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SU DONGPO - Let's Look at the Moon Together

Posted by Timothy Ross on October 19, 2024 at 6:03am

“We can only hope that all our friends and families can live long lives, looking at the moon together, across a thousand miles.”

SU DONGPO

https://www.christies.com/en/stories/su-shi-giant-of-chinese-culture-64a72a8689a14c3694f37f3babcb4abb

‘There is a saying in Chinese art history that “ink has five colours”,’ says Zhou. ‘Ink has all that you need to depict the external world and to express yourself and whatever your artistic impulses have to say. Wood and Rock is a true embodiment of the artist’s state of mind at the time, which you can see so palpably in the painting.’

https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/su-dongpo-the-chinese-renaissance-man

Su Shi (1037-1101), literary name Su Dongpo, was more than your average Renaissance man. Hailed as one of the most revered, prodigious figures in Chinese culture, he was an artist, writer, philosopher, scientist and hugely influential politician. He executed vast civil engineering projects, championed economic reforms, withstood constant slander and persecution for his steadfast stance against the powerful New Policy Group, and was sentenced to two decades of exile in the lush Hubei province. There, undeterred by cruel fate, he composed some of the most scintillating verses in Chinese literary history, and adopted the name “Dongpo,” meaning “eastern slope.” He was also a famed gastronome, noted for penning the authoritative formula for (not sushi, sorry) a mean braised pork belly, Dongpo Pork (recipe here).

https://chinatripedia.com/su-shi-one-of-the-most-prominent-chinese-poet-during-the-song-dynasty/

Su Shi (苏轼) (1037-1101), also known as Su Dongpo (苏东坡), was one of the most prominent poets and cultural figures of the Song dynasty in China. He was a versatile scholar, poet, artist, calligrapher, and statesman, whose literary works and artistic achievements are still widely celebrated and studied today. Su Shi lived during a time of political turmoil and cultural change, and his life and works reflect the complexities and contradictions of his era.

May we get to look at the moon together across a thousand miles, a few miles or that hundreds that often separate us as we go through our lives. TLR

Graffiti

Posted by Timothy Ross on November 12, 2021 at 11:25pm

Nov 12, 2021

TODAY

Graffiti is a powerful global movement that has been practiced for centuries. We all like to leave our mark, whether with words or images. Humans are obsessed and have been from the day they were born. In fact, in ancient Greece and Rome people communicated by writing messages on bar walls. The word “graffiti” is derived from the Greek word for write, “graphein”.

Now in the 21st century, graffiti has exploded across the world as many artists began using it as a modern art form to convey messages through their work without any restrictions or limitations - only pure creativity! But things may change in coming years - with local governments moving in on Insta-friendly walls and artists struggling to avoid commercialization and keep their integrity. What does the future of graffiti hold?

Today’s Daily Dose is the ultimate guide for anyone who loves street art. We take you on a fascinating journey alongside unsung can-and brush wielders while introducing places where "wall bombing" is life or death, and showing how to become an expert graffiti snob with tons of insider tips!

— Based on Reporting by Josefina Salomon

WHAT YOUR PARENTS DIDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT GRAFFITI

1 - Incognito Icon

Think graffiti, and Banksy is the first name to pop into your head, right? The superhero of today’s street art scene has gone from spraying walls in his native Bristol, England, to selling a canvas for a record-breaking $25.4 million. Known for his in-your-face political, anti establishment messages, the mystery man is also credited for making street art mainstream(think the girl with a balloon and the two police officers kissing). Alas, he says he’s not in it for the fame or the cash. “All graffiti is low-level dissent, but stencils have an extra history. They’ve been used to start revolutions and to stop wars,” the elusive artist once told author Tristan Manco.

2 - The Legal Question

With millions of spray paint cans brightening (or defacing) our city streets, the looming question remains: Is graffiti legal? The answer isn’t straightforward. In most cases, it depends on what the piece is and whether it’s been authorized. While some cities are waging a war against wall art in public spaces (authorities in Chicago have even removed commissioned pieces by mistake ), others cannot get enough of it. Melbourne, Warsaw and Paris are encouraging artists to claim designated walls in a bid to attract tourists(for the ’gram, ya know?). Pablo Escobar’s native Medellín uses it as a way to engage marginalized youth. Fun fact: Outdoor art murals can help attract people to neighborhoods.

