Ephemera

Today, in our field, there is so much talent and recognition that we are reaching a saturation point. An artist should no longer strive only for breathtaking craftsmanship; he should, instead, try to help us live better, either by dressing the wounds that are constantly being opened by society, or by offering solutions to get us out of the mess we’re in…But it’s going to be difficult and we have a lot of work to do.

— Moebius (via bustermoody)

16 ♥ / 1 month ago

I continue to work with the materials I have, the materials I am made of. With feelings, beings, books, events, and battles, I am omnivorous. I would like to swallow the whole earth. I would like to drink the whole sea.

— Pablo Neruda (“Confieso Que He Vivido: Memorias”)

5 ♥ / 1 month ago

“Suicide”
— bronze statue pairing
by Xiaoye Sun (currently represented by ASFA)
In a contrasting move, Xiaoye departs from analysis of the frail and instead investigates the ponderous weight of fear, hatred, anxiety, and death.
The protagonist is grotesquely unbalanced, he becomes heavy and weighted in his despair. He is shown focused on his wrist, whether cutting or preparing to cut, yet his final intention is clear (particularly in light of the title of the piece).
What is probably the most fascinating part of the piece, however, is the dog. We see that he is not distorted, a heavy dog, though still proportional, he does not partake in the emotional transformation that his Master undergoes. His shading is lighter and he is not physically attached to the figure of his Master. Most importantly, his head is cocked to the side in a characteristic post that dogs give when they are attempting to discern the meaning or intention of another. He questions his Master’s action and yet does not fully understand its implications. The concept of voluntary death is foreign to him and as such he watches quietly and perplexed.

0 ♥ / 1 month ago

“Courage”
—bronze statue
by Xiaoye Sun (currently represented by ASFA)
Somewhere after the static and flat paintings and sculpture of antiquity and yet still beyond the origin of sculptural dynamism in the early Kouroi forms, but still less exaggerated than the classical s-curve, falls this status of a brazen young maiden in a walking contrapposto.
Unarmed, she appears to defend herself by simply pushing her way through any obstacles that may befall her. The high level of dynamism in her extremities is of particular note to the viewer. Her articulation departs from a classical style in order to splay and curl in a manner that indicates that she may quickly shift position without warning.
Her size, frame and dress tells us she is no shield-maiden or warrior, but a common village girl. The source of courage comes not from training or predisposition, but from purity of motive and righteousness of action.

0 ♥ / 1 month ago

2 ♥ / 1 month ago

“Broken Dreams”
— bronze statue
by Xiaoye Sun (currently represented by ASFA)
An angel with a broken wing.
Once again Xiaoye visits the sheer weight (or lack thereof) and texture of the sculptural medium as a conveyance for his message. In an expression that recalls for us Giacometti’s thin style, Xiaoye shows us the vulnerability and emotional fragility of the angel.
An angel that cannot fly is not particularly useful. Similarly, what would become of a person whose abilities and capabilities wane and fail? What are we left with if we cannot be vibrant, young, and strong? Are we not still people? Despair takes us when we give up hope.

0 ♥ / 1 month ago

“Lone Companion”
— bronze statue
by Xiaoye Sun (currently represented by ASFA)
Xiaoye Sun alludes to an archetypal expression by which, in both Western and Eastern traditions, an individual is painted or represented in portraiture with objects (in this case a fox) which are somehow symbolic of/to the person.
Referencing a fable of unknown origin, Xiaoye invokes a story of a determined society woman who finds that the fox is her sole companion after a lifetime of fierce personal competition and advancement.
The style of the piece conveys this sense without requiring the back-story. The woman’s head is angled upward and bears sharply-defined, exaggerated features; the head speaking of aristocratic superiority and the features of the vanity of the upper class. She holds in her arms an exotic animal, an ostentatious show of her wealth and success. And the animal, a fox, is a symbol itself of cunning, subterfuge, and deviousness.

1 ♥ / 1 month ago

Attention Recent Followers

I’m running a fluffier reblogs/etc. blog over here at Black Neon. So if you came here because I liked or reblogged something of your it almost certainly went that direction.

You can, of course, follow me here at petrichorius, but this is a pseudo-weekly art blog so it’s not exactly FUN, per se (I mean, *I* think it’s fun, but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one).

(n.b.: I’ve just gotten some recent followers because of my generalized spaz-tastic-ness, but I think when they get here y’all are like “whaaaa?” so I figured I’d offer a redirect over to my more tumblr-esque blog.)

0 ♥ / 1 month ago

A line is a dot that went for a walk.

— Paul Klee (via sleepykiss)

5 ♥ / 1 month ago

“Who Lit Us?”
— oil on canvas, 150 x 280 cm, 2011
by Du Kun (Mizuma & One Gallery)
As with so many who consider post-apocalyptic themes, there remains both a human and a hopeful element embedded in the imagery. It is unlikely that most artists, creatives by definition, could be able to so quickly abandon the fate of humanity to a truly desolate despair. This is apparent throughout much of Du Kun’s work by his inclusion of human vestiges or the influence of human form throughout his style, he states that we are simultaneously the cause of such destruction but also the future of its possible redemption.
Here the hope of humanity is bound up in a very old symbol, that of light in the darkness. Candles left burning in the ruin of a city beckon us back to investigate and possibly re-inhabit the symbol of modern civilization. Perhaps it is not too late to reclaim the world before utter destruction. But if we are being called back, who is calling, who has left the hopeful sign for us to follow, who ignited the candles that ask us to reconsider our action, to give pause to our destructive endeavors? Perhaps some of us are left to guard the gates and mind the ruin, artists, musicians, poets, philosophers, we leave our marks upon the world hopeful only that someone will take heed, if only for a moment. So much is lost in the flickering of the flame.

2 ♥ / 2 months ago

3 ♥ / 2 months ago

2 ♥ / 2 months ago

1 ♥ / 2 months ago

Ge-ge
— oil on canvas, 130 x 60 cm, 2008
by Du Kun (Mizuma & One Gallery)
In stylized Manchu dress, we cannot determine immediately if this young woman of the court is materializing or dematerializing, as a dream stuck in time we are asked to consider which way time is flowing in this case. The patches in the area of the chest speak of decay and withering and as her forearm and hands appear to wisp and mist away, I would venture that she is evaporating.
A vision of a ghost of a bygone era, Du Kun gives us a glimpse of a traditional society long-past. His figure work particularly as he progresses toward a nihilist or existentialist expression remain anonymous, muted or absent facial features, as in this piece, or even literal defacement as in “Make Up” (2008).
Though elements of realism cling to this work, specifically proportion, posture and physicality, this and earlier works exhibit a Dali-esque relationship with the fluidity of the subjects under consideration.

0 ♥ / 2 months ago