Story of a Painting of Jan van Eyck

Story of a Painting of Jan van Eyck

The Arnolfini Portrait, painted in 1434 by Dutch artist Jan van Eyck, is regarded by art historians as one of the most important paintings in history but also a constant source of controversy. For starters, the painting is done in oil—something conventional nowadays but pretty rare in Western European art of the early 15th century. 

This allowed Van Eyck to fully explore his talent for detail in ways that have seldom been seen in other paintings. If you look closely, you can see that the mirror on the back wall reflects the entire room, including two additional figures standing in the doorway. (The dog is conspicuously absent.) The artist even (somewhat) takes into account the distortion of the convex mirror. Incredibly, the even smaller medallions inside the frame of the mirror depict scenes from the Passion of Christ.
However, the controversial part of the painting isn’t the mirror but rather the couple itself. It was unusual for that time to paint contemporary people just standing around the house, so historians have argued that there might be a deeper meaning to the painting. Specifically, some have argued that the artwork depicts a newly married bride and groom with the mysterious figures in the doorway acting as witnesses. 

Not everyone agrees with this assertion, and experts have analyzed every minute detail in the painting from the way the couple is holding hands to how the woman is wearing her hair to try and establish the relationship between the two people.

The Arnolfini Portrait, painted in 1434 by Dutch artist Jan van Eyck, is regarded by art historians as one of the most important paintings in history but also a constant source of controversy. For starters, the painting is done in oil—something conventional nowadays but pretty rare in Western European art of the early 15th century. 

This allowed Van Eyck to fully explore his talent for detail in ways that have seldom been seen in other paintings. If you look closely, you can see that the mirror on the back wall reflects the entire room, including two additional figures standing in the doorway. (The dog is conspicuously absent.) The artist even (somewhat) takes into account the distortion of the convex mirror. Incredibly, the even smaller medallions inside the frame of the mirror depict scenes from the Passion of Christ.

However, the controversial part of the painting isn’t the mirror but rather the couple itself. It was unusual for that time to paint contemporary people just standing around the house, so historians have argued that there might be a deeper meaning to the painting. Specifically, some have argued that the artwork depicts a newly married bride and groom with the mysterious figures in the doorway acting as witnesses. 

 Not everyone agrees with this assertion, and experts have analyzed every minute detail in the painting from the way the couple is holding hands to how the woman is wearing her hair to try and establish the relationship between the two people.

The Monkey Trial.

Legends of Africa: The Monkey Trial.

This is a story of two boys who could not agree.

One day two boys were wandering in the bush and they found some meat. They could not decide which of them saw it first. Each one thought that he had seen it first and each one said, "I saw it first." They would not agree that each should have half of it . Each one wanted the larger piece. They argued and argued and almost fought.


Finally they decided to take it to the monkey court for a trial. As soon as the monkey saw them coming he decided that he was going to taste that meat. The boys saluted him and told him everything that had happened.
 Each claimed that he had seen the meat first. When they had finished talking, the monkey said, "I think that I had better divide the meat for you and have each person take his portion without argument."

The monkey divided the meat, but one piece was larger than the other piece. The monkey picked up the larger piece and took a bite of it and ate it. When he laid down the piece from which he had taken a bite, he saw that it was the smaller of the two. 

He picked up the other piece and took a bite from it and ate it. While the monkey seemed to be trying hard, yet he could not get the pieces equal. Each time the piece from which he would take a bite would be the smaller of the two.

When the monkey saw that both pieces of meat were getting small, he said to the boys, "Go home. What little meat there is I will keep for my fee. You shall not taste any of it." He drove them away without even giving them small pieces of meat.

This is how they lost all their meat. If they had been willing to agree between themselves each would have had a nice piece of meat.  

The Last Painting of christopher Wood

The Last Painting of  Christopher Wood 

Zebra And Parachute

 Zebra And Parachute was one of two paintings that Christopher Wood produced in Paris in the summer of 1930, the other being Tiger And Arc De Triomphe. 

 Both paintings depict a surreal image of an exotic animal against the backdrop of a manmade structure, although Zebra And Parachute is unique in that it adds a parachuting figure in the sky. It may be darkly significant that the parachutist is limp and appears to be either dead or seriously injured.

