These marble glass pendants are so versatile.  Wear them with casual or evening wear.  The ball chain necklace pictured is quite casual, but other more sophisticated chains can easily be substituted for a more elegant look.   I purchased these images from Etsy seller Artcult.  She has an extensive collection of unique and original designs.

Petite Marble Glass Pendant

Petite Marble Glass Pendant

The square tile glass pendant features a sepia style art nouveau image of a woman probably from sometime in the early 1900’s. This glass tile is scrabble sized at about 7/8 inch.  Just like the marble pendants, the ball chain pictured can easily be substituted with a more elegant chain.  I purchased this digital image from Etsy seller Sabrinazanetti.

Art Nouveau Glass Tile Pendant

Both the square tile and the marble pendants have metallic silver paper on the back sealed with Diamond Glaze.

Materials used:

• Glass square tile and round flat-back glass marbles
• Silver-plated Aanraku bail
• High resolution digital images
• Paper
• Adhesive
• Diamond Glaze

Historic houses of Romania collage (©Valentin Mandache)

I composed the image above from 60 selected photographs taken during my fieldwork this year, mostly in Bucharest, but also Iasi (NE Romania) and Sinaia (the Transylvanian Alps). In my opinion the collage is extremely suggestive of the exuberant historic architecture found within the territory of Romania: a peculiar crossroad of Western, especially French, and Central European influences blended together on a Balkan background with old Ottoman echoes. I hope the pot-pourri of houses, decorations and ornaments, often painted in garish colours, would give you a more wholesome image of the vast field represented by Romania’s historic architecture. I also use a version of this collage for my Twitter page background, have a look here: http://twitter.com/historo

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I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.

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If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

We drove back to the city to rendezvous with our Latvian guide for the afternoon who was going to take us on a walking tour of the city.  We had no idea when we started the tour that this experience was designed as a severe endurance test based on the welcome to the Soviet Army initiation week for new recruits.  She was a lovely woman, and rightfully very proud of her city but she hadn’t fully made the transition out of the communist era and she pushed us through the city at a punishing pace, even at one time refusing a perfectly reasonable request to stop for a just a brief moment to purchase drinks. 

We saw all of the major tourist sites including the House of the Blackheads where we were chastised for buying postcards from a street vendor because she considered them too expensive; the Cathedral, where we took a ride to the top of the tower and marvelled at the view over the city; the house of the Black Cats with its graceful feline art nouveau statues; and the city main square with an inviting selection of pavement cafés where sadly we were not permitted to stay and sample the wares.  After an exhausting afternoon we eventually said a relieved goodbye to Rosa Kleb and to celebrate our liberation looked for a bar to sit and recover from the ordeal but sadly the weather had changed very quickly and some threatening black clouds were rolling in and it was starting to rain.

We sheltered for a time while we had a tedious deliberation about transport back to our respective hotels and dining arrangements for later in the evening.  I knew that there was going to be trouble when Alona revealed her plans for a table dancing restaurant and Kim’s jaw dropped like a brick.  There was only one thing to do, go into the canvas topped open air bar and have a drink, which we did while the others continued their debate about proposed evening activities.  After a while we were conscious that we were left alone and it appeared (to our relief) that we had been forgotten and they had all made their way back to their hotels without us.  No such luck.  After a while David came back to find us and we were reunited with the Hotel Albert contingent.  I could tell that Kim was getting somewhat irritated and another unnecessary discussion about taxi passenger arrangements didn’t help matters or improve her humour so I was extremely pleased to get back to the hotel without a major incident.

It didn’t take long for Kim to decide that she wasn’t going to the table dancing restaurant and I wasn’t especially keen either, but this put me in an awful dilemma.  I wanted to stay with her but as tour leader felt obliged to meet up with the others.  We washed and changed and met in the bar and I hoped that she might change her mind, but she did a Margaret Thatcher and refused to turn and so, reassured that she was comfortable about being left alone for the evening I took a taxi into the city and joined the others.

Kim had displayed better judgement than me because the place was awful, loud, cheap and with young girls employed as female enticement to dance in the window in bikini tops and draw in the leering stag parties.  This was sexual exploitation and I didn’t like it, they were roughly the same age as my own daughter and it occurred to me that I would hate it if they were my children and I was somewhat ashamed to be there.  I ordered my meal and paid for it but left before it arrived and I walked back swiftly to the Hotel.

About half way back I realised that I wasn’t really sure where I was going and although I knew that I was close I felt a little uneasy in the heavy shadows of the buildings where I imagined danger to be lurking in every suspicious corner and I decided to complete the journey by taxi so located one and asked for a price.  If I was anxious about being mugged on the street I should have been more bothered about the taxi driver:

“How much to the Hotel Albert? I enquired

“5 Lats”

“5 Lats, that’s ridiculous, it’s less than half a mile, I’ll give you 2”

“5 Lats”

I decided not to argue and got in but then tried again: “Look, I’ll pay you 2 Lats, that’s fair”

“5 Lats”

“That’s ridiculous!”

