IWR – Art and Culture Archive

April200

04/30/2007

Kiki of Montparnasse [Bio 1901-1953]

Alice Ernestine Prin was one of the most extraordinary and liberated women of the 20th century. She was a painter, an artist’s muse and model, a nightclub singer and an actress. She was also known as the Queen of Montparnasse, which was the epicenter of Paris art movement in the 1920s. At the young age of 28, her memoirs were published with an introduction written by none other than Ernest Hemingway, and she was the constant companion of Man Ray and was the subject of 100’s of Ray’s photographs

Click the permalink below for more images and links to archives.

Kiki by Man Ray (1923)

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Yazoo Album Covers

In theory, you can listen samples from these albums on the Yazoo Record site. I wonder what the original Howling Wolf sounds like, anyway?

Charley Patton (1929-1930)

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brightsoul

I like these sexy photos by Francis A. Willey. Check out her web site too.

Nikita 2005

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Artist Manuel Libres Librodo Jr. (MF

This Pilipino photographer has an excellent eye for beauty.

Skin (2006)

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Classic Finnish Pin-Up Art (PCL

What a Babe! (1952)

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On the Cutting Edge: Contemporary Japanese PrintsScout

Daybreak at Mt. Fuji (2002)

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04/23/2007

Suzanne Meunier [1947-1954]

You can usually tell the difference between a female vs. a male created version of pinup. Women are more likely to capture the beauty of the feminine figure, whereas men often create a sort of super tart! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any biographical details of this illustrator.

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Chinese Pamphlets [1947-1954]

These illustrated pamphlets on political communication and mass education are from the early period of the People’s Republic of China. There is a selection of English translated pamphlets. Here’s a description of the project from the Center For Research Libraries

Liu Hulan (no.1)
"Mass education materials published in Hong Kong and in Mainland China, particularly Shanghai, in the years 1947-1954. These cartoon books, pamphlets, postcards and magazines, on topics such as foreign threats to Chinese security, Chinese relations with the Soviet Union, industrial and agricultural production, and marriage reform, were produced by both Kuomintang (Nationalist) and Gongchantang (Communist) supporters."

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04/16/2007

John Collier [Bio] 1850-1934

I think I’m starting to run out of Pre-Raphael and Neo-Classical artists to blog, but even though John Collier’s available work on the Internet is fairly limited, I think his work is special.

The Pharaoh’s Handmaidens (1883)

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Art Links For 04/16/2007

Art highlights (below) from around the blogosphere.

Ishikawa Toraj (Little Hokum Rag

I almost big on one of his works in a recent Ebay art house auction. It went for $1,100 by the way.

Standing Nude (1934)

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Unseen Hands: Women Printers, Binders and Book Designers (Japonisme

"Women have been involved in printing and the making of books ever since these crafts were first developed. Even before the advent of movable type, there was a strong tradition of women producing manuscripts in western European religious houses." BTW, Jessie Willcox Smith (Yes, there really are two l’s in Willcox.) is one of my favorite Children’s illustrators.

Red Rose Girl by Jessie Willcox Smith

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Yiddish Sheet MusicScout

If I were a cowboy, ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.

Yonkle, The Cowboy Jew

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Richard Colman (Phantasmaphile

I like these.

Fancy Dress

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J. David Mckenney (Neurastenia

This guy is an excellent illustrator.

Girly Picture Series

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David Brinley (Glubibulga

This guy is not too shabby either.

Maximum Protection

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BoxOfApples :: Fruit Crate Label Art (Blort

BTW, I’d like to point out that the Gay Johnny is from Texas.

Killer Vegetables!

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04/09/2007

The Art of Anders Zorn

I really love the color and composition this Swedish realist’s oil paintings and watercolors. His nudes, in particular, are very beautify and show a wonderful, sensuous rendering of the female figure in natural settings. In his work, you can also see the influence of Japonisme. See also Lotus Green’s blog for more information on Japonisme. What I tried to do here is compile my favorite and largest examples of Zorn’s work available online. If you know of a better or other archives, please let me know.

Le Tub (1888)

Kvinna som klär sig(1893)

[Woman Dressing]

For more selected images and links to three archives, click the Permalink URL below.

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Samantha Nguyen

Lady In White

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May Ann LicudineBibi’s

May Ann is a topnotch illustrator and artist.

Spring

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Egyptian Movie Posters

Love in the Refrigerator

Salwa in the Storm (1962)

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The Silent Vamps (Little Hokum Rag

Louise Brooks

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04/02/2007

The Art Of Ushio Takahashi

I really wasn’t able to find out much information about this modern Japanese figurative artist on the Internet. However, I was able to find this print archive. This link takes you directly to the archive and avoids the overhead of Java and the Midi files. These images are made from a Mezzotint copperplate or Intaglio printing process. However it is done, these are beautifully rendered images.

Yukiko

Click the Link below to see a special selection of Ushio’s work.

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Frances Macdonald [Bio

Frances Macdonald was Scottish artist whose watercolors and designs were influenced influenced by mysticism, symbolism and Celtic imagery. Frances, her husband Hertbert MacNair, and her more famous sister Margaret Macdonald were all part of the Glasgow School of style.