Classic Romantic Paintings Get Subtly Animated in BEAUTY Video by Rino Stefano Tagliafierro

In this 10 minute video, BEAUTY, director Rino Stefano Tagliafierro takes 116 classic romantic paintings (all of which are listed at the end of this post) and slowly and subtly animates them, bringing the beauty in them to life. A slight tilt of the head, a dress raising ever so gently, petals falling from flowers - tiny, almost imperceptible movements, are expertly executed without changing the general composition or color of the original painting.



William Adolphe Bouguereau's original painting of The Nut Gatherers compared to a screen grab of the subtle animation. Note the arms, hands and grapes on the figure on the right:


The Manifesto: The Enigma of Beauty

«Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws,
And make the earth devour her own sweet brood;
Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger’s jaws,
And burn the long-lived phoenix in her blood;»
(W. Shakespeare, Sonnet no. 19)

Over Beauty, there has always hung the cloud of destiny and all-devouring time.
Beauty has been invoked, re-figured and described since antiquity as a fleeting moment of happiness and the inexhaustible fullness of life, doomed from the start to a redemptive yet tragic end.

In this interpretation by Rino Stefano Tagliafierro, this beauty is brought back to the expressive force of gestures that he springs from the immobility of canvas, animating a sentiment lost to the fixedness masterpieces.

Its as though these images which the history of art has consigned to us as frozen movement can today come back to life thanks to the fire of digital invention.

A series of well selected images from the tradition of pictorial beauty are appropriated, (from the renaissance to the symbolism of the late 1800s, through Mannerism, Pastoralism, Romanticism and Neo-classicism) with the intention of retracing the sentiment beneath the veil of appearance.

An inspiration that returns to us the sense of one fallen, and the existential brevity that the author interprets as tragic dignity, with an unenchanted eye able to capture the profoundest sense of the image.

Beauty in this interpretation is the silent companion of Life , inexorably leading from the smile of the baby, through erotic ecstasies to the grimaces of pain that close a cycle destined to repeat ad infinitum.

They are, from the inception of a romantic sunrise in which big black birds fly to the final sunset beyond gothic ruins that complete the piece, a work of fleeting time. - Giuliano Corti (english translation: Thomas McEvoy)

The short film:


The paintings, in order of appearance:

Asher Brown Durand - The Catskill Valley‬

Thomas Hill - Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

Albert Bierstadt - Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Ivan Shishkin - Forest edge

James Sant - Frau und Tochter‬

William Adolphe Bouguereau - L'Innocence

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Song of the Angels

Ivan Shishkin - Bach im Birkenwald

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Le Baiser

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Nature's Fan- Girl with a Child

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Motherland

Ivan Shishkin - Morning in a Pine Forest

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Nut Gatherers

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Two Sisters

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Not too Much to Carry

Thomas Cole - The Course of Empire: Desolation

Martinus Rørbye - Entrance to an Inn in the Praestegarden at Hillested

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Sewing

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Difficult Lesson

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Curtsey

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Little Girl with a Bouquet

Claude Lorrain - Pastoral Landscape

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Cupidon

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Admiration

William Adolphe Bouguereau - A Young Girl Defending Herself Against Eros

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Dawn

William Adolphe Bouguereau - L'Amour et Psych

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Spring Breeze

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Invation

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Nymphs and Satyr

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Youth of Bacchus

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Birth of Venus

William Adolphe Bouguereau - The Nymphaeum

Gioacchino Pagliei - Le Naiadi

Luis Ricardo Falero - Faust's Dream

Luis Ricardo Falero - Reclining Nude

Jules Joseph Lefebvre - La Cigale

John William Godward - Tarot of Delphi

Jan van Huysum - Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn

Adrien Henri Tanoux - Salammbo

Guillaume Seignac - Reclining Nude

Tiziano - Venere di Urbino

Louis Jean François Lagrenée - Amor and Psyche

Correggio - Giove e Io

François Gérard - Psyché et l'Amour

John William Godward - Contemplatio

John William Godward - Far Away Thought

John William Godward - An Auburn Beauty

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Flora And Zephy

Louis Jean François Lagrenée - Amor and Psyche

Fritz Zuber-Bühle - A Reclining Beauty

Paul Peel - The Rest

Guillaume Seignac - L'Abandon

Victor Karlovich Shtemberg - Nu à la peau de bete

Pierre Auguste Cot - Portrait Of Young Woman

Ivan Shishkin - Mast Tree Grove

Ivan Shishkin - Rain in an oak forest

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Biblis

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Elegy

Marcus Stone - Loves Daydream End

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Head Of A Young Girl

Hugues Merle - Mary Magdalene in the Cave

Andrea Vaccaro - Sant'Agata

Jacques-Luois David - Accademia (o Patroclo)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - San Giovanni Battista

Roberto Ferri - In Nomine Deus

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Cristo alla colonna

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Incoronazione di spine

Paul Delaroche - L'Exécution de lady Jane Grey en la tour de Londres, l'an 1554

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Decollazione di San Giovanni Battista