And then I realised why I would not get the fare for 2 Lats and also had it confirmed for me just what sort of hotel I was staying at:

“If you can afford fucky fucky at the Albert you can afford 5 Lats for a taxi!”

I indignantly pleaded my innocence and when we arrived I paid up and called him a robber, he laughed out loud as though in total agreement with the total accuracy of my character assessment and drove off pocketing the result of his sting.  Actually the journey was only about two hundred metres so at the official basic rate of 1.5 Lats and .5 Lats per kilometre he made a handsome profit on that trip of about 215%! 

“Fie că e vorba de creaţiile artiştilor germani , austrieci sau olandezi , noi eram cu toţii mult mai legaţi decât bănuiam de un fel de romantism care nu ne permitea încă să considerăm forma ca ornament.”
Henri van de Velde

Art Nouveau este o mişcare artistică de tranziţie către ceea ce urma să devină modernismul secolului al XX – lea. Atât artiştii germani şi olandezi, cât şi cei vienezi luptau împotriva conventionalismului de la sfârşitul secolului al XIX – lea prin găsirea de noi formule artistice viabile, părăsirea drumului neted al sălilor de expoziţie consacrate, găsirea de noi spaţii ambientale, expunerea lucrărilor pe cont propriu.
Numele de “Art Nouveau” provine de la numele unui magazin din Parisul anilor respectivi, Maison de l’Art Nouveau, care expunea şi vindea obiecte de artă specifice acestui stil.
În Italia, termenul folosit pentru această mişcare era “Stile Liberty”, fiind denumită după un magazin londonez, Liberty & Co, cunoscut în epocă pentru distribuirea de artefacte.
Art nouveau a avut un maxim de afirmare pentru circa un deceniu, între 1892 şi 1902, atingând apogeul odată cu Expoziţia Universală din anul 1900 de la Paris.
Deşi Art Nouveau a făcut uz de unele dintre inovaţiile tehnologice ale sfârşitului secolului al XIX-lea, folosind frecvent fier atât în structura de susţinere a clădirii, cât în realizarea unor vitralii sau decoraţiuni reprezentând elemente naturale, stilul este abandonat treptat pentru a face loc mult mai geometricului Modernism.

Trăsături definitorii stilului Art Nouveau

• Linii curbe ample care curg firesc redând elemente naturale, animale marine, insecte, mamifere mici, forme vegetale
• Utilizarea parabolelor sau hiperbolelor din fier forjat în realizarea decoraţiunilor
• Utilizarea vitraliilor, a elementelor din sticlă atât pentru iluminare cât pentru sistemele de acoperire
• Realizarea unor construcţii zvelte având structura de rezistenţă vizibilă în volumetrie
• Evitarea decorării excesive
• Stilizarea elementelor decorative specific perioadei baroce, precum forma de flacără sau de scoică
• Îmbinarea formelor geometrice cu formele organice

Principii

Esenţa Art Nouveau este o linie, o curbă întinsă, şerpuitoare, perceptibilă în orice model al acestui stil. Art Nouveau respinge ordinea impusă de linia dreaptă şi de unghiul drept, în favoarea unei mişcări mai naturale. Fie că sunt utilizate în descrierea unor forme naturale sau ca forme abstracte care evocă vitalitatea organică, aceste linii şerpuitoare pun accentul pe elementul decorativ.
Soliditatea, permanenţa, imobilitatea se află în opoziţie cu stilul Art Nouveau. Lipsa de substanţă a liniei a fost cel mai bine exploatată pe materiale uşor maleabile sau pe cele ce pot fi modelate să pară astfel. A fost, în esenţă, un stil grafic al decoraţiei, care s-a transferat la o serie variată de obiecte solide (arhitectură, mobilier, obiecte din metal, bijuterii, sticlărie, ceramică). Această linie ondulată, fluidă, creează o senzaţie de imponderabilitate, graţie şi libertate.
Secolul al XIX-lea a adus cu sine schimbări majore în societatea europeană, precum şi în cea americană, odată cu răspăndirea industrializării. Metodele de producţie în masă din fabrici au dus la apariţia unei noi clase sociale – cea muncitorească – şi a făcut posibilă răspăndirea pe scară largă, fără precedent, a produselor. Dezvoltarea tehnologiei – trenurile, navele cu abur, telegraful – uşurau problemele de comunicaţie. Lumea se schimbase, dar nu exista o schimbare corespondentă în stilurile utilizate. În designul obiectelor obişnuite, dar şi în designul clădirilor, noile vremuri erau exprimate prin continue revitalizari ale stilurilor vechi: Clasic, Gotic, Renascentist, Baroc sau stilul Ludovic al XV-lea.
Art Nouveau este primul stil care părea să nu-şi găsească rădăcinile în istoria europeană. A reprezentat primul stil cu adevărat nou al secolului, în ciuda faptului că nu s-a manifestat decât spre sfârşitul acestuia. Aşa se explică fervoarea cu care a fost îmbrăţişat şi rapiditatea cu care s-a răspândit.

