I haven’t written about board books for a while, in part because the good ones seem to be getting rarer: More and more, these books for babies and toddlers rip-off bestsellers for older children instead of doing what they alone can do. But in today’s Wall Street Journal Megan Cox Gurdon writes about a series that suggests the unique potential of the medium: Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo’s “Touch the Art” line, which began with Brush Mona Lisa’s Hair. “Each book features well-known images adorned with appealing, touchable gimmicks,” Gurdon writes. The latest is Catch Picasso’s Rooster (Sterling, 21 pp., $12.95), which invites children to stroke things such as a red-feather comb and the cat in Henri Rousseau’s The Tabby. You can read Gurdon’s review here. The publisher’s site has more on other books in the series, including Count Monet’s Lilies.

This Albrecht Durer drawing from 1513 made me think of John Calvin (who was born in 1509). I like Durer’s depiction of the devil on the left side of the drawing, with his Medusa-echoing snake hair and taunting display of an hour glass. I also like the faith warrior’s high Apollo mode, his eyes calm and focused, along with his horse’s eyes, on something ahead of them in the distance. And what’s up with that goat monster with a spear coming up from the rear? Lesson: the exceptional person of character and vision faces many distractions and pains in the ass:

Something else I notice in this drawing: the heroic vitalist, despite his smooth sheen of armor and horse, and his city set in a clearing upon a sunny hill, nevertheless is, while away from the safe confines of his city, persistently threatened with engulfment by a thicket of dry and thorny plant life and pursuing horny animals. This is rocky Dionysian nature, sharp in branch and claw. But then we’re not talking about a metaphor for Afghanistan, are we?

Eve

title unknown

Cuando se escribe acerca del arte en el Renacimiento muchos recurren al compendio artístico de grandes figuras como Botticelli, Rafael, Mantegna, Miguel Ángel y Da Vinci.  Quizás porque el renacimiento viene de Italia.  Pero más al norte de Europa, hubieron importantes artistas que hicieron más brillante esta época de la historia.  Jan van Eyck, Pieter Brueghel el Viejo y El Bosco en los países bajos; Konrad Witz y Matthias Grünewald en Alemania.  Allí precisamente en este último país en la ciudad de Núremberg nació el 21 de mayo de 1471 al que se llamaría el artista más grande del Renacimiento Alemán.

Albrecht Durer fue hijo de un orfebre alemán conocido por el mismo nombre y el calificativo de “el viejo”. Heredero de un vasto legado gótico, sustentaba la teoría del conocimiento del Renacimiento Italiano a partir de las medidas y la geometría.

Trabajó al lado de su padre durante tres décadas.  En este tiempo desarrollo la cautivante destreza que le hizo famoso.  Después, paso al taller de Michael Wolgemut donde aprendió técnicas de xilografía, muy útiles en la época.  Ilustró las Crónicas de Nuremberg de Schedel (1493).

Durer, habiendo aprendido un oficio, decidió salir de Alemania en búsqueda de otras experiencias.

Continuará.

via en.wikipedia.org

If anyone is reading Dan Brown’s new novel, The Lost Symbol, this is Albrecht Dürer’s work Melancholia referenced midway through the novel. More here.

Posted via web from SteveCorneli.us

Paperblog #42, click for bigger size

-Soho Maruman paper 4.9″x6.9″
-Sakura Micron 0.1-0.5
-Tombow ABT felt color pens
-Faber-Castell Albrecht-Dürer aquarelle pencils

As promised, the paperblog I did yesterday. Today’s paperblog is a lot bigger. I used Soho Maruman 8.5″x13.9″. It’s almost 4 times bigger, but easier to work with for some reason. You don’t feel like you need to cover the whole page. Anyway, today’s paperblog isn’t finished yet, but I’ll work on it before I go to bed.

I’ve set up some time after school tomorrow to buy art supplies and Moleskines. I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be really cool.

