1923 - 1997
American
-----
Jean and Paul Limbourg
died c. 1416
French
----
Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
The Infinite Art Tournament, Round One: Lichtenstein v. Limbourg!
Roy Lichtenstein
1923 - 1997
American
-----
Jean and Paul Limbourg
died c. 1416
French
----
Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
1923 - 1997
American
-----
Jean and Paul Limbourg
died c. 1416
French
----
Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
The Infinite Art Tournament, Left Bracket Second Round: van Honthorst v. Hokusai!
Gerrit van Honthorst
1590 - 1656
Dutch
Beaten by Pieter De Hooch in Round 1.
Stunned Hans Holbein by a single vote in First Round Elimination. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Katsushika Hokusai
1760 - 1849
Japanese
Defeated William Hogarth in Round 1 by a two-vote spread. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Lost to play-in artist Remedios Varo in Round 2.
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting, but likely much longer.
1590 - 1656
Dutch
Beaten by Pieter De Hooch in Round 1.
Stunned Hans Holbein by a single vote in First Round Elimination. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Katsushika Hokusai
1760 - 1849
Japanese
Defeated William Hogarth in Round 1 by a two-vote spread. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Lost to play-in artist Remedios Varo in Round 2.
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting, but likely much longer.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
The Wednesday Post
Field Report: Walcott Junction
20 miles to the nearest town makes the gas station
After all the fuss about Walcott Junction last month, Mrs.5000 -- nothing if not intrepid -- paid a visit in person. She sends us these photos.
WALCOTT JCT., WYOMING
Intersection I-80, U.S. 30 & Wyoming 130. 20 miles to the nearest town makes the gas station and restaurant a welcome sight.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
The Infinite Art Tournament, Left Bracket Second Round: Beauneveu v. Homer!
André Beauneveu
active 1361, died c.1402
French
Tied with Domenico Beccafumi in his initial Round 1 outing, in January 2012.
Lost to Remedios Varo in a second shot at Round 1.
Beat British satirist William Hogarth in First Round Elimination by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Winslow Homer
1836 - 1910
American
Beat the great German expatriate Hans Holbein in an unusually high-octane Round 1 match.
Lost to Dutch master Pieter De Hooch by a single vote in Round 2. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting, but likely much longer.
active 1361, died c.1402
French
Tied with Domenico Beccafumi in his initial Round 1 outing, in January 2012.
Lost to Remedios Varo in a second shot at Round 1.
Beat British satirist William Hogarth in First Round Elimination by a single vote. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Winslow Homer
1836 - 1910
American
Beat the great German expatriate Hans Holbein in an unusually high-octane Round 1 match.
Lost to Dutch master Pieter De Hooch by a single vote in Round 2. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting, but likely much longer.
Monday, August 25, 2014
On "Awareness": A Vignette.
Michael5000 is talking to a coworker.
Michael5000: "I was scrolling through my Facebook this morning, and I think I saw a video of you dumping a bucket of water on your head."
Co-Worker: "Yes, ice water! I didn't fill the whole bucket, but it was really cold. It was a challenge."
Michael5000: "A challenge?"
Co-Worker: "Yes, you do it, and then you're supposed to challenge your friends to do it too. It's to raise awareness for ALS."
Michael5000: "ALS... ALS... Is that, uh, Lou Gerhig's Disease?"
Co-Worker: "You know, I'm not sure. I just did the challenge."
Long Pause.
Michael5000: "I was scrolling through my Facebook this morning, and I think I saw a video of you dumping a bucket of water on your head."
Co-Worker: "Yes, ice water! I didn't fill the whole bucket, but it was really cold. It was a challenge."
Michael5000: "A challenge?"
Co-Worker: "Yes, you do it, and then you're supposed to challenge your friends to do it too. It's to raise awareness for ALS."
Michael5000: "ALS... ALS... Is that, uh, Lou Gerhig's Disease?"
Co-Worker: "You know, I'm not sure. I just did the challenge."
Long Pause.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
The Infinite Art Tournament, Round One: Lewis v. LeWitt!
