Eclectica: art

Showing posts with label art. Show all posts

Data Visualisations

A fascinating site showing over 300 physical visualisations of data.

For example -

Worry Beads, one for every year from 1945 (closest in the pic), are scaled at one cc per human life. The volume of each is set by the number of terrorist-caused deaths for that year globally. The whole thing is about 40′ long, the largest bead (2014) is 19″ dia.

The mother [of] Sara Weber knitted this scarf during her daily train rides to work in Munich and used different colours depending on train delays. Every day two rows: Grey, less than 5 minutes delay. Pink, 5 to 30 minutes delay. Red, both rides delayed or one more than 30 minutes. The huge red area was during construction work, where the train was substituted by a bus.

An artwork that represents the cost of health care for different age groups, based on the time it takes for a marble to fall. Each of the 7 runs represents a different decade of life, and the length of the runs presents the average cost of care to the UK's National Health Service, for a person in that year of their life. Each run is constructed from medical equipment. It was commissioned by the British Medical Association and the British Medical Journal to mark the NHS's 70th Birthday on the 5 July 2018, and installed at their headquarters for a month. There is a video of the artwork's construction.

This ShockWatch tilt indicator can be attached to packages which must remain upright during transportation. If the packet is tilted to either side, the little balls move into the next chamber. The recipient can then later check the degree of tilting the packet experienced during transportation. The upper row indicates tilting to the left, the lower to the right. The ball in the round indicator moves in to the outer torus when the packet is turned over 180°.

A visualisation of the Colorado River from another source -

Blogger's Selection - Alexander Pope

I've always enjoyed the poetry of Alexander Pope. For example, these lines from Pope's Essay on Man

Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,
A hero perish, or a sparrow fall,
Atoms or systems into ruin hurl'd,
And now a bubble burst, and now a world.

Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar;
Wait the great teacher death, and God adore.
What future bliss, he gives not thee to know,
But gives that hope to be thy blessing now.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast:
Man never is, but always to be blest:

Those lines were parodied by the notorious Thomas Potter as follows

O blindness to the future! kindly given,
That each may enjoy what fucks are marked in Heaven:
Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,
The man just mounting, and the virgin's fall,
Pricks, cunt, and ballocks in convulsions hurled,
And now a hymen burst, and now a world

I particularly like Potter's first two lines.

Pope had a rather cynical view of politicians, and the power of corruption.

"In vain may heroes fight, and patriots rave;
If secret gold sap on from knave to knave.

Blest paper-credit! last and best supply!
That lends corruption lighter wings to fly!
A single leaf shall waft an army o'er,
Or ship off senates to a distant shore;
Pregnant with thousands flits the scrap unseen,
And silent sells a king, or buys a queen."

I suspect there have been several instances recently where there has been some secret gold moving from knave to knave.

A podcast about Pope on the BBC's In Our Time series rekindled my interest and I found this annotated copy of An Epistle to Arbuthnot. It is about the sad lot of the writer.

These lines could well apply to bloggers.

Who pens a stanza, when he should engross
Is there, who, lock'd from Ink and Paper, scrawls
With desp'rate Charcoal round his darken'd walls?

And

Why am I ask'd what next shall see the light?
Heav'ns! was I born for nothing but to write?
Has life no joys for me? or (to be grave)
Have I no friend to serve, no soul to save?

And these later lines could well be applied to many in the media, especially those who write for the British tabloid press.

Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer;
Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike;

Pope had a sharp pen and many of his writings, including An Epistle to Arbuthnot, contain sly digs at his many enemies, and even some of his friends.

But foes like these!" One flatt'rer's worse than all.
Of all mad creatures, if the learn'd are right,
It is the slaver kills, and not the bite.
A fool quite angry is quite innocent;
Alas! 'tis ten times worse when they repent.

Old map covers

All these map covers were drawn by Ellis Martin for OS maps published in the 1920s. Click on the map tag for more examples.

'The 1920s and 30s saw the rise of the British tourist industry when, for the first time, ordinary working-class people had enough weekend leisure time to leave their smoky factory towns for a couple of days, and take to the country with its fresh, invigorating air.

It was the beginning of the cycling crazes and the hiking boom, and railway excursions, and - for those who could afford it - days out in the car.

All over the country, map-makers were producing maps of the most attractive areas, and walkers, cyclists and motorists were buying them in their millions. Fierce competition raged between these map-makers until the Ordnance Survey engaged an artist called ELLIS MARTIN to design eye-catching covers for its maps. From then on, the Ordnance Survey led the maket and Martin's superb period designs for OS map covers are now collectors' pieces.' J P Browne Map Cover Art

For other examples of finely drawn commercial art this links to a post I did on cigarette cards.