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Sacrificio di Isacco

Guido Reni - Davide e Golia

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Giuditta e Oloferne

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Davide e Golia

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Salomè con la testa del Battista

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Davide con la testa di Golia

Jakub Schikaneder - All Soul's Day

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - San Gerolamo scrivente

Guido Reni - San Gerolamo

Pieter Claesz - Vanitas

Gabriel von Max - The Ecstatic Virgin Anna Katharina Emmerich

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Portrait of Miss Elizabeth Gardner

Jan Lievens - A young girl

Johannes Vermeer - Portrait of a Young Girl

Luis Ricardo Falero - Moonlit Beauties

Joseph Rebell - Burrasca al chiaro di luna nel golfo di Napoli

Luis Ricardo Falero - Witches going to their Sabbath

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Dante And Virgil In Hell

Théodore Géricault - Cheval arabe gris-blanc

Peter Paul Rubens - Satiro

Felice Boselli - Skinned Head of a Young Bull

Gabriel Cornelius von Max - Monkeys as Judges of Art

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Medusa

Luca Giordano - San Michele

Théodore Géricault - Study of Feet and Hands

Peter Paul Rubens - Saturn Devouring His Son

Ilya Repin - Ivan il Terribile e suo figlio Ivan

Franz von Stuck - Lucifero Moderno

Gustave Doré - Enigma

Arnold Böcklin - Die Toteninsel (III)

Sophie Gengembre Anderson - Elaine

John Everett Millais - Ophelia

Paul Delaroche - Jeune Martyre

Herbert Draper - The Lament for Icarus

Martin Johnson Heade - Twilight on the St. Johns River

Gabriel Cornelius von Max - Der Anatom

Enrique Simonet - Anatomía del corazón

Thomas Eakins - Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic)

Rembrandt - Lezione di anatomia del dottor Tulp

Peter Paul Rubens - Die Beweinung Christi

Paul Hippolyte Delaroche - Die Frau des Künstlers Louise Vernet auf ihrem Totenbett

Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau - Too Imprudent

William-Adolphe Bouguereau - The Prayer

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - Amorino dormiente

Augustin Théodule Ribot - St. Vincent (of Saragossa)

Caspar David Friedrich - Abtei im eichwald



CREDITS

DIRECTOR: RINO STEFANO TAGLIAFIERRO

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: LAILA SONSINO

2ND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: CARLOTTA BALESTRIERI

EDITING - COMPOSITING - ANIMATION: RINO STEFANO TAGLIAFIERRO

MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN: ENRICO ASCOLI

ART DIRECTION: RINO STEFANO TAGLIAFIERRO

HISTORIOGRAPHER: GIULIANO CORTI

The Five New Celebrity Disney Dream Portraits by Annie Leibovitz - And A Look Behind The Scenes.

In the past, I had shared all the Disney Dream Portraits (wonderful photographs of celebrities portraying Disney characters by photographer Annie Leibovitz) up through 2011 here.

Ceramic Sculptures That REALLY Look Inflated by artist Brett Kern.

I discovered Brett Kern's fabulous ceramic sculptures while reading about them on io9. The sculptures look remarkably like inflatable vinyl toys, but are made of glazed ceramic, complete with blow-up tab glazed in gold or silver and featuring the artist's stamp. I couldn't help myself and did something I rarely do. I bought one immediately - a large yellow T-Rex.


above: Brett's work on display

above: Brett working on one of his "baby" sized dinosaur sculptures

Some snarky critics might find his work derivative of Jeff Koons' inflatables (actual vinyl inflated toys placed on mirrors), Hybrids and blown-up looking metal Rabbit (made of stainless steel with chromium color coatings). But Brett's are of a different subject matter, different medium, different process and of course, a different end result.


above: Jeff Koons' various 'inflatable' sculptures are made of different materials and using a different process

That said, you've now got to see his work.

Triceratops ceramic, glaze, 12.5" x 28" x 13":


Brontosaurus ceramic, glaze, 4" x 13" x 23":



Stegasaurus ceramic, glaze, 4" x 13" x 23":


Tyrannosaurus Rex ceramic, glaze, 15.5" x 13" x 8":



The sculptures shown above range in price from $500 - $800.

Also available are "baby" sized sculptures for approximately $100. These ceramic smaller versions measure approximately  (6" x 5" x 8") depending on the dinosaur.

Baby Dinosaur sculptures:



He also collaborated with artist Justin Rothshank on a cool series of his ceramic dinos embellished with decals.




Of these, only the one shown below is still available for purchase at the price of $1,250. - at least it was at the time I am writing this post:


Also available is a fabulous Astronaut that looks like a blow-up toy ($1,500):


Brett, who hails from Pennsylvania and now lives and works in Elkins, West Virginia, started out as a graphic design major but after one year of college he discovered his love of clay and switched his focus to ceramics.

