I am a big fan of Germany expressionists - and Frau Münter is at the top of my list. She is always referred to as Kandinsky’s lover - but she is a great artist by her own achievement. Especially in a time when males still dominated every facet of arts & culture.

There are not many big pictures of her art on the intranets. I guess I have to get myself a book and do some scans.

BTW, many of the expressionists paintings are even more fabulous when you stand before them and I am a lucky bastard, since many of the image of the Der Blaue Reiter are in Munich.

More? Gabriele Münter @ Wikipedia

Once again a brilliant movie from Pixar. They truly know how to tell a story and catch the human momentum. Enjoy!

*Thanks to Edosan for sending me this one*

Another one of Klimt’s golden ladies. He was truly addicted to the beauty and charm of woman.

But you should be aware of the cut off head in the right corner. This princess is a dangerous one - guys literally loose their head around her.

To use an old phrase: she is the beauty and the beast in one package.

Once again a great painting by Maestro Stuck: simple, harsh and effective. But as usual he nails the story perfectly.

Note to all Heroes: beware of the young princess - she has neither the maturity nor the backbone to withstand the temptations of power and sexuality. She’ll be your doom!

More? Stuck and Salome @ Wikipedia

Click image to see more sand.

Picasso always amuses me. He has such a wonderful way to look at the world and reduce it to it’s bare essentials. The head - just a tiny thing with a few holes. A stretched arm to provide comfort. A small dune (?) and two more female hills. Sand and skin are almost the same on the beach.

I love it.

Click image for more calories.

I just love this painting. It’s such a perfect homage to many old masters and their "boring" still life’s - and it’s such a perfect commentary about our modern times.

Maestro Ligare has painted several images in the same setup, but I like this one best.

More? www.davidligare.com and Wikipedia entry

Like the Eiffel Tower the Atomium was built only to last  for one short exhibition in 1958. Now it’s one of Brussels signature buildings and a true icon of the 20th century.

Can’t wait for someone to build a DNAnium …

More? Atomium @ Wikipedia and check out their cool website too Atomium.be

I am not sure from which Kiss project this clip is. If it’s from “Naomi and Rufs kiss” than these are just a eight minutes from the full feature which is 54 minutes of kissing. Otherwise it’s just one clip from a series of Kiss short movies.

Here is some background taken from this great Warhol site:

ca. AUGUST 1963: ANDY WARHOL SHOOTS KISS.

Some Warhol scholars date the Kiss films from November/December 1963. However, Warhol probably started shooting them much earlier - around August 1963 and continued to shoot them through the end of 1964, if not beyond. (SG144/CA) According to Warhol in Popism, they were still doing KISS movies in the summer of 1964 when Gerard Malanga and Mark Lancaster did one - in August 1964. (POP71/M)

According to Bob Colacello, the idea for KISS - close-ups of couples kissing each other for three minutes each - came from the old Hayes Office regulation forbidding actors in movies from touching lips for more than three seconds. (BC29)

Warhol also produced a silkscreen called The Kiss, based on a film still from the Hollywood horror classic Dracula (1931) of Bela Lugosi biting the neck of his co-star, Helen Chandler.The silkscreen was done on November 22, 1963. (GMW81)

Amy Taubin, who would later become the film critic for the Village Voice, first saw some of the KISS films in 1963 at the Grammercy Arts Theater on West 27th Street. At this time the KISS series of films was called The Andy Warhol Serial “because it was shown in weekly four minute installments.” (WI24)

*Send in by OliviaB - thanks darling*

Overall I am not a big Turner fan. I was always amazed in London when people spent hours in front of his blurry masterpieces in the National Gallery.

But this one I like (more info here):

The scene is fairly certainly identifiable as Maidenhead railway bridge, which spans the Thames between Taplow and Maidenhead. The bridge, designed by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed in 1839, has two main arches of brick, very wide and flat. The view is to the east, towards London.

On the left people are boating on the river, while to the right a ploughman works on a field. The tranquility of these traditional activities contrasts with the steam train rushing towards the viewer, the stark outline of its black funnel clearly visible. In front of the train a hare, one of the speediest of animals, dashes for cover.