Tombo ABT felt color pens

I just went through my artwork and found a bunch of pieces that I haven’t posted or scanned. I think I’ll do this in the next few days. There are some pieces that aren’t finished. I started working on paperblog #42¹. I couldn’t decide on what size to use. I decided to start small, with a Maruman Soho sketch pad, 4.9″x6.9″. This medium is a lot better than the previous cheap paper I used for paperblogs.

Soho Sketch pad from Maruman

One of the pieces that just needs color is Cellular War. It looks pretty good. I started the paperblog by using ink, Sakura Micron 0.1cm to 0.5cm. Once I had written and decorated my text, which was short, I illustrated it further by using Tombow ABT felt color pens. I haven’t used them since 2007. I added more details with ink and then, I used my Faber Castell Albrecht-Dürer watercolor pencils, which are really nice. I’ve got a bunch of art supplies that I didn’t have time to use in the last year.

All 144 Tombow ABT color pens

I find that creating art is very relaxing. Tomorrow, I’ll post my paperblog. I still think that I need a date stamp of some kind. I can see that paperblogs are different that journaling and notetaking. They evolved into shorter illustrative text, which is easy to do and also a lot of fun.²

Speaking of art supplies, I’ll go by the flagship Eslite store this week⁶. That’s where I buy my art supplies. I don’t like their book selection, but they’ve got a nice little art section. I need to buy some Staedler pencils. I’d like to complete my Tombow ABT collection³. I’ve got about 40⁴, but I’m still missing the rest.

I think that in 2007, I promised Jessica⁵ that I would post some of my art. I did, but I only posted a few pieces. I think I remember that I wasn’t happy with the way they turned out once they were photographed.

* * * * *

[¹]: This actually means that I’ve got about 30 paperblogs to post, all from 2007. That was the year we moved from Hsinchu to Taipei and I was working at a few different places that I didn’t really like. The paperblog format evolved. Towards the end, it was really getting interesting. There’s a good possibility that I’ll post everything.
[²]: I’ve always had trouble thinking about selling my art. I don’t think that I’m a great artist, but I do have a definite style. From my humble comic book beginnings when I was 13, I moved into mixed media pieces which I really like. For this year, I’ll break into oil and large canvases, something that I’ve always wanted to do, but never really did. I might open an etsy shop if there’s interest. I have trouble thinking commercializing the things that I create. I think they are fun, and that’s the main idea. It focuses your thoughts and at the end, you have produced something.
[³]: I always thought that Tombow ABT color pens were Japanese, but they are actually German. I have been really surprised at how well they work. I started buying them in 2007 and I haven’t been disappointed. There are 144 color pens in total.
[⁴]: I thought I had more, but I have exactly 34. Luckily, I created handy guides with colors and their numbers to make sure I don’t buy the same one twice.
[⁵]: Jessica is really a great artist. Visit her blog and etsy shop.
[⁶]: I’ve heard that there is an art supply street or alley in Taipei, but I haven’t been able to find it. Actually, to be honest, I haven’t really looked for it. I’m sure if I researched it, I’d find it. Stuff might be cheaper there.

This is the 8th post in our Artist of the Week series.

A German painter, and perhaps one of the most prominent artists of the Renaissance era was born in 1471. After his schooling Albrecht began training to become a goldsmith like his father, but he showed such skill in drawing, that he took on an apprenticeship to another artist instead.

In 1495 he opened his own workshop and began making woodcuts and engravings, these would then be turned into prints. Prints were highly portable and they gradually expanded Durer’s reputation all over Europe. In 1505, he left his shop to travel to Italy. It was here that his focus would turn toward painting.

By the time he returned home in 1507 he had begun work on his greatest masterpieces. These were some of the most magnificent paintings of the renaissance including Adam and Eve. His work was so well known that he was in friendly communication with other great artists of the period including Leonardo and Raphael. From then until the end of his life his paintings and engravings were always in high demand, even if they were not widely present in Italy.

Albrecht Durer -Madonna

Today he is most known for his progressive influence in engraving and wood carving, but his paintings are always at the forefront of his popularity because of their ability to blend Italian and German styles.