After leaving Paris for England in August 1930, Wood met his mother in Salisbury to show her his newest works, including Zebra And Parachute. 
Tragically, Wood was suffering from the effects of opium withdrawal, which caused paranoia and the belief that he was being followed by a mysterious entity. In a desperate attempt to escape his imagined pursuer, Woods jumped in front of a train that very same day.

 To avoid upsetting his mother, the death often referred to as accidental by the contemporary press.

Antelope (Kaang)

Legends of Africa: Antelope (Kaang)

The Bushmen, also called the Khoi or San, are the nomads of Africa.

 In the last few decades, many have become farmers due to the dangers that our modern life poses to their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle, but their territory once stretched from the Cape to Kenya. 

The Bushmen are experts at finding water, and their advice is often sought out due to their precognitive dreams and divining capabilities.

According to their beliefs, the supreme god Kaang created the world but sent death and destruction after experiencing too much disobedience and antagonism. 

Even though he lives in the sky, his invisible spirit still resides in all living things.

 In one story Kaang’s wife gave birth to an eland (African antelope). The god nurtured the calf but it was mistakenly killed by his two sons. Kaang demanded that the eland’s blood be boiled. 

The subsequent fatty residue was scattered across the landscape, in turn becoming other antelope and animals.

 In this manner, Kaang provided the meat that his people hunt, kill, and eat to this day.

The Hippopotamus

Legends of Africa:The Hippopotamus

This remarkable African mammal is usually featured as a goddess in African legends. 

Worshiped in ancient Egypt as Tawaret, the goddess of fertility and childbirth, she was essentially regarded as a protective and caring deity.
 
In Mozambique, the Ronga people tell the legend of a mother who left her child with Mother Hippo for safekeeping as the child’s life was threatened by an envious rival. 

Every night, Mother Hippo would emerge with the child so that it could suckle from its mother.
On the other hand, male hippopotami are usually seen as shape-shifting beasts. 

According to the legend of the hero Fara Maka, one such beast ate all the crops in the fields.

 The hero threw all his spears and sent black hounds against it, but the monster continued eating and could only be subdued and killed after a spell was placed on it by the hero’s wife.

Manneken Pis

The story behind the Manneken Pis

 If you’re ever in Brussels, make sure to say hi to one of Belgium’s most notable landmarks, Manneken Pis (“Little man Pee”). As the name suggests, it is a little boy peeing into a fountain, and records show that he has been around since 1388. 

 Back then, he was a stone statue serving as a public fountain, but that statue was either destroyed or stolen at some point. The Manneken Pis we know today was designed and installed by Flemish sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy in 1619.

There are quite a few legends surrounding the origins of the sculpture. The most famous one tells of a little boy who saved Brussels when it was under siege. He did this by peeing on the fuse when the enemy was trying to blow up the city walls. 

Another legend says that the statue is actually of Duke Godfrey III of Leuven when he was two years old. According to the story, during a battle, his troops placed him in a basket and hung it up a tree. From there, he peed on the enemy, who eventually lost the fight.

Nowadays, the statue is one of the city’s main tourist attractions, and you will often see Manneken Pis sporting a little costume. 
That’s because it has been a tradition ever since the 18th century to dress him up in fancy clothes. He receives new clothes all the time, and his wardrobe currently holds over 900 suits.

The Exploits of Anansi

Legends of Africa: The Exploits of Anansi

Who is Anansi? The exploits of Anansi, West Africa’s great trickster-god, are described in hundreds of folktales. 

Usually in the form of a spider, his stories mainly deal with his attempts at fooling humans into stealing or doing something immoral that would benefit him in some way.

 These attempts normally fail miserably, teaching the listeners various life lessons. 

One tale tells of his attempt to hoard the entire world’s wisdom into a pot for himself. When he succeeded, he attempted to hide the pot at the top of a tree where nobody could find it. He tied the pot in front of him and tried to climb the tree, but progress was slow as he kept sliding and losing his grip. 

His son, who had followed him, finally asked him why he didn’t tie the pot to his back so that he could climb more easily. As he realized his son’s ingenuity, the pot slipped and fell to the ground. 