3 - A Political Weapon

It manifests in many shapes and forms — spray cans, but also paper, glue and stickers. So how can you actually tell what is Banksy-hot and what is not? Australian Fintan Magee, who paints large-scale hyperreal pieces depicting humans in vulnerable situations, says it all depends on the eyes observing it. “From the artist’s perspective, it is about intention and self-awareness,” he tells OZY. “If the artist intends to express a certain idea or image and is able to pull it off, then it’s good work.” For Boneta-Marie Mabo, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait artist based in Brisbane, Australia, the key is in the message an image can convey. “Street art is supposed to be political,” she tells OZY. “It’s supposed to scream at you, to tell you something, but I feel that it has been diluted so much that now it’s just pretty pictures on the walls that make people feel nice.”

ARTISTS ON THE RISE

1 - Anna Garforth

Street art can have a positive social impact to be sure, but environmentally friendly it is not. In fact, most products used to create eye-catching pieces are made from chemicals and pollutants that are not particularly good for the air, nor artists’ lungs. So in comes Anna Garforth, one of the pioneers of “green graffiti,” who mixes water, milk, sugar and yes, moss, to create a paste she uses to paint. Her pieces, usually located in darker London alleys or areas with little exposure to natural light (moss doesn’t particularly love the sun) have a life of their own and grow with the seasons. And yes, these ones you can touch.

2 - Shamsia Hassani

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women. When that woman is holding a spray paint can, the potential threats multiply. But that has not stopped this 33-year-old artist. Her murals, painted on anything from bombed-out buildings to hidden alleys, tend to depict strong women happily going about daily activities such as teaching, singing or working. But look closely and you’ll see their eyes and mouths are always closed, a nod to the broader struggles women face in Afghanistan.

3 - Saner

If Latin America’s rich street art scene was a country, Edgar Flores, better known as Saner, would be its Mexican ambassador. The artist manages to colorfully articulate and combine the splendor of his country’s modern culture with its exuberant Indigenous traditions. His art is so distinct and magnetic, it has crossed his country’s borders, and got him as far as Australia. Flores’ work features the renowned Nahuale masks, which, legend has it, can turn humans into animals. His creations also help bridge the growing gap between our day-to-day lives and the natural environment around us.

4 - Medo Kagonka

Think being a graffiti artist in the back alleys of New York and London is dangerous? Imagine what life is like for a young gay artist in Sudan. Medo Kagonka is one of the faces of the ongoing artistic boom in Africa’s third largest country since mass protests toppled Omar al-Bashir, one of the region’s longest-serving dictators, in 2019. Al-Bashir was not a fan of art and as soon as he left, artists took revenge with their paint cans. Medo’s depiction of a skeletal-looking hand, featuring a tag that reads “missing” painted on the wall of a morgue in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum, is one of the most thought-provoking and inspiring in the city.

GRAFFITI: THEN & NOW

1 - Ancient Art

Can a painting of a red wild pig made on the wall of an Indonesian cave more than 45,000 years ago merit comparisons to today’s guerrilla art? The image, which includes other smaller animals and human hands, could very well be an ancient form of Banksy, minus the political message. The archaeologists who discovered it this January said that to print it, these early artists would have had to put their hand on a wall and then spit pigment around it. No wonder the technique didn’t make it to our time.

2 - Grecian Roots

Graffiti as we know it today dates back several thousand years, to when ancient Greeks and then the Romans used the walls of their cities as boards to communicate. Just like an ancient form of the internet, they wrote everything from declarations of love(including some pretty raunchy ones), to tourist reviews, threats to enemies and political ads. See the evolution here? We don’t either.

3 - Classic Cornbread

Darryl McCray, popularly known as Cornbread, will go down in history as the original modern graffiti artist — and that love was the force behind his work. The story goes that he fell so hard for a girl named Cynthia that in order to impress her, McCray, who loved to print his nickname everywhere, wrote “Cornbread loves Cynthia” throughout her Philadelphia neighborhood. But he didn’t stop there. Cornbread became a household name, tagged to a plane owned by the Jackson 5 and even an elephant in the local zoo. Did he get the girl in the end? You betcha.

