Author Archives: arthipstory

Aug 02 2014
Art

vip

dog
Remember when I said Tiberio di Tito was a Florentine court painter for the Medicis? Apparently, he was heavy in that dog portraiture niche because this VIP (very important pooch, obviouslyyyy) was a major Medici.

His collar, armed with studs and points, lies next to him. On it is the Medici Family crest, a sure sign the dog was definitely something special to the family. (I hope you’re all noticing the amazing alliterations assembled in this post!) Family crests? Commissioned paintings?! And here we are, wasting time on matching leashes to harnesses when I could be custom order that set!

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Aug 02 2014
Art

duchamp’s bride

duchamp

The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even is an installation that took Marcel Duchamp eight years to complete. Eight?! The Sistine Chapel was done in just four, but whatever. I still like all the crazy, crazy things that are happening here.

The installation depicts the Amorous Pursuit of males and females. Said Pursuit starts with the Bride (top half of the pane), singing a song to the men below. This exchange produces vapors that are caught within the men’s balloon-like molds called Malic Molds (rhymes with phallic, of course it does). These gases then become erotic impulse of Man. There’s a beautiful blueprint of the entire installation here that includes the Milky Way, the Handler of Gravity, and the entire path the gases follow from start to finish. Ah, fate and destiny, how we need you so.

What I’m realizing looking at Duchamp’s work is, this is actually the intimate questionnaire the eHarmony doctor touts on daytime TV commercials. Found you out, Dr. Neil Warren!

It was broken during transport in 1926 (whoops), but carefully repaired. It’s on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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Aug 01 2014
Person

katy perry

katyperry2

Katy Perry’s latest video “This is How We Do” dropped yesterday. Spoiler: She channels a whole lotta Mondrian. Well, guess, what girlfriend?! This isn’t original. Don’t get me wrong, I love a solid geometric print, but it’s been done!

katyperry1

So, drumroll please…When it comes to Mondrian, Katy Perry did it.

nike mondrian
Nike did it.

loreal

L’Oreal’s packaging department in the 80s did it.

lavieclaire

During Tour de France in the 80s, cycling team La Vie Clair did it.

mondrianvogue

Vogue, using Yves Saint Laurent’s shift dress in 1965, did it.

urban

I mean, for crying out loud, Katy, Urban Outfitters did it.

Looks like we can’t have our cake and eat it too.

 

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Aug 01 2014
Art

medici family dogs

medici

Why isn’t there a Shazam app that can scan a painting or work of art to tell me WHO THIS Medici Family dog walker is?! I have so many questions about the dailly responsibilities, let alone the shoes and the pocket watch accessorizing. He’s sitting in the Boboli Gardens, Florence’s Central Park.

Tiberio de Tito was a Florentine court painter, known best for his strange portraits of royal babies and dogs.

medici pair

The Gardens were designed for Eleanor of Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I de Medici, the first grand Duke of Tuscany. I feel like they’re straight out of Game of Thrones, particularly that masculine armor! Well done Bon Fatto, d’Medicis!

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Jul 31 2014
Art

girl with a dog

girl with a dog

Berthe Morisot was the only woman to exhibit in the first Impressionist show of 1874. She was married to the brother of Edouard Manet and dear, dear friends with Mary Cassatt.

Cassatt once wrote her,

“Women should be someone and not something.”

I totally agree. And, let’s be real — girl, you are rockin’ that look of being someone with that pup and full-floral hat!

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Jul 30 2014
Person Image

warhol

warhol soup

Sometimes art is grocery shopping (though, let’s be real, it’s mostly a hassle). Luckily for you, Andy Warhol, I too am always under-utilizing my shopping cart while wearing sunglasses! It’s like we’re twins.

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Jul 30 2014
Art

portrait of cassatt

cassatt
Mary Cassatt often modeled for Edgar Degas. Though she kept this in her studio, she sold it later in her life without him knowing. I’m imagining Degas finding out and playing that “Last Christmas” on just straight repeat. Or like, ANY Taylor Swift song.

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Jul 29 2014
Art Image

perseids

perseid

Sometimes art is a meteor shower. The annual Perseid meteor shower starts now and peaks August 12 and 13th, during the supermoon.

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Jul 29 2014
Art

laocoön

laocoon

The agony, the pain, the anguish. I feel this way whenever anyone mentions Monday on a Sunday or Paul Gauguin EVER.

Laocoön (lie-oh-kwahn) was a Trojan priest who, with his sons in tow, were attacked by all sorts of sea serpents. (Note: This is what happens when you try and spoil the Trojan Horse and Poseidon finds out.) It dates between 27 BC and 68 AD.

Uh, I don’t know about you, but I can’t do anything without electricity and I’ve died about a bazillion times on the Oregon Trail and that’s a GAME. I mean, that’s not even the same time period and I’m still a goner.

Michelangelo was present during its excavation from a vineyard in 1506. You know who else was?! Francesco da Sangallo, the architect of the Duomo in Florence.  In his description of the excavation, he writes:

“They dug the hole wider so that they could pull the statue out. As soon as it was visible everyone started to draw [or “started to have lunch], all the while discoursing on ancient things, chatting as well about the ones in Florence.

I mean, I don’t know about you, but I always celebrate centuries-old discoveries with food.

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Jul 28 2014
Art

l.h.o.o.q.

duchamp

Marcel Duchamp takes the Mona Lisa to a whole new level.

L.H.O.O.Q in French sounds like “elle a chaud au cul.” She has a hot…well, behind. Nice, Duchamp.

Duchamp also translated the phrase as, “there is fire down below.”

Double nice, Duchamp. What would Lisa del Giocondo think about all that gossip you spreadin’?!

ALSO! Happy birthday, Duchamp!

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