The wisdom fell out and a sudden rainstorm washed it into the river and from there to the waters of the ocean, so that everyone in the world now owns a little bit of it.

Vincent Van Gogh

Art History: The Last painting of Van Gogh

Daubigny’s Garden
Vincent Van Gogh

Photo via wikimedia.org

The ominous and haunting Wheatfield With Crows is often mistakenly said to be Vincent van Gogh’s final painting. Although it was certainly one of his final paintings, scholarly analysis of the artist’s letters indicates that Wheatfield With Crows was completed around two weeks before his suicide in July 1890. 

That means that van Gogh’s actual last painting was probably Daubigny’s Garden, one of three works depicting the large garden of Charles-François Daubigny, a painter who van Gogh deeply admired. The idyllic garden scene is a sharp contrast to the darker Wheatfield With Crows, offering no apparent hint of van Gogh’s mental torment.
 
On the morning of July 27, 1890, van Gogh went outdoors to paint, apparently bringing a loaded gun with him. He then attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest, although the bullet failed to kill him. He died two days later in the presence of his brother, at the age of 37. 

Van Gogh never achieved any real success or fame before his untimely death and, as a result, his mother tragically disposed of a large amount of his work.

The Mysterious Queen Of Sheba

Legends Of Africa: The Mysterious Queen Of Sheba

We know of the Queen of Sheba from various sources, including the Bible and the Qur’an. 

Whether she was a queen regent or a queen consort, we do not know. Her full name isn’t ever mentioned, but most scholars believe her kingdom may have been in the region of Ethiopia. The royal family of Ethiopia claims to be direct descendants of the child born to the queen and King Solomon. In their legends, the queen is named Makeda.

This is the story: The king invited Makeda to a ceremonial feast where spicy food was deliberately served. Because she was staying the night, the queen asked Solomon to swear he wouldn’t force himself on her. 

He said he wouldn’t take anything from her if she didn’t take anything from him. Unfortunately, she got thirsty during the night, woke up, and reached for some water that was placed close to her bed. 

The king appeared, reminding her of her promise, as water was the most esteemed of all earthly possessions. The queen took the water and drank it, so setting the king free of his promise.

Aggrieved subscribers sue MTN and ETISALAT in Nigeria

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 Aggrieved subscribers sue MTN and ETISALAT in Nigeria

 

 Aggrieved subscribers whose lines were allegedly wrongfully deactivated have sued MTN Nigeria Communications Limited and ETISALAT Nigeria.

The aggrieved subscribers are seeking a declaration that the defendants had mutilated their social status by not only wrongfully deactivating their lines but by also leaving voice prompts for caller, stating that their lines have been barred due to incomplete information.

They also accused the telecoms companies of trading in their phone numbers without their consent and relaying their bio data to marketing companies, which inundate them with unsolicited calls and text messages.

Dont you think the telecoms companies should be made to compensate subscribers.

Share your opinion on this issue.

 

The coming together of culture and creativity

The coming together of culture and creativity

Culture and Creativity show that you should attend.
The event is  Oxford Creative Connection’s upcoming annual art show and sale.

It is to showcase  paintings, photography, jewelry, sculpture, pottery, novels and historical books.
Check this out:
What: Oxford Creates
Where: Craigowan Golf and Country Club
When: Saturday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 15 from noon to 4 p.m.
Admission: Free.

You can't beat this!

See the paintings of Yisa Akinbolaji, A Nigerian painter living in Canada

See the paintings of Yisa Akinbolaji, A Nigerian painter living in Canada

 Yisa’s ultimate goal has been to establish an identity that would be recognized by art lovers internationally. 

That identity would include the distinctiveness and excellence of his work and the attention he can bring to the sources of his professional achievement. Through his innovative technique, one can tell that his goal is progressively being attained.

See the works of Wangechi mutu: African Female Painter

See the works of Wangechi Mutu: African Female Painter.

 Born in 1972, Nairobi, Kenya, Lives and works in New York 

 Untitled, 2004: Mixed media collage and painting on vellum: 44.5 x 47cm

 

In Untitled, Wangechi Mutu creates a glamorous, yet barbaric centrefold. 