Wyndham Lewis
1882 - 1957
British
-----
Sol LeWitt
1928 - 2007
American
----
Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
1882 - 1957
British
Sol LeWitt
1928 - 2007
American
Vote for the artist of your choice! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
Friday, August 22, 2014
The Songs of the Fifty States: Texas
(What is "The Songs of the Fifty States"?)
Texas!
Size: 268,581 km2 (2nd)
2013 Population: 26,448,193 (2nd)
Statehood: 1845 (28th). Seceded 1861; fully readmitted 1870ish.
American Human Development Index: 4.65 (33rd)
Art Mecca: Texas, being a notoriously big state, has plenty of museums. For that matter, Fort Worth alone has plenty of museums, but in my recent barnstorming tour of the state I had to choose just one and I went with The Kimbell Art Museum.
So once upon a time there were a couple of insanely wealthy and busy Texans named the Kimballs, and they liked art and had the means to pursue their interests. When they passed into the Undiscovered Country in the 1960s, they left their art and a sizable portion of their lucre to get a world-class museum off the ground. The mission statement could be summed up as "have a small but stunning collection in an awesome building."
The building, designed by Louis Kahn, is weirdly effective at letting in diffuse, indirect natural light. A garrulous guard told me that they get crowds when thunderstorms are coming, because people like to see what happens with the changing light effects. In the parking lot, I met a workman who was treating the roof with a polyurethane preservative. "We took a spot temperature on the roof surface yesterday, and it was 185 F," he told me. "And we're up there in between those domes." I advised him to stay hydrated, but he had already thought of that.
In addition to the Michaelangelo painting I showed you a while back, the Kimball has, per the Wiki, "works by Duccio, Fra Angelico, Mantegna, El Greco, Carracci, Caravaggio, Rubens, Guercino, La Tour, Poussin, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Boucher, Gainsborough, Vigée-Lebrun, Friedrich, Cézanne, Monet, Caillebotte, Matisse, Mondrian, and Picasso." And pretty much everybody else, too. It's a dazzling density of art history amazingness. And it's free.
Michael 5000's Texas
First Visited: June 19, 1996 (32nd)
Most Recently Visited: July 25, 2014 (4th)
First Run In: July 25, 2014
Best Run: 4.27 miles, Plainview, July 25, 2014
Have Admired the Visual Arts In: Yes, last month.
Have Geohashed In: Yes, last month.
Have Slept Overnight In: Yes, last month.
Counties Visited: 31/254 (13th)
% Complete: 12.2% (46th)
Mrs. 5000's Counties Visited: 57/254 (2nd)
% Complete: 22.4% (34th)
Mrs.5000 First Visited: Unknown
Mrs.5000 Most Recently Visited: May 26, 2013
Atlas of All Roads Travelled
Until last month, I had only taken the northern two of these three crossings of the Texas Panhandle. I had undeniably been in Texas, along with the other 49 states, but it felt a bit superficial.
Having now plunged into the heart of North Texas -- and having geohashed, run, slept overnight, and ogled art in the Lone Star State, I feel better about the situation. Don't mess with my experience of Texas.
Texas!
 |
| Texas artist Harris Shelton, Franklin Mountains at Dusk. 1940. |
Size: 268,581 km2 (2nd)
2013 Population: 26,448,193 (2nd)
Statehood: 1845 (28th). Seceded 1861; fully readmitted 1870ish.
American Human Development Index: 4.65 (33rd)
Art Mecca: Texas, being a notoriously big state, has plenty of museums. For that matter, Fort Worth alone has plenty of museums, but in my recent barnstorming tour of the state I had to choose just one and I went with The Kimbell Art Museum.
So once upon a time there were a couple of insanely wealthy and busy Texans named the Kimballs, and they liked art and had the means to pursue their interests. When they passed into the Undiscovered Country in the 1960s, they left their art and a sizable portion of their lucre to get a world-class museum off the ground. The mission statement could be summed up as "have a small but stunning collection in an awesome building."
The building, designed by Louis Kahn, is weirdly effective at letting in diffuse, indirect natural light. A garrulous guard told me that they get crowds when thunderstorms are coming, because people like to see what happens with the changing light effects. In the parking lot, I met a workman who was treating the roof with a polyurethane preservative. "We took a spot temperature on the roof surface yesterday, and it was 185 F," he told me. "And we're up there in between those domes." I advised him to stay hydrated, but he had already thought of that.