Nume ale stilului Art Nouveau în diferite ţări

• Franţa – Art Nouveau
• Germania – Jugendstil
• Austria -  Sezession
• Italia – Liberty
• Spania – Modernismo
• Olanda – Nieuwe Kunst
• Polonia – Secesionism

Curentul Art Nouveau în Arhitectură

Una din calităţile predominante ale arhitecturii Art Noveau este posibilitatea expunerii structurii unei clădiri, în special elementele din fier, în aşa fel încât să câştige funcţie decorativă. Sticla este folosită în combinaţie cu fierul iar peretele de sticlă s-a bucurat în perioada art nouveau de o dezvoltare independentă şi amplă. Se folosesc scările din sticlă şi fier. O altă trăsătură esenţială o reprezintă predilecţia stilului Art Nouveau pentru asimetrie, fie în distribuţia maselor de construcţie, fie în detalii mai puţin importante, cum ar fi amplasarea ferestrelor şi uşilor.

Tendinţa Art Nouveau în pictură

Într-o încercare de a analiza rolul jucat de Art Nouveau în evoluţia picturii trebuie spus că acesta reprezintă o reacţie împotriva impresionismului. Aceste imagini pot să aibă importanţă pentru conţinut prin modul în care linia stăpâneşte atmosfera tabloului prin intermediului efectului său sugestiv.
Deşi curentul Art Nouveau a avut un declin rapid, importanţa sa în artele aplicate şi arhitectură este coversitoare. Acest curent nu aparţine nici secolului al XIX – lea, nici secolului al XX – lea, ci este un fenomen independent, de tranzit, un stil diferit al cărui scop deplin era să se debaraseze de moştenirea stilistică şi să creeze ceva cu totul nou. Astfel putem spune că stilul Art Nouveau are toate drepturile la un loc aparte în istoria artei.

de Onofrei Andra – Mihaela, Bulău Laura – Teodora

Charles Rennie Macintosh  a trăit majoritatea vieţii sale în oraşul prosper Glasgow, care in timpul revoluţiei industriale a avut unul dintre cele mai mari centre de producţie de masini grele şi de construcţii navale din lume. Pe măsură ce oraşul a crescut şi a prosperat, un răspuns mai rapid la cererea mare de bunuri de consum şi arte a fost necesar. Produsele fabricate industrial in masa au început să câştige popularitate. Odata cu revoluţia industrială, stilul asiatic şi noile idei moderniste, au influentat, de asemenea, schitele lui Macintosh.
Acest stil a fost admirat de Macintosh din cauza economiei de mijloace, formelor simple şi materialelor naturale, utilizarii texturii, luminii sau umbrei. În vechiul stil vestic, o piesa de mobilier era văzută ca ornament, afişand bogăţia proprietarului sau, iar valoarea piesei era stabilita în funcţie de durata prelucrarii ei. În arta japoneza, mobilierul este conceput pentru a reda calitatea spaţiului, evocand o stare de relaxare in interiorul organic.
În acelaşi timp, o filosofie noua, preocupata de crearea unui design funcţional şi practic era în curs de dezvoltare din toată Europa: aşa-numitele “idei moderniste”. Conceptul fundamental al mişcării moderniste a fost dezvoltarea unor idei inovatoare şi a noilor tehnologii: proiectarea era orientata catre prezent şi viitor, mai degrabă decât catre istorie şi tradiţie. Ornamentaţia greoaie şi stilul traditional au fost lasate deoparte. Chiar dacă Macintosh a devenit cunoscut ca de pionier al mişcării Moderniste, desenele sale au fost departe de utilitarismul sec al acesteia. Preocuparea sa a fost construirea în jurul nevoilor oamenilor, văzuti ca indivizi care nu aveau nevoie de o “maşină pentru locuit”, ci de o operă de artă. Macintosh s-a inspirat din stilurile arhitecturale din Scoţia, din stilul Art Nouveau, alaturi de simplitatea formelor japoneze.
În timp ce lucra în domeniul arhitecturii, Charles Rennie Macintosh a dezvoltat propriul stil: un contrast puternic între unghiuri drepte si motive florale. Proiectul care a contribuit la realizarea reputaţiei sale internaţionale a fost Scoala de Arta din Glasgow. Asemenea contemporanului său Frank Lloyd Wright, Macintosh includea adesea in desenele sale arhitecturale specificaţii ample pentru decorarea, detalierea, mobilarea clădirilor sale.

