel can create. My favorite painter who was excelled at pastel is French painter Odilon Redon. Below are a sample of his amazing pastel paintings:
Woman with a Yellow Bodice, c. 1899, Odilon Redon, Pastel, 66 x 50 cm
Beatrice, 1885, Odilon Redon, Pastel over charcoal, 34.5 x 30 cm
Profile and Flowers, 1912, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper, 70 x 55 cm
Le Bouddha, c. 1905, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper, 98 x 73 cm
Ophelia, 1900-05, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper mounted on board,
51 x 67 cm
Saint John, 1892, Odilon Redon, Pastel over charcoal, 42.5 x 29 cm
Flower Clouds, c. 1903, Odilon Redon, Pastel, 45 x 54 cm
La coquille (The Seashell), 1912, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper,
51 x 57.8 cm
Woman with a Yellow Bodice, c. 1899, Odilon Redon, Pastel, 66 x 50 cm
Beatrice, 1885, Odilon Redon, Pastel over charcoal, 34.5 x 30 cm
Profile and Flowers, 1912, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper, 70 x 55 cm
Le Bouddha, c. 1905, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper, 98 x 73 cm
Ophelia, 1900-05, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper mounted on board,
51 x 67 cm
Saint John, 1892, Odilon Redon, Pastel over charcoal, 42.5 x 29 cm
Flower Clouds, c. 1903, Odilon Redon, Pastel, 45 x 54 cm
La coquille (The Seashell), 1912, Odilon Redon, Pastel on paper,
51 x 57.8 cm
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Flower Painting Retouched
In 1997, I did a small still life - Irises. I was satisfied enough and even framed it.
More than ten years later, it looked just too flat as if it was painted by number. While taking time to finish new pieces, I took advantage of downtime and re-worked on this little one. Several months time passed since I started to re-paint it and finally, I finished it today.
Irises 2010
13" x 10"
Oil on Canvas
More than ten years later, it looked just too flat as if it was painted by number. While taking time to finish new pieces, I took advantage of downtime and re-worked on this little one. Several months time passed since I started to re-paint it and finally, I finished it today.
Irises 2010
13" x 10"
Oil on Canvas
Monday, May 3, 2010
"Something Strikingly Original, If Not Completely New"
With great interest, I read review of world premiere of Jake Heggie's opera "Moby Dick" in Dallas. The opera was apparently a great hit with both critics and audience. I'm looking forward to seeing the production in San Francisco in a couple years.
But I was more intrigued by many reviews, which continue my discussion on originality of art.
Steve Smith of New York Times wrote: "If Mr. Heggie’s music fell short of the innovation expended in its presentation, its impact seldom disappointed. He borrowed effects widely and deployed them shrewdly."
Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of Theater Jones wrote: "Just as many proteins taste 'just like chicken' to unaccustomed palettes, much neo-tonal contemporary music sounds 'just like Puccini' to the casual listener. Heggie's music is a brew of influences. It is hardly just like Puccini—no more than frog legs taste exactly like chicken. Impressionism, minimalism, folk music, modal tonalities, bi-tonalism, parallelism, Wagnerism and a host of other 'isms' are all artfully combined into Heggie's unmistakable voice. He takes the best of these compositional tools and combines them into something strikingly original, if not completely new."
Something strikingly original yet not completely new. Nothing really grew out of thin air. Puccini didn't come out of nowhere and once his style was established, one can accuse him of copying himself. Often, I mistook a snippets of his Turandot for Madama Butterfly, his Madama Butterfly for Tosca. Even acknowledged rule-breakers such as Richard Wagner, Harrison Birtwistle, Philip Glass are not without influences.
Audience want effective and outstanding works - if they happen to be original, they are doubly blessed. If not, they still enjoy. The insistence on originality and something completely new, can lead to new for the sake of being new, which will often results in narcissistic fantasies.
But I was more intrigued by many reviews, which continue my discussion on originality of art.
Steve Smith of New York Times wrote: "If Mr. Heggie’s music fell short of the innovation expended in its presentation, its impact seldom disappointed. He borrowed effects widely and deployed them shrewdly."
Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of Theater Jones wrote: "Just as many proteins taste 'just like chicken' to unaccustomed palettes, much neo-tonal contemporary music sounds 'just like Puccini' to the casual listener. Heggie's music is a brew of influences. It is hardly just like Puccini—no more than frog legs taste exactly like chicken. Impressionism, minimalism, folk music, modal tonalities, bi-tonalism, parallelism, Wagnerism and a host of other 'isms' are all artfully combined into Heggie's unmistakable voice. He takes the best of these compositional tools and combines them into something strikingly original, if not completely new."
Something strikingly original yet not completely new. Nothing really grew out of thin air. Puccini didn't come out of nowhere and once his style was established, one can accuse him of copying himself. Often, I mistook a snippets of his Turandot for Madama Butterfly, his Madama Butterfly for Tosca. Even acknowledged rule-breakers such as Richard Wagner, Harrison Birtwistle, Philip Glass are not without influences.
Audience want effective and outstanding works - if they happen to be original, they are doubly blessed. If not, they still enjoy. The insistence on originality and something completely new, can lead to new for the sake of being new, which will often results in narcissistic fantasies.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Theme Show "Wine and Dine" at Artist-Xchange Gallery, San Francisco
Two paintings of mine are included in the upcoming "Wine and Dine" Theme Show at Artist-Xchange Gallery, San Francisco. The theme for May "Wine and Dine" will be based on the celebration of food and it consumption.
Grail
Oil on Canvas
20" x 16"
Completed in 2006
Night Café
Oil on Canvas
30" x 30"
Completed in 2001
Please visit the gallery and stop by during the opening reception:
Grail
Oil on Canvas
20" x 16"
Completed in 2006
Night Café
Oil on Canvas
30" x 30"
Completed in 2001
Please visit the gallery and stop by during the opening reception:
Artist-Opening - Friday, May 7th, 2010.
Location:
Artist-Xchange Gallery
3169 16th Street
San Francisco
CA 94103
(415)-864-1490
Regular Business hour:
Mon-Sun: 1pm - 7pm
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