My Geek, Let Me Show You It.
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I bring a meme!
I am making it up on the spot, because I am bored as hell, and I would be fascinated to see what kinds of answers you guys come up with. There is a very good chance none of you will be interested in the slightest, but indulge a baby art historian, hm?
Post pictures (you can take photos, or find them online, if that's easier) of three paintings/photographs/movie posters/other miscellaneous works of art that you have hanging in your room or around your house. Give a brief summary of what they are/who created them, etc.
Now tell us what the heck they're doing there. Does a painting have a special meaning to you? Is there a story behind that random Tron poster? Do you own The Taking of the Christ more for its subject matter than for its artistry? Expound.
I will start!
Backwards, because damn you, Mac Photobooth. However. This is a reproduction of the original 1926 poster for Puccini's Turandot. Now, I'm not much of a singer, or have any real skill when it comes to music, but I do love opera like a true layman, and Turandot was the first one I ever saw. So I guess I can chalk this one up to sentimental value. (Also, even if you are not into opera in any way, shape or form, I can guarantee that you are familiar with an aria from this one.)
Sir Galahad, by Arthur Hughes. This is, as the title suggests, a painting of Sir Galahad, Knight of the Round Table, and the one (or ones, depending on who's telling the story) who achieves the Holy Grail. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a Pre-Raphelite painting, so it's a little maudlin. But the romantic in me can't help loving the Valley of the Shadow of Death imagery, the exhaustion and fear on Galahad's face...He's too often depicted as a ethereal figure, too beautiful and pure to have this earth weighing him down. Here, though, he's just a scared kid, albeit one on a holy mission. It's wonderfully...human, for lack of a better word. And I love that.
Ancient of Days, by the Goddamn William Blake. This is the engraving that appeared as the frontispiece of Blake's "Europe: A Prophecy". In it, Urizen, the first entity in Blake's unrevised mythology, sets the groundwork for the universe. Anyone who's ever been within ten feet of me can probably attest to the fact that I have a love for Blake and his work which borders on the fanatic. The man's art is every bit as brilliant as his writing, and while this isn't my favorite engraving of his, there's a purity and power to the piece that's simply transcendent.
Your turn!
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I bring a meme!
I am making it up on the spot, because I am bored as hell, and I would be fascinated to see what kinds of answers you guys come up with. There is a very good chance none of you will be interested in the slightest, but indulge a baby art historian, hm?
Post pictures (you can take photos, or find them online, if that's easier) of three paintings/photographs/movie posters/other miscellaneous works of art that you have hanging in your room or around your house. Give a brief summary of what they are/who created them, etc.
Now tell us what the heck they're doing there. Does a painting have a special meaning to you? Is there a story behind that random Tron poster? Do you own The Taking of the Christ more for its subject matter than for its artistry? Expound.
I will start!
Backwards, because damn you, Mac Photobooth. However. This is a reproduction of the original 1926 poster for Puccini's Turandot. Now, I'm not much of a singer, or have any real skill when it comes to music, but I do love opera like a true layman, and Turandot was the first one I ever saw. So I guess I can chalk this one up to sentimental value. (Also, even if you are not into opera in any way, shape or form, I can guarantee that you are familiar with an aria from this one.)
Sir Galahad, by Arthur Hughes. This is, as the title suggests, a painting of Sir Galahad, Knight of the Round Table, and the one (or ones, depending on who's telling the story) who achieves the Holy Grail. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a Pre-Raphelite painting, so it's a little maudlin. But the romantic in me can't help loving the Valley of the Shadow of Death imagery, the exhaustion and fear on Galahad's face...He's too often depicted as a ethereal figure, too beautiful and pure to have this earth weighing him down. Here, though, he's just a scared kid, albeit one on a holy mission. It's wonderfully...human, for lack of a better word. And I love that.
Ancient of Days, by the Goddamn William Blake. This is the engraving that appeared as the frontispiece of Blake's "Europe: A Prophecy". In it, Urizen, the first entity in Blake's unrevised mythology, sets the groundwork for the universe. Anyone who's ever been within ten feet of me can probably attest to the fact that I have a love for Blake and his work which borders on the fanatic. The man's art is every bit as brilliant as his writing, and while this isn't my favorite engraving of his, there's a purity and power to the piece that's simply transcendent.
Your turn!
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