Queen’s Cross Church, Glasgow

Queen’s Cross Church este o biserica parohială din Glasgow, Scoţia. Este singura biserica proiectata de Charles Rennie Mackintosh care a fost construita; prin urmare, este de asemenea cunoscuta sub numele de Biserica Mackintosh.
În 1896, Queen’s Cross Church a comandat o noua biserica biroului arhitectural Honeyman & Keppie, urmand să fie localizata în zona de dezvoltare Springbank, lângă Maryhill. Joan Honeyman a dat proiectul tinarului sau angajat, arhitectul stagiar Charles Rennie Mackintosh. În conformitate cu convingerile lor,contractorii doreau simplitate in design. Influentele gotice, cu arcade cu nervuri decorative, vitralii uriase cu modele create de Macintosh, spatiu amplu pe axa verticala, definesc aceasta catedrala conferindu-i un aspect unic.
Cu toate că a proiectat o Catedrala Anglicana pentru Liverpool, ca parte a unui concurs, aceasta nu a fost niciodată construita, astfel incat Queen’s Cross Church a fost singura biserica  a lui Mackintosh ridicata vreodata. Constructia  a inceput la scurt timp după ce Mackintosh a terminat proiectul pentru Scoala de Arta din Glasgow.

Glasgow School of Art

Charles Rennie Mackintosh a câştigat un concurs de design pentru Scoala de Arta din Glasgow, acest proiect reprezentand primul său comision, fiind de asemenea constructia sa celamai importanta. Amplasata la marginea unei foarte abrupte pante inclinate catre sud, clădirea se întinde de-a lungul unei strazi întregi, pana la intersectia acesteia cu o strada principala.
Cladirea pastreaza un aspect eclectic cu influente din arhitectura scotiana (mase volumetrice din zidarie grea), motive Art Nouveau (motive florale si geometrice de fier, gresie, detalii), alaturi de materiale, tehnici moderne utilizate in constructie.
Planul cladirii este un lung “E” cu coridoare de-a lungul coloanei vertebrale, care leaga studiourile de arta situate in mare parte de-a lungul străzii de camerele mici auxiliare, sau de birourile de pe partea din spate. Intrarea este situata dincolo de axul central, conducand la un muzeu luminat de sus, situat în spatele Scolii de Arte din Glasgow.
Partea de nord, cu care este orientata catre strada mare, este alcatuita dintr-o fatada dreptunghiulara simpla, cu ferestre industriale ample care lumineaza studiourile, alternand cu decoratiuni realizate din zidarie. In contrast the east and west facades are narrow, towerlike masonry walls above the steeply sloping streets, into which small paned metal windows recall Scottish baronial architecture. În contrast cu fatada principala, celelalte doua fatade sunt înguste, pereţii de zidărie inaltandu-se asemenea unor turnuri, amintind de arhitectura scotiana. De la sud, pe partea din spate, cele trei componente perpendiculare ale planului in “E” sunt în mod clar evidenţiate. Interioarele au fost proiectate in stilul Art nouveau cu motive florale si geometrice in lungul scarii, corpuri de iluminat, covoare, mobilă, şi faianţă.

Hill House, Scoţia

Hill House în Helensburgh, Scoţia este una din lucrările cele mai cunoscute ale lui Charles Rennie Macintosh, probabil, după  Scoala de Arta din Glasgow. A fost conceputa şi construita pentru editorul Walter Blackie, în 1902 – 1904.
Pe langa casa în sine, Macintosh a conceput ,de asemenea, cele mai multe interioare, mobilierul, elementele decorative. Macintosh a dus atenţia sa pentru detalii pana la a prescrie culoarea florilor pe care familia Blackies le poate aranja pe masa în camera de zi, astfel încât să nu intre în conflict cu restul decorului.
Înainte de a începe crearea unui desen de elevatie sau chiar a unui plan de etaj, Macintosh a petrecut câteva zile în fosta casa a familiei Blackies pentru a observa viaţa lor de zi cu zi, “construind din interior spre exterior”. Prin analiza obiceiurilor familiei, Macintosh era în măsură să proiecteze fiecare aspect al casei în funcţie de nevoile fiecărui utilizator. El credea ca aspectele funcţionale ar trebui să fie rezolvate în primul rând, pentru a permite aspectului estetic sa evolueze din soluţie. Rezultatul ar putea fi doar un client extrem de mulţumit. Fiecare detaliu, fie el inauntru sau afara, a primit atentia arhitectului, Macintosh, care credea ca acesta era singurul mod cinstit de a proiecta.
Tratarea uniforma cu nuante de gri a exteriorului cladirii o face sa se integreze peisajului innorat al Scotiei. Volumul cladirii rezulta din planificarea interiorului acestuia, forma fiind la exterior asimetrica. Decoratiile minimaliste, zidurile grele, ferestrele rectangulare, genereaza un stil constructiv puternic, distins, sobru. Exteriorul cladirii este aproape opus interiorului cald, exotic, decorat cu atenţie. Macintosh preia astfel ideea lui Pugin privind minimizarea decoraţiilor exterioare pentru a sublinia designul din interior.

