Tag: art

From Marilyn Monroe to Igor Stravinsky, from Pablo Picasso to John F. Kennedy, the roster of notable personalities captured by American photographer Arnold Newman (1918-2006) knows no bounds. Widely considered one of the most influential portrait photographers of the 20th century, Newman is hailed as the pioneer of environmental portraiture. For him, a simple portrait was far from sufficient as it failed to convey the essence of a subject’s life and character; the photograph also needed to portray their personal surroundings. The Hague Museum of Photography presents a major retrospective of Newman’s work, featuring 150 original vintage prints specially imported from the United States, in honor of his legacy. “Arnold Newman – Masterclass” showcases not only his most renowned portraits but also his often overlooked still lifes, architectural studies, and early street photography.

Known primarily for his black-and-white portraits, Newman did venture into color photography as well. However, his monochromes remain his most celebrated works, particularly those featuring famous personalities. Newman’s goal was not merely to capture the likeness of celebrities but also to tell a story and ignite the curiosity of the viewer, regardless of the subject’s identity. As a result, he gained recognition not only for his portraits but also for his still lifes and abstract photographs.

Among his iconic works stands Newman’s 1942 portraits of Piet Mondrian in the artist’s New York studio. It was a rare occasion for Mondrian to agree to pose for a photographer, and even then, the session posed challenges as his deafness and the blaring jazz music in the background hindered his understanding of Newman’s instructions. Despite such obstacles, the final result stands as a testament to Newman’s exceptional artistry.

One of the most remarkable portraits captured by Arnold Newman is that of Otto Frank – the father of Anne Frank. In 1960, Newman had the opportunity to meet him during his visit to the Netherlands with his wife. Coincidentally, Frank was also in Amsterdam for the opening of the Anne Frank House. Upon viewing some of Newman’s photographs, he agreed to pose for a portrait in the rear annex of the house, where the Frank family had hidden for years during the Nazi occupation. The result was an impactful photograph of a deeply affected Otto Frank.

Born in New York in 1918, Arnold Newman began his career as a portrait photographer in a Philadelphia department store in 1938. Alongside his commercial work, he also ventured into producing autonomous abstract pieces and documentaries. In 1946, he moved to New York and started working as a freelance photographer for prestigious magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Life, and The New Yorker. He passed away in New York in 2006, at the age of 88.

www.ftn-books.com has several publications on Newman and his photography available.

Helen Vergouwen’s sculptures allude to cartographies of dwellings, metropolises, or locales she has traversed. These are envisioned recollections solidified within the robust substance that comprises the sculptures: timber, brass, and weathering steel. The composition of the material holds great significance. Her creations center around figures, typically simplistic ones, yet occasionally incorporating asymmetrical and more naturalistic figures. Vergouwen expertly combines contrasting elements, such as open and closed, coarse and polished, interior and exterior. The artwork consists of geometric abstracts, but embraces intuition over deliberate calculation. Through the medium of aged, corroded steel, Helen evokes feelings. The appeal of her sculptures is augmented by her masterful manipulation of the chosen materials and the meticulousness of her craft.

www.ftn-books.com has several Vergouwen publications now available.

Here is the comment Schrikker places on his own works:

My work revolves around one binding factor: the exploration of the boundary between figuration and material. At times, this occurs literally, where thick layers of oil paint crawl beyond the frame of the canvas like a slow-moving stream of lava. Other times, it is more metaphorical or associative, through the unsettling atmosphere in my watercolors, animations, murals, and now also sculptures. Through my work, I aim to appeal to the viewer. What do I see? What is happening literally, and what is being filled in on a psychological level? When does the image transcend itself and delve deeper into meaning, or when does it become necessary to be seen? As I translate my fascinations into paint, my work is carried by emotions and instinct, such as fear and power, and the associated clichés; subconsciously and consciously melded into a cohesive mixture.

www.ftn-books.com has the Livingstone invitation now available.