To learn more about Albrecht Durer visit Artcyclopedia.com

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Legenda: 1. Gara centrala din Nuremberg; 2. Fortificatiile Orasului Vechi; 3. Turnul Kőnigstor; 4. Biserica Sf. Lorenz; 6. Pod peste raul Pegnitz; 7. Biserica Sf. Fecioare; 8. Casa pictorului Albrecht Durer; 9. Frumoasa fantana din piata centrala; 10. Castelul imperial; 11. Parcul de pe malul lacului Dutzendteich; 12. Centrul de Documentare al Partidului Nazist; 13. Zoo; 14. DB Museum; 15. Cartier; 16. Opera.

Whenever I stumble on anything from Albrecht Durer, the 16th century German artist, I am immediately humbled by the magnificence of his works.  His paintings are beautiful, combining delicacy and strength to create a naturalism that was unusual in its time.  This self-portrait is one of my favorite pieces of portraiture.  His engravings are masterpieces of the art, dense with detail and hidden meaning. Many are allegorical and some are just plain interesting such as this engraving of a rhinoceros, shown below, done only from the descriptions of others, without ever having seen such a creature himself.

Interesting stuff, indeed.

So if being in awe of his artistic talents weren’t enough, I happened to come across a bit of information that Durer, among other mathematical recognitions,  was also the first to recognize the pentaflake, a mathematical construct that describes the formation of snowflakes.

It goes something like this:

A patient arrived by ambulance from another hospital, breathing with great difficulty and moaning loudly. Standing nearby and sensing an urgency to have him taken to a room, I lend a hand. Four of us slide him from the gurney onto a bed. Calming noises, words and touch to help him settle: you’re safe now, you’re at hospice, we’ll get you something to lessen your pain. In quick succession nurses bring morphine, injecting it at previously established sites. More injections to assist with breathing and congestion. And all the while, this loud moaning with every breath, gurgling inhale, and laboured exhale; eyes rolled inward and up, pupils barely visible.

And what do I do in the midst of all this skilled fussing? First standing then sitting at his bedside, one hand gently on his heart space, the other stroking his stubbly cheeks, his balding head, I quietly hum, aligning my breath to his, offering undivided presence. 

Half an hour later, I’m still there: he’s near death, that much I understand. By common consent, I remain to accompany him on this last walk. Nurses and physician come and go, monitoring as his moaning turns to whimper, each gesturing to me: thank you. Not having seen his chart, I know nothing of his faith background. I offer prayer fragments at random*: The Lord is my Shepherd ~ Acknowledging my limited power before Allah’s infinite might, and asking for help from Him ~ O God, I beseech Thee, the things he seeketh from the ocean of Thy grace and loving-kindness ~ Oh Great Spirit, Whose voice I hear in the wind, Whose breath gives life to the world, Hear me! ~ Dear God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me ~ The Light of God beside me. The Light of God within me ~ May you be free from fear, May your heart be filled with joy ~~~

Eventually a volunteer comes to take my place. I bow to her and to him, then leave the room. Slowly my attention expands from being focused on the patient to my own body. What’s happened to my pain? For three days now I’ve had difficulty standing upright after sitting, feeling this piercing pain in the lower back at L4-L5. And now, after being sandwiched between wall and bed for over an hour, leaning over the bed rail in a prolonged half-twist — I sense no pain whatsoever! Is that what happens when we give our full attention to another person’s suffering? Where does our own pain go?

images: (top) Sir Charles Bell. (1865). The anatomy and philosophy of expression: as connected with the fine arts. 5th ed. London: Henry G. Bohn; (middle) Albrecht Dürer. (1508). Study of praying hands. Brush and ink, 29 x 20 cm. Vienna: Albertina Collection; (bottom) x-ray of lower spine. * prayers: Christianity (Psalm 23), Islam, Baha’i, First Nations/Naive American, Thomas Merton (Roman Catholic), Irish, Buddhism.