Link

The sea paintings of Ivan Aivazovsky

Ivan Aivazovsky [1817-1900] was famed for his marine art. Just look at his portrayal of waves in these two paintings.

Tim's Vermeer

I have just watched Tim's Vermeer. Very enjoyable.

Governing System

Nitobe Gardens

The University of British Columbia has 57,000 students on a large, green campus on the coast, just south of Vancouver.

The campus has two must see attractions. One is the superb Anthropological Museum, the other is the Nitobe Japanese Garden. The garden is considered one of the best Japanese Gardens in North America and amongst the top five outside Japan.

We visited on a bright sunny day in April 2014 when the cherry blossom was at its best. The guide to the garden also recommends visiting in July when the irises are blooming and October to see the maple leaves. I would also like to see the garden in winter with a light covering of snow.

The style is that of a Kaiyū-shiki-teien [promenade garden] where a visitor follows a path around the garden around a lake from one carefully composed scene to another. The path through the Nitobe garden is intended to represent a persons journey through life.

The garden has a mixture of Japanese trees and native cedars and hemlocks, with the latter pruned Tokyo style. Everything is beautifully maintained, apparently by just one gardener [with some volunteer assistance].

There are several stone lanterns, usually placed at a junction of paths, they are intended to symbolise choices in life.

Seven storey pagoda

I have often been rather sceptical when some people have attributed special aesthetic sensibilities to the Japanese. I am not so sceptical after visiting this garden.

The composition is superb and the garden imparts a remarkable sense of tranquillity. It is easily the best garden, of any kind, that I have visited.

Several buses go to the BC campus from central Vancouver.

Old map covers

All drawn by Ellis Martin, with the exception of the Liverpool map [Arthur Palmer] and the Peak District map [J C T Willis]. All drawn for maps published in the 1920s, with the exception of the Peak District map which was printed in 1936.

Click on the map tag for more examples.

Joseph Cornell was an American artist whose main works were boxed assemblages created from found objects. These are simple glass fronted boxes in which he arranged collections of photographs or Victorian bric a brac.

If you want to know more about Cornell I recommend “Joseph Cornell” edited by Knyaston McShine and published in 1990 by the Museum of Modern Art, New York. ISBN 3-7913-1063-1.

General Jumbo

General Jumbo was a comic strip character in a in the UK comic The Beano. He was a twelve year old boy who commanded a remotely controlled model army, created for him by Professor Carter. Jumbo uses his army for crime fighting and adventuring.

Jumbo made his first appearance in 1953 and continued until 1998. At first he was drawn by Paddy Brennan, a freelance Irish artist. The strips are well drawn but Brennan drew Jumbo with an unfortunate facial expression. Later artists did better. There is an archive of General Jumbo strips here.

This strip was one of my favourites but I had completely forgotten about it until reminded recently by this knowledgeable site.

Some people have pointed out the similarities between the General Jumbo strip and the more recent 'Top 10' DC comic strip in which Police Officer Robyn "Toybox" Slinger carries a box filled with robotic toys built by her father.

General Jumbo was a children's comic strip My other favourite from back in the day was Jeff Hawke, a comic strip for adults which appeared in the UK's Daily Express newspaper. I had forgotten about both but if you sit long enough by the banks of the Internet everything eventually floats by.

Talking Landscapes and the Dixton Harvesters

The BBC has produced a fascinating six part series called Talking Landscapes. Each episode explains the historical background to a particular British landscape.

The series is presented by Aubrey Manning. He is excellent and has done several similar series. Some are available on DVD. I have Earth Story and have just bought the Landscape Mysteries box set.

The series was last broadcast in Autumn 2012. I only discovered the series as it was coming to an end and it does not seem to be available on DVD. I hope it will be.

The Cairngorms episode was superb. What seems like a natural wild Scottish landscape is definitely not wild but entirely created by human activity; and some of the most important changes took place several thousand years ago when the area was intensively farmed.

In the Vale of Evesham episode Manning explains that what seems like a modern farming landscape was actually created by the Anglo Saxons, and has hardly changed since.

The episode shows a fascinating painting called the Countryside around Dixton Manor or The Dixton Harvesters that shows an agricultural landscape in the 18th century. It is harvest time and there are 133 people (71 male, 62 female) at work. Some are scything or raking hay. Others are resting, a couple is dancing before musicians and there are Morris dancers.

This was before modern agriculture depopulated the landscape. The painting has been called "one of the most evocative pictures in the whole of English art. There is nothing like it either in its day or at any other time: to stand and look at this picture is to be taken through the looking glass."

