Carine Brancowitz

2010 January 27

I just happened to stumble across Carine’s work, and then I realized that I owned the PHOENIX shirt she illustrated.  I love when stuff like that comes full circle.  ha ha!  Carine’s illustrations are magnificent!  I especially enjoy her choice of colors.  Also, the people she chooses to draw are gorgeous.  Even her illustrations for advertisements are wonderful.  I could go on and on, but you should just check out her work for yourself!


I love my PHOENIX shirt.  I probably wear it too much.

And this one above is one of my favorites!  I saw Jules et Jim at the Brooks Museum last semester, and it was my first time watching a Truffaut film.  Now, I’m hooked on anything Truffaut.

For more:
Carine Brancowitz

Joseph Ducreux

2010 January 20

I blame the Internet for my current obsession with the 18th-century French artist, Joseph Ducreux.  As you may or may not know, one of Ducreux’s paintings is a very popular online macro (see example below).  I could not contain myself when I saw one of these floating around, but I was also really curious about the artist.  Come to find out, Ducreux is known for his unorthodox style of painting in which he challenges the perception of the viewers.  Ducreux was all about breaking down the fourth wall between subject matter and audience.  Also, he was interested in physiognomy, which is based on the belief that the study of one’s outer appearance and characteristics reflect their personality.  I really hope to study Ducreux more in depth.  Until then, I will enjoy these macros.

An example of the Archaic Rap style Ducreux macro.  This is obviously based on Chamillionaire’s song “Ridin’.”:

Original self-portrait by Ducreux:

For more:
Joseph Ducreux entry on Wikipedia
Know Your Meme: Joseph Ducreux/Archaic Rap

I’m With Coco

2010 January 12

I know I haven’t updated in forever (I blame tumblr for that).  Here is the artwork of Mark Mitchell though.  I’m using it to show my support for Conan O’Brien.  So grab this image and spread it around.  Let’s keep Conan on the air!

For more:
http://imwithcoco.com
Mike Mitchell

Keep Calm and Listen to Phoenix

2009 December 20

It’s starting to make the rounds on Tumblr so I figured I’d share this little number with you.  I’ve always been a fan of the Keep Calm & Carry On prints so when I saw milkgirl’s take involving PHOENIX I had to get in on it.  I’ve been listening to PHOENIX for over six years now, and their music keeps me sane.  I’m really hoping that with this Grammy nomination they’ll finally get the recognition that they deserve.

Personally, this has always been my life motto.

For more:
My Flickr

“I’ve got a sad song in my sweet heart”

2009 November 29

This is one of my favorite songs by Girls, an amazing group from San Francisco.  The video is just as wonderful.  I love the close ups of beautiful people and wide cityscape shots.  Perfect.


“Hellhole Ratrace” by Girls

Be sure to check them out on tour!

For more:
GIRLS on MySpace
GIRLS on Matador

 

Jean-Luc Godard

2009 November 25

I really like Godard’s work.  I’m going to be honest with you…Sometimes I literally get lost in his films, and by that, I mean I don’t understand the plot at all.  He’s heavy on existentialism, and I’m lucky if I can get through 30 minutes of a philosophy class.  Basically, I take pleasure in the pretty faces, unique cinematography and creative typographic sequences.  There’s nothing wrong with that, right?

Godard and New Wave Cinema have been great influences on my own work.  I’m infatuated with Godard’s style though, and I hope to continue exploring his work.

My own work entitled L’Hommage à Godard (Film Sequence 1). It appears to be a rip-off, but trust me it’s appropriated imagery based on admiration.  I like to think of it as a new narrative.  My good friend, Kendra, posed for this shoot.  In fact, she posed for a lot of my stuff.  Thanks, Kendra!  haha



Credit to I Love Hot Dogs for these fabulous stills.

For more:
Jean-Luc Godard on IMDB
Godard on Wikipedia

“Me & my cousins. You & your cousins.”

2009 November 20

Here’s the video for Vampire Weekend’s new track entitled “Cousins.”  The jittery guitar riffs and bouncing Chris Baio bring me great joy.  I’m definitely looking forward to the release of Contra on January 12, 2010.  Okay, I’ll stop the pimpage.

Be sure to check out the Contra website for bonus material.  The Roll Call video is hilarious.

For more:
I Think Ur A Contra
Vampire Weekend Online

Go Forth

2009 November 8

It has been almost a month since I last updated, and I actually feel horrible for not doing so.  I’ve hit a bump in the road.  Grad school has consumed every facet of my life and tortures the inner recesses of my brain making it hard for me to even form coherent sentences at the end of the day.  I haven’t been very productive art wise and that has obviously spilled over into this blog.  I’m going to develop some sort of schedule soon.  No worries.

With that being said, I thought I’d share this series of ads for Levi’s.  I’m sure they started airing back in July, but whenever I see them on TV my inner patriotic soul is stirred.  Who would have thought jeans could do that?  Actually, I think it has more to do with the recording of “O Pioneers.”  Sadly, I don’t want to go out and buy jeans.  I’d much rather run in vast wheat fields or gather my belongings and head West.

The photos for the circulating ads are by Ryan McGinley.  I haven’t posted about him before, because I feel like enough people do that for me.  He is definitely an amazing photographer, but  to truly appreciate his work you have to see it in person.  I feel like you see them in print or on album covers too much.  They’ve become hipster folly.  That aside, he does capture some pretty dynamic images.

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Of course, full credit should go to the agency Wieden + Kennedy.  They’re the obvious brain power behind this campaign and to them I say WELL DONE!  Well done, indeed.

For more:
Wieden + Kennedy
Ryan McGinley

Human Forms

2009 October 9

Apologies in advance for the lack of updating.  I’ve been at a loss for words lately.  I never run out of inspiration.  It’s really the fact that I don’t want to post something with “Oooo!” & “Ahhhh!.”   I’m trying to add a little class to the web.   Not that it matters.  ha!

Anyway, the other day I was going through my favorites on Flickr and I was amused at how my brain works.  Or maybe how my eyes work.  Hmmm.

See a progression?  I kind of like when that happens.

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What are some of your favorite forms?

p.s. – your regularly scheduled posting will resume soon.

Valeria Picerno

2009 September 21

I came across the work of Valeria Picerno through Olimpia Zagnoli’s portfolio (who needs an entry dedicated to her illustration work and it’s coming, I promise).  I saw the main photo and immediately fell in love with Valeria’s style.  The tones and contrasts of her shots are vibrant, and each subject takes on a certainly personality.  The way she composes her shots greatly contributes to that as well.  Stunning!

Balloons

BlackSwan

Classic

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For more:
Valeria Picerno’s Portfolio
The Black Swan Archives