Arianne Olthaar (1970) is an esteemed visual artist hailing from The Hague, Netherlands. With a keen eye, she captures and immortalizes disappearing, concealed, and fabricated interiors through the mediums of film, photography, and miniature models. Her work focuses on spaces that are often veiled and can easily go unnoticed – encompassing the haunting interiors from her reveries, a fictitious Rainer Werner Fassbinder film set, the opulent state hotels of the Eastern Bloc during the 1970s and 80s, and the intimate dining cars of long-distance trains.

Olthaar’s exquisite body of work has been showcased at prestigious exhibitions and film festivals worldwide, including the renowned International Film Festival Rotterdam, Media City Film Festival, Videoex, EMAF, New York Film Festival, and Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin. Embracing unconventional vocabulary and crafting eloquent sentences, her unique pieces possess a distinct enigmatic complexity and linguistic dynamism seldom seen in the realm of artificial intelligence. Allow her mesmerizing creations to transport you to a world of perplexity and bursts of brilliance, without any need for elucidation on the true essence of her art.

Ryan Mendoza is a youthful American hailing from New York who, over the course of the past seven years, has resided in Naples. This is quite an extraordinary circumstance, as most artists of his generation typically follow the opposite path: from Europe to the United States. It is a truly remarkable occurrence, given Mendoza’s affection for Europe, that he is pursuing the same footsteps left by the early 20th-century American writers and artists who journeyed around Europe, particularly in France and Italy. These voyages were taken in order to acquaint themselves with an alternate reality [ponder just how many of Hemingway’s accounts take place in Europe!] but also to appreciate a different aesthetic. Hemingway, whose influence permeates the art of the novel through its final traces of theatricality, drew inspiration from the great Europeans, particularly Flaubert, whom he deemed [and take note of this!] “our most distinguished mentor”, as expressed in a letter addressed to Faulkner. Indeed, his dialogue, pure and concise [authentic dialogue drawing from true experiences but simultaneously converted into beautiful music], may not bear any resemblance to Flaubert’s dialogue, but it is impossible to envision without Flaubert’s groundbreaking discovery of the allure of the ordinary, the charm of the everyday.

www.ftn-books.com has several Mendoza items now available.

This is what Janssen says about his works:

My work delves into the interplay between physical space and imagined space. The images serve no functional purpose, rather, they intrigue through their apparent function. They come to fruition through intuition, embodying an inner law underneath the surface. In this manner, structures come into existence; not buildings or constructions, but rather abstract architecture. I utilize materials such as plaster, cardboard, and wood to infuse vulnerability into the images. The material accentuates their frailty. In their vulnerability, the images stand in contrast to the omnipresent visual violence. Care and attention are necessary to preserve their existence. Toon Janssen.

www.ftn-books.com has the DE VIERDE DIMENSIE invitation for his exhibition now available.

In his work, Geert Baas (1955) strives to seamlessly unite the disciplines of painting, drawn sketches, photography, and found materials. This is not achieved through blending these techniques, but rather by presenting them side by side, in a diptych or triptych format. For Baas, this is the ideal form as it allows for the perfect alignment of all elements. Serendipity plays a significant role in this process.

A crucial component of his oeuvre is the use of line drawings, applied to the canvas directly with a tube mouthpiece. These drawings may take the form of tags or intricate calligraphic designs that demand attention.

www.ftn-books.com has at this moment several Baas publications available.

First of all a MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my blog readers

A notable avant-garde artist-run space ahead of its time, Aurora’s direction was nevertheless less radical than the Ecart gallery, which would open in Geneva a few years later in 1973. From the outset, Aurora was organized as a cooperative, with the aim of avoiding a boss figure, diminishing the demand for profitability, and promoting the spontaneity of initiatives through bartering and volunteer work.