de Bulău Laura – Teodora

Exquisite end c19th window, Art Nouveau style recycling local Ottoman motifs, from a dilapidated, nearly ruined historic house, Lascar area, Bucharest. (©Valentin Mandache)

The house is in a zone abounding in unoccupied modern low-quality office blocks, some of them half-built and abandoned, that replaced countless other historic houses during the rapacious Romanian property development boom/bubble of the last few years.

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I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.

***********************************************

If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

Restaurant Nuance, in Duffel, krijgt van Le Guide Michelin een eerste ster. Nuance wordt ook getipt voor een tweede ster, volgend jaar. Ook La Luna van chef Dirk De Koninck krijgt een ster.

Onze recensie van Nuance lees je hier.
Recensie De Pastorale.
Recensie Dôme.
Recensie De Godevaart.

De Belgische Michelin-sterren 2009:

Alle sterrenrestaurants, Het Nieuwsblad, 23.11.2009.

Drie sterren

Brugge : De Karmeliet
Kruishoutem : Hof van Cleve

Twee sterren

Brugge – Dudzele : Danny Horseele
Brugge – Sint-Michiels : Hertog Jan (Nieuw)
Brussel : Sea Grill
Brussel : Comme Chez Soi
Éghezée – Noville-sur-Mehaigne : L’Air du Temps
Ellezelles : Château du Mylord (Nieuw)
Ieper – Elverdinge : Hostellerie St-Nicolas
Mol : ‘t Zilte
Opglabbeek : Slagmolen (Nieuw)
De Panne : Hostellerie Le Fox
Profondeville – Arbre : L’Eau Vive (Nieuw)
Reet : Pastorale
Tongeren – Vliermaal : Clos St. Denis

Een ster

Aalst : ‘t Overhamme
Antwerpen : ’t Fornuis
Antwerpen : Dôme
Antwerpen : La Luna (Nieuw)
Antwerpen – Boechout : De Schone van Boskoop
Antwerpen – Stabroek : De Koopvaardij
Barvaux : Le Cor de Chasse
Beaumont – Solre-St-Géry
Hostellerie Le Prieuré Saint-Géry
Berlaar : Het Land (Nieuw)
Berlare – Donk : Lijsterbes
Blankenberge : Philippe Nuyens
Blaregnies : Les Gourmands (Nieuw)
Bornem : Eyckerhof
Braine-l’Alleud : Jacques Marit
Brugge – centre/centrum : Den Gouden Harynck
Brugge – centre/centrum : Aneth
Brugge – centre/centrum : Sans Cravate
Brugge – Sint-Andries : Herborist
Brugge – Sint-Kruis : De Jonkman
Brugge – Zedelgem : Ter Leepe (Nieuw)
Brussel : L’Écailler du Palais Royal
Brussel – Tercamerenbos : La Truffe Noire (Nieuw)
Brussel – Anderlecht : La Paix
Brussel – Ganshoren : Bruneau
Brussel – Ganshoren : San Daniele
Brussel – Elsene : Marie
Brussel – Elsene : Bistrot du Mail
Brussel – Schaarbeek : Senza Nome
Brussel – Ukkel : Le Chalet de la Forêt
Brussel – Ukkel : Bon-Bon
Brussel – Ukkel : Le Passage
Brussel – Groot-Bijgaarden : Michel
Brussel – Huizingen : Terborght
Brussel – Strombeek-Bever : ‘t Stoveke
Charleroi – Montigny-le-Tilleul : L’Éveil des sens
Deerlijk : Marcus
Dendermonde : ‘t Truffeltje
Dendermonde : Fleur Sur L’Eau (Nieuw)
Dilsen : Hostellerie Vivendum
Dinant – Sorinnes : Hostellerie Gilain
Dranouter : In de Wulf
Duffel : Nuance (Nieuw)
Elewijt : Kasteel Diependael
Fauvillers : Le Château de Strainchamps
Gent : Jan Van den Bon
Gent : C. Jean
Haaltert : Apriori
Haasdonk : Clandestino
Hasselt : Aan Tafel bij Luc Bellings
Hasselt – Lummen : Hoeve St-Paul
Heure : Le Fou est belge
Hulshout : Hof ter Hulst
Huy : Li Cwerneu (Nieuw)
Izegem : La Durée
Kasterlee – Lichtaart : De Pastorie (Nieuw)
Keerbergen : The Paddock
Knokke-Heist – Albertstrand : Jardin Tropical
Knokke-Heist – Duinbergen : Sel Gris
Knokke-Heist – Heist : Bartholomeus
Knokke-Heist – Het Zoute : De Oosthoek
Kruishoutem – Wannegem-Lede : ’t Huis van Lede
Lavaux-Sainte-Anne : Lemonnier
Leuven – Heverlee : Arenberg
Leuven – Heverlee : Couvert couvert
Luik : Héliport
Mechelen : D’Hoogh
Mechelen : Folliez
Namen : Cuisinémoi
Namen : La Bergerie
Namen – Temploux : l’Essentiel (Nieuw)
Ninove : Hof ter Eycken
Noirefontaine : Auberge du Moulin Hideux
Paliseul : Au Gastronome
Pepinster : Hostellerie Lafarque
Pepinster – Wegnez : Hostellerie du Postay
Perwez : La Frairie
Reninge : ’t Convent
Roeselare : Bistro Novo
Sankt-Vith : Zur Post
Sint-Martens-Latem – Deurle : Orangerie
Soheit-Tinlot : Le Coq aux Champs
Tongeren : Magis (Nieuw)
Virton – Torgny : Auberge de la Grappe d’Or
Vrasene : Herbert Robbrecht
Waregem : ‘t Oud Konijntje
Zolder – Bolderberg : Prêt-à-Goûter (Nieuw)