In addition to the Michaelangelo painting I showed you a while back, the Kimball has, per the Wiki, "works by Duccio, Fra Angelico, Mantegna, El Greco, Carracci, Caravaggio, Rubens, Guercino, La Tour, Poussin, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Boucher, Gainsborough, Vigée-Lebrun, Friedrich, Cézanne, Monet, Caillebotte, Matisse, Mondrian, and Picasso." And pretty much everybody else, too. It's a dazzling density of art history amazingness. And it's free.
Michael 5000's Texas
First Visited: June 19, 1996 (32nd)
Most Recently Visited: July 25, 2014 (4th)
First Run In: July 25, 2014
Best Run: 4.27 miles, Plainview, July 25, 2014
Have Admired the Visual Arts In: Yes, last month.
Have Geohashed In: Yes, last month.
Have Slept Overnight In: Yes, last month.
Counties Visited: 31/254 (13th)
% Complete: 12.2% (46th)
Mrs. 5000's Counties Visited: 57/254 (2nd)
% Complete: 22.4% (34th)
Mrs.5000 First Visited: Unknown
Mrs.5000 Most Recently Visited: May 26, 2013
Atlas of All Roads Travelled
Until last month, I had only taken the northern two of these three crossings of the Texas Panhandle. I had undeniably been in Texas, along with the other 49 states, but it felt a bit superficial.
Having now plunged into the heart of North Texas -- and having geohashed, run, slept overnight, and ogled art in the Lone Star State, I feel better about the situation. Don't mess with my experience of Texas.
Plans and Aspirations
One of these years I'm gonna get to Baton Rouge, and when I do, I'll probably fly into Houston.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
The Infinite Art Tournament, Round 3: Bouguereau v. Kahlo!
Adolphe William Bouguereau
1825 - 1905
French
Frida Kahlo
1907 - 1954
Mexican
Crushed Donald Judd in Round 1.
Snuck by Dutch master Jacob Jordaens in Round 2.
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
1825 - 1905
French
- Finished Second in Phase 1, Flight 2 of the Play-In Tournament with a voting score of .733.
- Finished First in Phase 2, Flight 2 of the Play-In Tournament with a voting score of .455.
- Walloped Domenico Beccafumi in the Main Tournament First Round.
- Walloped Gwen John in Round 2.
Frida Kahlo
1907 - 1954
Mexican
Crushed Donald Judd in Round 1.
Snuck by Dutch master Jacob Jordaens in Round 2.
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
The Wednesday Post
Casper Now!
There's still a ridgeline in the distance
...in which we find out what's happening these days at the sites of last week's boring postcards!
First National Bank Building
The First National Bank Building is still there. There have been plenty of changes since back in the day. But it's still there!
1124 - East Second Street and Business District, Casper, Wyoming
East Second Street and Business District are still there. It took some hunting, but most of the more visible buildings on the right-hand side of the postcard are still recognizable.
1136 Center Street, Looking South, Casper, Wyoming, Showing Hotels and Business District
This one had me flummoxed, until I realized that "1136" is the postcard's number, not a street address. However, Center Street is still there. The Hotel Townsend, on the left side of the street in the postcard, has been remodeled and expanded, and is now offices and a courthouse for Natrona County. You can see a ghost, or "wall dog" as they are called, of the old Court Hotel sign in the modern photo. And there's still a ridgeline in the distance.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
The Infinite Art Tournament, Round 3: Hopper v. Ingres
Edward Hopper
1882 - 1967
American
Took out French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon in Round 1.
Knocked out Raoul Dufy in Round 2.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
1790 - 1867
French
Beat Victorian painter William Holman Hunt by a two-vote swing in Round 1. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Crushed Alexander Ivanov in Round 2.
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
1882 - 1967
American
Took out French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon in Round 1.
Knocked out Raoul Dufy in Round 2.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
1790 - 1867
French
Beat Victorian painter William Holman Hunt by a two-vote swing in Round 1. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Crushed Alexander Ivanov in Round 2.
Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.
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