 In picturing female sexuality, Mutu offers a futuristic totality of womanhood that’s both fiery and liberated. Comprised of motorcycle parts, she’s a machine built for speed: corpulent, sexy, with the dazzling power creation.

 

 Backlash Blues: 2004: ink, acrylic, photocollage, contact paper, on mylar: 198 x 119.4 cm

Painted on mylar, Wangechi Mutu’s Backlash Blues conveys an otherworldly quality: the paint and ink suspends on the plasticy vellum-like surface with an unnatural luminosity.

 Using a variety of techniques from airbrush to stencilling, controlled spills, and detailed brushwork, Mutu’s image poses as a composite of gesture; collaged photographic elements merge seamlessly into the painterly aesthetic.

Lai Mohammed meets bloggers in Lagos.

Lai Mohammed meets bloggers in Lagos and I was not invited.

 Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed met with bloggers in lagos today, November, 23rd. He says the Federal government is not about to regulate  the Nigerian Social Media. The event took place at a chinese restaurant in Lagos. I am a blogger, but I was not invited to this meeting. WHY?

Jeannette Ehlers

See Jeannette Ehlers : Performing Arts

Jeannette Ehlers, Whip It Good: Spinning From History’s Filthy Mind

 

Photography with a twist

Brooke DiDonato: Photography with a twist

Brooke DiDonato. Blending In

Brooke DiDonato. Next-door

Brooke DiDonato. Unluck

Artistic Calling
Brooke DiDonato is a 25 year old astounding photographer based in New York, whose work interknits surreal elements of external appearances and uncovers the unseen, the hidden stories, and the interludes inside her pursuit for artistic calling. 

The Begining
She began taking photos since she was 18 years old focusing on photojournalism, then continuing with a very rewarding 365-day project mostly concentrating on self-portraits but she changed gears as soon as she realized that she needed narratives linked to her photographs. 

The Inspiration
Inspired by the subconscious mind and its relation to emotions and perceptions, Brooke’s first pictures were self-portraits taken straight from her imagination. She is searching for what lies behind the curtain of a typical image and recreates stories by pushing the onlooker to go beyond the surface and use the power of imagination. 

Viewer's Placement
The viewer is basically placed in the middle of a story with a beginning and an end. It then depends on him and his personal interior context to irradiate a meaning, envision and mold the characters. The external architectural elements are outlined and the individuals are fractured and placed in the background rather than front like we might expect.

Who is Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione?

Who is Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione?

This artist seems to have been forgotten.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Nativity with Angels, c. 1655. Monotype, 24.7 x 37.3 cm. Royal Collection Trust, London.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, "Sacred and Profane Love," c. 1635. Coloured oil paints on paper, 21.6 x 29.5 cm. Royal Collection Trust, London.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Circe with the Companions of Odysseus Transformed into Animals, c. 1650. Etching, 21.8 x 31.1 cm. Royal Collection Trust, London.

 Awe-inspiring.
An Italian 16th century writer and artist, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was a Baroque master of the Genoese school, painter of portraits, historical pieces, mythological episodes, biblical scenes and landscapes. Especially his drawings and sketches are awe-inspiring.

His drawbacks
He was quite a textbook genius, possessing exceptional creative power and a strong willed character enabling him to break free from conventions and the restraints of society. But for him, much like for the majority of the most revered artists throughout history, brilliance comes at a cost. Autonomy, openness, and persistence may have benefits for innovation but they can also have drawbacks, such as selfishness, self-centeredness, intolerance, and so on.


His agitated lifestyle
In that tradition the Genoese artist known as Il Grechetto lived an agitated life. In addition to the twelve lawsuits he faced throughout the years, there are records of him shooting at an artist who had mocked him, of numerous brawls, and finally the anecdote of him trying to throw his own sister off a roof. He was following in the footsteps of Caravaggio, his life being a tale of hot-headedness, fights, and a lack of self-control. 