Pernah nonton Moulin Rouge! ? film besutan Baz Luhrmann ini memanjakan kita dengan sejuta pesona kota paris di malam hari, khususnya tempat yang bernama Moulin Rouge tadi. Walaupun cerita ini fiksi, namun terselip tokoh-tokoh nyata yang menjadi cameo dalam film tersebut, salah satunya adalah Toulouse Lautrec.

Toulouse Lautrec (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) aktif membuat poster-poster pertunjukan moulin rouge dengan gaya yang sangat khas, ditengah keterbatasan fisiknya yang kerdil. Mari kita simak karya-karyanya!

(images from all poster)

After more than a week fighting off a fibro flare, I’ve finally gotten around to adding the photos from Prague and Cesky Krumlov. Austria and Vienna will be the final installment of photos, coming soon…

Indonesia sejak lama telah menjadi industri rokok kretek terkemuka didunia, bahkan tembakau menjadi salah satu alasan kita dijajah selama lebih dari 350 tahun. Rentang waktu sepanjang itu tentulah menghasilkan mata rantai industri yang menggurita, faktanya hampir semua pabrik rokok besar saat ini berasal dari industri rumahan, termasuk Djarum dan Sampoerna. Berikut adalah beberapa iklan-iklan kretek lokal yang berhasil saya kumpulkan. (hasil scan repro).

Pada masanya, ketika stasiun televisi hanya TVRI, Bioskop dapat disebut sebagai hiburan satu-satunya (dan berkelas) bagi masyarakat metropolitan Jakarta. Tema film yang generik (romansa dan action) sudah cukup untuk menghibur penonton kala itu. Desain Poster yang masih hitam putih dan pengunaan tipografi yang terkesan campur aduk (lebih dari 5 jenis dalam satu poster), justru menjadi ciri unik yang menarik untuk kita simak!

What my hair will look like soon enough….

James

Source

For all the radical, almost space-agey, architecture that’s going on nowadays, you can’t tell me we have as much fun with the design of our constructions as we used to. Sure, the new, sleek materials and designs are chic and sophisticated, but they’re a little lacking in spontaneity and COLOR, for goodness’ sake! The buildings I’ll give tours of today aren’t as “hip” (built anywhere from the 1500s to the early 1900s), but their children’s book-appearances are sure to appeal to anyone’s imagination.

I mentioned in one of the earliest Daily Doses (Stilettos and Skyscrapers) that I’d not be opposed to wearing shoes designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, and now I think it’s time to give him some credit for his fantastical art nouveau architecture.

Roof of Casa Battló by Antoni Gaudí

The radiant image above is the mosaic roof of the Casa Battló in Barcelona, Spain. It leads me to think of the scaly spine of a dinosaur or a dragon. Others get a similar impression – the visceral appearance of the 1877 residence has earned it the local nickname of the “house of bones.”