Upon graduating in 2010, Brett was awarded a long term Artist-In-Residence position at the Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, MT. After a year there Brett returned to West Virginia to begin his teaching career at Davis & Elkins College and to continue his own work.

His self-professed infatuation with pop culture of the late eighties and the nineties influences the subject matter and purpose of his work.  'My predilection for producing collectible objects comes from my training as a potter and my persistent preoccupation with collecting toys, pop memorabilia, and nostalgic items from my youth." says the artist.

The resulting products are a collection of what look uncannily like inflatable dinosaurs whoopie cushions and toys, but are made of cast clay ceramic and glazed in various colors. (Brett has also crafted other ceramics that don't look as though they are inflated).


above: Brett creates other ceramic works, such as the items shown above

Brett's work is available to purchase here at his etsy store

While maintaining his teaching career, Brett continues to show nationally and regionally. Taylor Books in Charleston, WV and The White Room in Thomas, WV both display his art. Brett received Best in Show in the HxWxD juried sculpture show at the Rosewood Arts Center in Kettering, OH and has work in the 5th annual Beyond the Brickyard show at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT.

Brett Kern Art

Little Flags Of Awesome - Designers Go Retro for The People's Pennant.

Elevating the classic pennant from sports memorabilia to a celebration of the everyday - that's the concept behind The People's Pennant.



Launched in March of 2012, the Pennant People (Jessica, Tim and Eric of Greenpoint, Brookyln) enlist various graphic designers, typographers and illustrators to create a different wool felt blend pennant that is then sewn and printed by hand. Made in a limited quantity of 250 each, the pennants measure 12" x 30".  And at only $25 a piece, they are fun decor for everything from dorm rooms to offices.






As of now, they have 8 beautiful pennants available for purchase, all shown below.

Coffee Break! by Ken Barber, type director at House Industries.:


Happy Hour by Nathan Strandberg and Katie Kirk of Eight Hour Day:


Blast Off! by Invisible Creature:


Look Closer by Tyler and Elsa Lang of Always With Honor:


Read Much by Heads of State:


Rise & Shine by Richard Perez:


Pizza Time by Mikey Burton:


and their newest, Ride by Brent Couchman:






Here's a video that gives you a short tour of how the pennants are made:


Sewn and printed by hand, the 70/30 wool felt blend pennants cost $25 each
Shop for them here

A Grisly Grizzly and Other Bare Bears by Deborah Simon

Artist Deborah Simon's series of Flayed Bear Sculptures combine taxidermy, science and embroidery. Her three unusual bear sculptures have faux fur partially pulled back to reveal the anatomy underneath.

Emoticons, Creepily Brought To Life, Warn Against The Dangers Of Online Sexual Predators.

Paris ad agency Rosapark has turned the emoticon (or emoji) into creepily stylized humans in a new print ad campaign for the international non-profit devoted to fighting the sexual abuse of children, Innocence en Danger.



"The goal of this new campaign is to educate parents and children on the dangers of the Internet, the hazards of children and adolescents talking to people they do not know who may be hiding under false identities on social networks, forums, discussion and other chats" Said Gilles Lazimi, campaign coordinator.



"A significant number of adults pose as children and are not "friends" but are aggressors, pedophiles and criminals who have one goal: to approach and attack children sexually" says Ms. Homeyra Sellier, President of the Innocence in Danger association. "It is a reality that should not be overlooked, keeping our children safe from danger is important."



Christine Djamila Allaf, the Secretary General of the Innocence Danger Association, recalls the figures: 1 in 5 children in the world today have been sexually solicited on the Internet. 20 % of them do not recognize things online of which their parents do not approve (Symantec study, Harris Interactive, Feb. 2008).

Over 40% of children ages 1-17 years indicate that they have already faced at least one shocking or traumatic image or information while web browsing (SRI 2007).



"The three visuals created ​​by the Rosapark Agency are very compelling. Creating a human figure of the emoticons used on the forums demonstrates the true nature of those who can sometimes hide behind these symbols, including those with prior offenses, dangerous predators and real pedophiles" said Dr. Emmanuelle Piet, campaign coordinator.

The wonderfully creepy photo manipulation in the ads was created by Mécanique Générale.

The 'Emoticon' print campaign against online child sexual predators has been produced in both French and English in both spreads and single page ads. All three ads asks the same question: "Who's really chatting online with your child?" or 'Savez-vous vraiment qui parle avec votre enfant sur internet?'

Single page ads in french:




Credits:
Agency : Rosapark
Co-fondateurs : JP Chiquiar – G Fichteberg – JF Sacco
Art Director : Mark Forgan
Copywriter : Jamie Standen
Photography - 3 D Design : Baptiste Massé «Mécanique Générale»
Typography : Paul-Henri Masson
Production : Delphine Cotellon
Agency Media : Havas Media
Media : Etienne Curtil

Rosapark is part of the Havas group, founded in 2012 by Jean-Patrick Chiquia, Gilles Fichteberg and Jean-François Sacco.



Rosapark


Innocence en Danger