 His Innovative Techniques.
There is a whole different side to El Grechetto that must not be neglected. What he lacked in originality of style, he made up for in innovative techniques. He is the mastermind behind the invention of the monotype. Furthermore, he came up with a new approach to dry brush oil sketches; both hallmarks achieved through experimentation. These two technical novelties have a common thread to them: their Castiglionesque imprint. It lies in the abruptness, the speed with which they have to be carried out; within both approaches there is room for neither hesitation nor correction. With the monotype, a crossover between printing and drawing, one must move quickly, making the print before the paint dries. 

His Approaches
When painting in this unique way with oil, Castiglione used strong rapid strokes of diluted colour to outline then shorter strokes with dryer colour for the details. The oil soaked through the paper leaving a very limited timeframe for the creation of a masterpiece. As reckless, impulsive, and stubborn as he was in his personal life, he was the same in his artistic creation. These techniques reflect the artist’s nature perfectly which could be considered quite ‘modern’. His tendency to mix artistic media, his habit of creating from his head straight to the paper, without the detour of studies and further practice, not to mention his non-conformist lifestyle – it is safe to say that Castiglione was ahead of his time.(wsimag.com)

What is Metalpoint Art?

What is Metalpoint Art?

Leonardo da Vinci Studies of a Horse, c. 1490 Metalpoint (probably silverpoint) on pale buff prepared paper, 19.9 × 28.5 cm Lent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

I bet you dont know this untill you started reading this blog.
Metalpoint is a pen-shaped object, made of metal or wood, with a cylindrical tip of a sharpened metal point.

 Silver is certainly the most widely used material for metalpoint drawing, but gold, lead, copper, or a mixture of those elements are also used. The style, size, shape and softness of the metal can vary, and this affects the resulting drawing.

Various methods of metalpoint drawing were in use as early as the era of the Romans, who employed it primarily for sketching larger paintings as well as creating smaller pictures and documents.

 The technique of metalpoint allows you to draw simple, thin, delicate lines. The filling of a space in the material is only possible through cross-hatching. Once set, a fine gray line cannot be removed, as it could be with pencil and an eraser, which makes this technique extremely difficult and the artist must have an exceptionally steady hand. 

The practice is otherwise similar to that of using a pencil, except that the surface must be specific: a base made of paper or wood, prepared with a cementite product to create a slightly rough surface on which the metal pin can release its pigments.

 Different colors, shades, density and depth can only be achieved by varying shades and by drawing dense grids. 

One of the most interesting observations is that silver drawings especially tarnish over the time, turning slowly into a golden brown color, which is probably one of the reasons why silver was, and still is, the preferred material. (wsimag.com)

See other ministers

See Other Ministers
Here are the newly sworn-in ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria taking oath of office recently.

 

WHO IS THE MINISTER FOR CULTURE?

WHO IS THE NIGERIAN  MINISTER FOR CULTURE?

SOME OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMED BUHARI'S NEWLY SWORN-IN MINISTERS

Stitches of Partnership Exhibition

Stitches of Partnership Exhibition: Nike & Tola Wewe
Stitiches of Partnership III Exhibition just ended on the 17th of November, 2015 at 
Nike Art Gallery@ 2, Elegushi Beach Road Lekki, Lagos.

The Exhibition featured the works of Chief (Mrs) Nike Okundaye, M.D. Nike Art & Cultural Foundation and Chief Tola Wewe, Former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism.

A Joint painting of Nike Okundaye and Tola Wewe

DANGOTE TRAILER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT

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DANGOTE TRAILER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT
See what happened to Dangote Trailer at Asaba-Onitsha Road. The trailer collided with several cars and bursted in flames. OMG.

Read what people are saying about FIRST BANK in Nigeria.

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Read what people are saying about FIRST BANK in Nigeria.

 When FIRST BANK Nigeria brought an ad of a promo they are about to run about "sharing a movie", peoples response is hilarious. Read what people say:

"Worst bank in Nigeria. They should focus on building better working environment for their staff and better processes. Improve on their international cards than do this"

"Maka smart phone ud goan display Ur life story? Make I hear! Stingy first bank
~D great anonymous!"

"@anony no be small worst bank,dey suppose dey answ last bank sef,am one of their customers I knw what we dey suffer 4 their hand..."

"LOL First Bank Don Dey Mad"