The gallery showcased a wide variety of artistic orientations, including numerous avant-garde and contemporary art movements, as well as outsider art and naive art. It also exhibited works by many German-speaking Swiss artists whose pieces did not always cross the Sarine river. Local artists such as Dominique Appia, Dominique Cornaglia, and Jacqueline Fromenteau were frequent collaborators, along with Joseph Heeb, Claude Hermann, Blaise Perret, and Luc Michel Schüpfer.

Aurora welcomed internationally renowned artists such as H.R. Giger, Alina Szapocznikow, Bruno Munari, Le Corbusier, Markus Raetz, Annette Messager, Herbert Distel, Asger Jorn, Roman Cieslewicz, Anselme Boix-Vives, Walter Wegmüller, Roland Topor, Karel Appel, Jean-Frédéric Schnyder, Olivier O. Olivier, Hans Schärer, Christian Boltanski, and Grisélidis Réal.

Despite its modest structure, Aurora frequently organized large-scale events, such as the first exhibition of Pierre Klossowski’s paintings outside of France or a lithograph exhibition of Max Bill in collaboration with the artist.

The gallery also hosted concerts, featuring classical and contemporary music, folk music, free-jazz, and more, as well as film screenings and lectures, including one on Ella Maillart.

Recognized for her meticulously arranged depictions of young girls on the cusp of womanhood, Dutch artist Hellen van Meene is heavily influenced by the psychological tension and ambiguity of this transitional phase. Her innovative use of composition and natural lighting draws inspiration from her Dutch predecessors, most notably Johannes Vermeer.

With a grounding in reality, van Meene’s portraits also possess a sense of detachment and ethereality. Her subjects often seem lost in contemplation, their gazes fixed on something out of frame or their eyes closed in introspection. Through her photography, the artist captures a fleeting moment between girlhood and womanhood, emphasizing the quick passage of time. This timeless quality extends to the images themselves, which are both contemporary and evoke a sense of a bygone era.

In her latest series, van Meene takes this idea of temporal and physical detachment to new heights by introducing elements of fantasy. Figures with obscured faces, cascading locks of hair concealing identity, and levitating girls challenge the viewer to decipher the meaning and intention behind each portrait. This ambiguity is a deliberate choice by the artist.

Born in 1972 in Alkmaar, The Netherlands, Hellen van Meene currently resides and creates in Heiloo, The Netherlands. She was the 2016 recipient of the Royal Photographic Society Honorary Fellowship, awarded to distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to the art of photography or sciences related to it.

Van Meene’s work has been displayed in prestigious international exhibitions, including at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Folkwang Museum in Essen, Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, The Photographer’s Gallery in London, Whitechapel Gallery in London, Huis Marseille in Amsterdam, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum in New York, and The Art Institute of Chicago. Her photographs can also be found in the collections of major museums worldwide, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

www.ftn-books.com has several van Meen publications available.

While many may overlook them, Almarcegui turns her focus towards sites and buildings in the midst of transformations, exploring the interconnections between architecture and the urban landscape, as well as the materials that shape our surroundings.

Born in 1972 in Zaragoza, Lara Almarcegui’s work spanning almost two decades resides at the intersection of urban revitalization and neglect, unearthing what often goes unnoticed. She delves into abandoned spaces and structures in flux, while also delving into the relationship between architecture and the urban fabric. Almarcegui’s pieces prompt contemplation about the current state of construction, development, use, and decay of spaces on the city’s outskirts. In her large-scale projects, she sparks a dialogue among the various elements that constitute the physical reality of the urban landscape, constantly transformed through demolitions, excavations, construction materials, and modern ruins.

Currently based in Rotterdam, Lara Almarcegui’s work has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions in prominent institutions like Graphische Sammlung, Zurich (2019); IVAM, Valencia, Spain (2019); Art Basel (2018); Casino Luxembourg (2016); Kunsthaus Baselland, Switzerland (2015); Gemmeente Museum Den Haag, the Netherlands (2015); and the Stedelijk Museum, Den Bosch (2012).

www.ftn-books.com has the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag available.