Casa Batlló balconies and interior staircase

Cooperative Bank Building in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Now, you may have been taken aback by my initial suggestion that we just don’t enjoy ourselves as we used to when it comes to building design. And it’d be easy to look at Gaudí’s Batlló home, credit it to the (presumably) very cool people who lived there and leave it at that. But there’s really no excuse for the blasé when you see a bank like the one on the right. I’d be finding reasons to make transactions at least once a day!

I’ve been saving the best for last. Russia, if I may say so myself, really knows how to do it up right. Well, at least they did in 1555! That’s when the famed St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow underwent construction. The designers of the spiraling turrets and whimsically-patterned towers had no qualms about combining red, green, gold and blue in such a way that you may start to feel like it’s you, not the design, that’s spinning…

St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia; Candy-Land cover

…that, and it looks like it’s been built strictly according to the prototype on the Candy-Land board game box. (Although, considering the respective dates of creation, it’s probably the other way around). Architects, if you’re listening, it’s time for color to make its comeback!

Sources:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=873866
http://mjmbooks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Candy-Land.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Batllo

i don’t know where this past semester has gone. probably in between my complaining and griping about how much i hate school….. hmm ok. well after a semester of trying to perfect my three pieces for the works in progress show i finally finished them…sorta. i’m not exactly satisfied with the frames  i ended up with but they were all i could afford at the time.  but oh well. i need to make a check list of things to do before this show. i need to create a mailing list of ppl to invite and as a whole we all need to pick a gallery to showcase our work in.

Merci  de voter!

Un petit billet pour célébrer Mucha, artiste née en Moravie dans ce qui deviendra l’actuelle République Tchèque dont la carrière brilla dans la France de la Belle Epoque et laissa son empreinte dans l’histoire de l’art, ou du moins, plus intimement, sur ma rétine et l’esprit caché derrière lorsque pour la première fois j’assistais à une de ses expositions au Danemark.

Mucha s’installe donc à Paris en 1888, ville très vivante artistiquement, devient un ami d’Auguste Rodin, et décroche en 1891 son contrat qui le rendra célèbre : l’affiche pour la pièce Gismonda où Sarah Bernhardt jouait (véritable diva, étoile, grande femme d’affaire et d’art de l’époque) au théâtre de la Renaissance. Suivra un contrat de six ans où les rues de Paris verront fleurir des affiches de l’actrice sous les traits de Médée, Lorrenzacio (où elle jouait le rôle titre masculin). Car l’affiche de Mucha, c’est avant tout une révolution : véritable affiche moderne comme on la connait aujourd’hui, avec la “star” qui occupe l’image centrale, le nom de la pièce, le lieu, dans un cadre s’étirant verticalement, c’est aussi une oeuvre d’art doté du style fort et particulier de son auteur qui ne le rabaisse pas mais traite l’affiche comme un tableau. A la fois objet fonctionnel et d’art, l’affiche de Mucha représente bien les idéaux de l’Art Nouveau qui déferle à cette époque, consistant à mettre l’art à portée de tous, à le démocratiser, en utilisant des objets utilitaires comme passerelle (comme Toulouse-Lautrec le fera avec ses affiches lui aussi) voir même dans le logement lui-même (maisons de Horta) ou dans le mobilier urbain public (entrées de métro de Guimard).

Ce contrat le liera six ans, durant lesquels il fera, non seulement l’affiche, mais également les décors et les costumes des pièces. Ensuite viendra de nombreuses publicités, toujours dans son style propre développé avec les affiches, allant jusqu’à le répéter sans âme vers la fin, il faut bien dire qu’il n’était pas avare de sa production, ces publicités couvrant des cigarettes jusqu’au vélo et d’autres produits divers et variés). Mais quel est donc ce fameux style Mucha ? Et bien, c’est avant tout la femme : belle (fatale ?), majestueuse, mais aussi rêveuse. Sa représentation, sa vision en est l’objet central de ses oeuvres. Elle possède invariablement les attributs favoris de l’artiste : chevelure flottante, libre, envahissant l’espace dans un mouvement voluptueux, ou bien coiffée de façon compliquée, parure de bijoux surchargée, bizantine, vêtements plissés, drapés diaphanes couvrant et laissant deviner les formes gracieuses du corps de la belle.

Mucha sera aussi influencé par le symbolisme, courant d’art s’inspirant et représentant rêveries et nostalgies, des Fleurs du Mal de Baudelaire aux tableaux des deux Gustaves, Schwabe et  Moreau. La femme ainsi peinte n’est plus vraiment une femme, elle devient mythe, représentation d’idée, un symbole inaccessible dans la pâle réalité, n’appartenant qu’à notre imaginaire.