4 - Pioneers of the Eighties

Long before the British artist became synonymous with street art, there was the legendary Brooklyn-based Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring(remember those fuller stick figures?) and Blek le Rat, the father of stencil graffiti and Bansky’s most obvious influence. These three held the key to a politically charged era when scribbles on public walls evolved into a form of revolution. Found in dark back alleys in the 1980s, the work of these artists is today exhibited alongside well-known art legends. A piece by Basquiat, who died in 1988 at age 27, broke the record in 2017 for the highest-selling piece of any American artist at an eye-watering $110.5 million.

5 - Looking Forward

As in the distant past, what we choose to paint on walls often serves as a mirror with which to highlight the pressing issues of the day. From George Floyd-inspiredgraffiti in places as diverse as Kenya and Syria, to depictions of nurses and doctors dressed as angels and superheroes, and politicians struggling to make sense of it all, it’s an essential form of political commentary. “Artwork, even street art which is not permanent, plays a part in society, in culture and in history because it can paint a picture or tell a story about a particular time and place,” says Mabo, who painted a mural in a Brisbane locale infamous for its racist history with colorful birds representing Indigenous peoples and colonizers as rabbits, a pest introduced to Australia by Europeans.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If I paint a wild horse, you might not see the horse... but surely you will see the wildness!”

— Pablo Picasso

COMMUNITY CORNER

How do you feel about graffiti on your streets? Share your thoughts, send us an email at ozycommunity@ozy.com!

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www.ozy.com / #OZY

Welcome to the New + the Next!

Using Art For Peace

Posted by Timothy Ross on September 22, 2019 at 8:36am

Creating peace through art

Rotary member and former Rotaractor Yesenia Uribe is promoting peace in a creative way. After participating in a Positive Peace workshop through Rotary’s partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace, she began painting peace murals in her community of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Uribe worked with her fellow Rotaractors and community members to reclaim abandoned or vandalized public spaces. Using peace-related messages, they sought to transform them into safe environments where people can connect through art.

Your gift to The Rotary Foundation helps projects like this build peace in communities around the world. Celebrate the International Day of Peace on 21 September by donating today.

Here is the link !

http://msgfocus.rotary.org/q/1f7y32iQes4FzezWcsvCOdb/wv

Now the rest of the story .....

I came across this article promoting art as a way to promote peace. W have lots of artists in our area and we have had the priveage to help them over the years. Some current projects that come to mind is the new art supply store on King Street in the former Home Hardware Store that Mr. Billings ran for decades.

Medium Effort https://www.mediumeffort.com/

me·di·um | \ ˈmē-dē-əm

a mode of artistic expression or communication

ef·fort | \ ˈe-fərt

a conscious exertion of power

Then there is the Art program for kids that Stacy and her friend started, greta association with Cross Town Impact

https://www.facebook.com/aiartindeed/

You have to get a piece from Terry Shaub, this man carves just wow stuff out of stone. I invested in a beautiful carved rose for valentines a couple years ago, very peaceful

http://www.terryschaub.com/http://www.terryschaub.com/

Seen fellow Dream Mountains Foundation climber Jann Smith at the Brockville Farmers market yesterday and she is with a group of pottery ladies and they had a wonderful display. I picked up a berry wash strainer bowl, looking forward to using that in our summer kitchen.

https://dreammountains.com/dreamteam/dream-team-2011/

https://www.brockvillefarmersmarket.ca/

And I can not forget Joanne Raven, "Raven Expressions", they have some beautiful, aweinspiring coasters and display boards that are incredible. Fraser was maning the booth at the market yesterday , I may have some pictures that I can add in later.

Raven Expressions

Owners: Joanne Raven
Telephone: 613 213 3729
Email: jo.raven54@gmail.com

Products: Unique hand painted tiles of vibrant colours to be used for coasters, trivets, trays, art and charcuterie boards.

Cheers!

Tim

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