Turner’s picture can be associated with the ‘railway mania’ which swept across England in the 1840s. It is also an outstanding example of his late style of painting. Sky and river landscape are dissolved in a haze of freely applied oil paint, to give a striking impression of the contrasting movement of driving rain and speeding train.

*Thanks to Edosan to sending in this picture*

One of the many things I admire about van Gogh is that he had such a passion for people - normal working class people. Before he became a painter he wanted to save souls and lived with the poorest of the poor.

That is why he is one of the first (modern) artists to paint everyday scenes and poverty. But not in a dreadful way - but in the way he saw life: there is almost always beauty of nature around us - no matter if you are rich or poor.

It is always easy as a westerner to be charmed by Asian art, because it is to our eyes and mind different - and exotic. Images, analogies and compositions that are normal in Asian culture are new and exciting for western art lovers.

Madame Yoshida certainly plays with a lot of Asian elements - but I like her global and intimate approach to her art. Very fascinating.

More? Official Site

Thinking of Van Gogh almost always breaks my heart, because of his great personal tragedy combined with his great passion for beauty and art. Today I want to invite you into Vincent’s bedroom - a small place were he lives in poverty, but his mind always filled with deep thoughts, sunlight and love for his brother - who supported him all these years.

Vincent was a very complex person and I am sure he tried to cope with poverty, limitations and his loneliness as much as he could. He wanted to capture and share the beauty he saw everywhere - but the world discovered him too late - so he had to die without knowing how great his art was and how much people appreciate his efforts …

By the way: he was a great letter writer - it’s worth diving into some of his messages to his brother here. Another website featuring his correspondence is here.

Click image for more blue.

I constantly come back to Odilon Redon’s paintings … his colors and stories intrigue me. There always seem hidden layers and myths in his art - although they are mostly composed of ’simple’ elements.

The figures of the painting …

I always like to compare an artists self-portrait with the real thing - too bad we can’t do that with many old masters. But in the case of Matisse we can … great beard Henri!

Click image for more Patriotism.

I am not a big fan of Norman Rockwell. He is an American Propaganda painter - the opposite to the many Soviet Realist painters. His feel-good and homely images is American porn for patriots. These are images from the old America still in the heads of many US Neocons and die hard right wing Patriots.

But this America is long dead and won’t come back.

There is still small town America and American pie - but it’s kids listen to music from Negros on their Chinese iPods and watch porn from Sweden. Their parents drive Japanese and German cars - and pay Muslim countries huge amounts of money to keep these vehicles rolling. Their work has long been outsourced to India or Mexico …

More? Rockwell @ Wikipedia

Click image for a larger Paul.

A strange moment. It’s hard to say if he is happy or sad, in balance or in misery.

Click image for a bit larger version.

In Maestro Chagall’s little village there is always a story to tell about what happened recently … especially about floating goats and herders in the sky … or that funny neighbor who was almost blown away by the last rain storm …

A very modern, yet charming interpretation of Icarus.

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

Wow! What a proud - almost violent - young Icarus!

More about Alfred Gilbert @ Artrenewal.org

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

I love the colors in this painting. Also the concept of the flying head - like the idea of freedom is mostly in our heads and will always break free.

More? Redon entry @ Wikipedia 

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

This is the newest interpretation of this over 2000 year old story. In Chagall’s paintings there always seems to be the same village present.

It somehow looks rather like the competition by the village idiots, who can imitate Icarus the best.

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

Click image for a bigger sensual moment.

Madame Lempicka has not only a unique style - but it is also very sensual. Not many artists know how to show natural nudeness and erotic moments without getting too slippery. Her work never crosses the line. Instead she portrays woman as strong, sensual and the beauty of the female shape in a very neutral naturalistic way.

I would love the world to be always that colorful!

Perfect! Maestro Marc’s animal paintings are a dream. I love the strong colors and graphic style. But he still keeps the ‘nature’ of his subjects intact. Not many modern painters succeed in that.

Click image for more vibrant colors.

Ah, I love these contrasts. Matisse was never afraid to REALLY use color. That’s what I love about him!