Copies of the print are available here. They sell a print of the entire painting and of an extract.

The Voice of the Sluggard

Feeling a little sluggish after the festive season? There is a song for you if the condition persists.

The Sluggard

'Tis the voice of the sluggard; I heard him complain,
"You have waked me too soon, I must slumber again."
As the door on its hinges, so he on his bed,
Turns his sides and his shoulders and his heavy head.

"A little more sleep, and a little more slumber;"
Thus he wastes half his days, and his hours without number,
And when he gets up, he sits folding his hands,
Or walks about sauntering, or trifling he stands.

I pass'd by his garden, and saw the wild brier,
The thorn and the thistle grow broader and higher;
The clothes that hang on him are turning to rags;
And his money still wastes till he starves or he begs.

I made him a visit, still hoping to find
That he took better care for improving his mind:
He told me his dreams, talked of eating and drinking;
But scarce reads his Bible, and never loves thinking.

Said I then to my heart, "Here's a lesson for me,"
This man's but a picture of what I might be:
But thanks to my friends for their care in my breeding,
Who taught me betimes to love working and reading.

The above poem was written by Isaac Watts, who sounds like an American blues singer, but was actually an English nonconformist [1674 – 1748].

The lines can also be set to music and sung. 'The Voice of the Sluggard' was a favourite of Dickens. He used to accompany himself on an accordion. I have heard it on the BBC sung by Hugh Summers of Portsmouth Cathedral Choir but I cannot find a copy on iTunes or Amazon.

The Voice of the Lobster

'Tis the Voice of the Lobster' was Carroll's parody of 'The Sluggard' and appeared in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'.

'Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare
"You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair."
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.
When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark,
And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark;
But, when the tide rises and sharks are around,
His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.

I particularly like these lines. Don't we all know someone like the lobster?

When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark,
And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark;
But, when the tide rises and sharks are around,
His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.

Lewis Carroll loved to parody Watts. He did it with 'Against Idleness and Mischief' which became 'How Doth the Little Crocodile'. The busy and virtuous bee in Watt's poem becomes a sly and predatory crocodile in Carroll's parody.

Jeff Hawke

The UK's Daily Express newspaper used to publish the Jeff Hawke science fiction strip. It was very popular and lasted for over 19 years, ending in 1974. There were 69 separate stories, with an average of 94 strips in each story.

Many consider it one of the most best science fiction strips ever published. The artwork is excellent, and the dialogue and plots are sophisticated. It was a strip for adults. It is far superior to the Batman, Superman and the other super hero rubbish. This Wikipedia article gives the full story and a list of episodes.

The Jeff Hawke strip is very popular in Italy and the Scandinavian countries. In the UK Titan Books published two books containing a total of nine stories. These can be bought from Amazon. Don't be put off by the lurid covers.

Overlord (collects "Overlord", "Survival", "Wondrous Lamp" and "Counsel for the Defence", 128 pages, February 2008, Titan Books. ISBN 1845765974)

The Ambassadors (collects "The Ambassadors", "Pastmaster", "The Immortal Toys", "The Gamesman" and "A Test Case", 128 pages, July 2008, Titan Books. ISBN 1845765982)

A better source of the Jeff Hawke stories is the Jeff Hawke Club which is publishing all 69 stories in bound volumes. Read this for more information.

Old map covers

More map cover art from the 1920s and 1930s. Click on the map tag for more examples.

Two sinister figures cross Ayr's 'Old Brig' - artist Arthur Palmer

artist - Ellis Martin

More after break

Shipping posters

Some more commercial art.

More after the break.

Graphic Novel - Long John Silver

Long John Silver Vol.1: Lady Vivian Hastings is the first in a series of graphic novels written by Xavier Dorison and drawn by Mathieu Lauffray. They are based on the 'Treasure Island' character.

Three volumes have been published in France. The English translation of Long John Silver Vol.2: Neptune will be published here in March 2011. Amazon UK have it available for advance purchase. Long John Silver Vol.3: The Emerald Maze is due later. Neptune won the Prix Saint-Michel in 2009 and The Emerald Maze in 2010.

The French buy many more comics and graphic novels than we do in the UK. I first found Volume 1 in a bookshop in Nantes and was very impressed by the artwork. I thought it was so good that it would be translated for the Anglosphere market.

The story is well written and the translation [by Jerome Saincantin is excellent].

p.s. Just received my copy of Neptune, the second book in the series. Not as good as Vol.1: Lady Vivian Hastings, either in story or artwork. The book is also poorly made. Several pages came loose in my copy as soon as I opened it.