L’Art Nouveau s’affiche dans les tous domaines, ainsi en fera Mucha avec une collection de bijoux, avec l’aide du bijoutier Georges Fouquet, contemporains de ceux de René Lalique. Il ira même, dans une oeuvre d’art “totale”, jusqu’à réaliser entièrement la bijouterie de son associé, oeuvre d’art luxueuse et décadente, reflet d’une Europe brillant de mille feux avant les ténèbres à venir.

Reconnu de son vivant, exposant seul, Mucha connaîtra son apogée entre 1895 et 1898. En 1902 il écrira les Documents décoratifs, véritable traité de l’Art Nouveau, mais déjà, les goûts changent. Après un bref passage à New York, de 1904 à 1910, où il travaillera pour une  concurrente de Sarah Bernhardt (alors qu’elle même fait une tournée triomphale aux Etats-Unis, la concurrente quand à elle finira ruiner), il revient dans son pays natal (sa décision sera prise en écoutant la Moldau de Smetana) pour se consacrer à l’art patriotique, voulant donner à “l’âme slave” une oeuvre représentative. Le résultat sera L’épopée Slave, ensemble de 28 tableaux, sera accueillie par le dédain. “Dépassée” dira-t-on. Mucha ayant troqué son art pour un académisme plus classique, et l’histoire ayant rattrapé l’artiste, puisque la Tchécoslovaquie avait obtenu son indépendance de l’Empire Austro-Hongrois. Il réalisa également les dessins de certains billets de banque, des timbres et les décors d’édifices publics comme le Théâtre National.

Il meurt seulement quelques jours après avoir été interrogé par la Gestapo, alors que son pays est occupé par les forces nazis, son corps sera enseveli dans une fausse commune, son style quelque peu oublié.

Redécouvert dans les années 60, son art va même jusqu’à influencer des mangas, et s’en va gaiement rejoindre le patrimoine artistique mondial.

Têtes bizantines, brune et blonde

This is one of my good friends very first attempt at creating a Stop Motion video for her art class. I feel that she did an awesome job of it, it’s so cool, fresh, artistic and colorful. Her talent as a photographer is growing so much, I am certain she will be a huge success very very soon! So here is her video, please enjoy it as much as I did! You did a great job Leia! This rocks!..

Thanks so much to Leia Jospe

James

Riga, Latvia’s capital and international gateway is considered to be the cultural center of the Baltics. This ancient city is noted for what many consider to be the finest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in Europe as well as its guildhalls and churches. In the 13th to 15th centuries, Riga was a major center of the Hanseatic League, a powerful association of merchants trading with Central and Eastern Europe.

Art Nouveau styles falls under several branches or substyles – Eclectic, Romanticized, Decorative and Vertical. As wrote Janis Krastins (Latvian Art Nouveau in the European Context:Art Nouveau. Time and Space) already by 1904 Eclecticism has disappeared from Riga, whereas in other cities in Europe it more or less co-existed with Art Nouveau up to First World War and even longer. More then a third of the buildings in the center of Riga are in the Art Nouveau Style. There is hardly any city in the world  that can boast as many  Art Nouveau buildings concentrated in one area, in such good condition and of such artistic quality, not even Brussels, Vienna and other European Art Nouveau centers.

In the permanent display of Latvian National Museum of Art can see  great collection Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Classical Modernism and not only.

 Source and photo from  www.romartraveler.com

The Polaroid has, for many, allowed an image to be viewed a minute after it was captured. Polaroids are the basis of the work of photographer, Alex Park, whose altered Polaroid of the Paris metro is the subject here. His technique aims to rearrange and reveal what the original images.

To modify his Polaroid photos, he uses a sharp object to impress and accentuate different aspects of the image. The result is like an image submerged in water or viewed through a kaleidoscope.

In Paris, Park has found an ideal playground to express his vision.

One of the finest pieces of the metro’s art collection, this graceful Art Nouveau portico was donated by the Parisian transit authority, to the Montreal metro in 1967 to commemorate their collaboration in designing the metro. Its instantly recognizable green cast iron form, with its shield-shaped medallions, delicately curved sign holders, and lily-of-the-valley light standards with orange tear drop-shaped lamps are a centrepiece of Place Victoria and the Quartier International.

Montreal’s Guimard is the only authentic example of these world-famous works in use on a metro station outside Paris. Since the entrances are modular, it was composed of pieces of demolished Guimards from Paris metro stations. However, the holders for the Métropolitain sign, the neighbourhood map on the entrance’s rear, and the light globes are reproductions added during the entrance’s complete restoration in 2001-2003.

The Place Victoria metro is the inspiration for my realization of an art nouveau necklace designed by Kathy Domokos.

More about the Montreal Metro