Tag Archives: Art

Interior Design

Furniture from the Mondrian / De Stijl exhibit at the Pompidou Center

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Gerrit Reitveld Table, Pompidou Center 2011, Photo Romi Cortier
Gerrit Reitveld Table, Pompidou Center 2011, Photo Romi Cortier
Gerrit Reitveld Chair, Pompidou Center, 2011, Photo Romi Cortier
Gerrit Reitveld Chair, Pompidou Center, 2011, Photo Romi Cortier
Theo Vn Doesburg, Cornelis Van Eesteren
Theo Vn Doesburg, Cornelis Van Eesteren, Building Model, Photo Romi Cortier

In early 2011, I made a mad dash to Paris for a four day weekend to see the Mondrian / De Stijl exhibit at the Pompidou Center. Decadent yes, but it was a must see event for an art history geek like myself.  De  Stijl, Dutch for ‘The Style‘ was a movement from 1917 – 1928 that sought to wipe out all historical references in art, architecture and furniture, creating a new design vocabulary for the 20th Century.

Painter Piet Mondrian and furniture designer/architect  Gerrit Rietveld are the two most famous people from this period. Their works were the subject of this monumental exhibit at the Pompidou Center, an exhibit that had a strict policy against photography with guards in every room chasing down anyone with a camera. How did I get these shots you ask… not easy. (lets hope they don’t find my blog) It was so exciting to get to see these works in person, although I almost didn’t make it to the exhibit entrance. Do you see the little glass tube at the top of the Pompidou Center, 6 stories up, not a good thing for a guy with a fear of heights. When the elevator doors opened, I almost fainted. Complete strangers in the elevator grabbed my arms, told me to close my eyes, and then walked me to the entrance of the exhibit. So worth the trauma!

It was exciting to see the evolution of Mondrian’s paintings from the cubist inspired ‘The Still Life with Ginger Pot II‘ to his starker images that we’re all so familiar with, such as ‘Composition with red blue and yellow’ 1930.  Many people associate this ‘look’ with the 1960’s or 1970’s thanks to the Partridge Family Bus from the television series ‘The Partridge Family. However, it all started about 50 years earlier.

 

Art

The Evolution of Artist Alberto Murillo

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Alaberto Murillo, 'Nassau, 50 x 40, (private collection)
Alaberto Murillo, ‘Nassau, 50 x 40, Acrylic/Resin on Board (private collection)
Alberto Murillo, 'Taormina', 50 x 40, Acrylic/Resin on Board
Alberto Murillo, ‘Taormina’, 50 x 40, Acrylic/Resin on Board, Image courtesy JoAnne Artman Gallery
Alberto Murillo, 'Chanel No. 5', 30x40, Acrylic/Resin on Board
Alberto Murillo, ‘Chanel No. 5’, 30×40, Acrylic/Resin on Board, Image Courtesy JoAnne Artman Gallery

It’s been very exciting to observe the Evolution of Artist Alberto Murillo during the last couple of years. I fist became of aware of his work at the JoAnne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach. I’d wandered into her gallery after  having lunch with a friend, and she greeted us with such enthusiasm.  New to the neighborhood in 2008, her gallery is part of ‘Gallery Row’ at 326 North Coast Highway. She gladly gave us a tour and began educating us about her roster of artists.

At that time, Alberto’s work was very horizontal, or vertical depending on how you hung it, with thin lines of acrylic/resin on board. I thought it was unique, but it didn’t resonate with me. Cut to a gallery opening a year later with pieces like ‘Nassau‘ and ‘Taormina‘ and I was very intrigued. Murillo explained that he’d observed the resin on the floor after creating the vertical pieces and loved how the colors over lapped and melded together. He refers to this as his ‘Therapy Series‘ that helped pull him out of a very dark place.  The latest twist to his work is sandblasting away part of the resin to create an image, such as ‘Chanel No. 5′. Matte against shiny. It’s absolutely stunning in person. If it’s good enough for the Givenchy Family in NYC, then it’s good enough for me… adding it to my ‘must have’ list.

 

Window Display

Butterflies in New York

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Lord & Taylor Window Display New York 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Lord & Taylor Window Display New York 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Butterfly Window Display, New York 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Butterfly Window Display, New York 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Butterfly Perfume Bottles, Viktor & Rolf, New York 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Butterfly Perfume Bottles, Viktor & Rolf, New York 2014, Photo Romi Cortier

Butterflies were every where on my recent visit to New York.  From Lord & Taylor to Bergdorf Goodman, window displays up and down 5th Avenue were taking flight in celebration of springs arrival.

Lord & Taylor, proud sponsors of The Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History, made a simple black and white ensemble take flight by painting a black and white striped butterfly behind their mannequin.  Was all of this inspired by the recent documentary Flight of the Butterflies... I don’t know. But one thing is for sure, the butterfly seems to becoming a part of our 21st century vocabulary. Maybe the butterfly is to the Millennials what the dragonfly was to the Art Nouveau period, a source of beauty that returned us to nature during a period of great technological advancement. It’s a trend that I’m enjoying, and its even inspired my own artistic process.  If you haven’t already seen it, check out my DIY video where I show you how to  create a Butterfly Mural on Youtube using traditional house paint.

Art

Italian Futurism at the Guggenheim Museum

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Tulio Crali, Before the Parachute Opens, 1939, Courtesy Guggenheim Museum
Tulio Crali, Before the Parachute Opens, 1939, Photo courtesy Guggenheim Museum
Ivo Pannaggi, Speeding Train, 1922, Photo courtesy Guggenheim Museum
Ivo Pannaggi, Speeding Train, 1922, Photo courtesy Guggenheim Museum
Benedetta Cappa Marinetti, Speeding Motorboat, 1923-24, Photo courtesy Guggenheim Museum
Benedetta Cappa Marinetti, Speeding Motorboat, 1923-24, Photo courtesy Guggenheim Museum

This spring I attended the Italian Futurism exhibit at the GuggenheimMuseum in New York. I’d read about the exhibit in October 2013, and added it to my ‘must do’ list, even if that meant sofa surfing at a friends apartment. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary. As I understand it, this exhibit is the first survey of this period in the United States, which makes it ground breaking in and of itself.  The easiest way to describe this movement would be to call it  Italian Art Deco, however, the Italian Futurism period dates from 1909 – 1944 and includes other elements. “Their style evolved from fractured elements in the 1910’s  to a mechanical language in the 20’s, and then to aerial imagery in the 30’s”.

I’ve chosen the images above because like Art Deco, there was a fascination and celebration of speed, including planes, trains and automobiles. The image of the train above is more cubist in nature, which was the basis for Art Deco. Before the Parachute Opens was one of my favorite paintings in the entire exhibit. Large in scale, it was the first time I’d seen a painting from this perspective and seemed to exemplify what the exhibit was about. No photography was allowed beyond the signage in the lobby, therefore, I’ve used these images from the Guggenheim web site.

Exhibit closes September 1, 2014

 

Art

Nudes by Phil Bower

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Nudes (Couple in Forrest) 2013, Photo Romi Cortier
Nudes (Couple in Forrest) 2013, Photo Romi Cortier
Nude (Man Kneeling on Towel) 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Nude (Man Kneeling on Towel) 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Nude (Woman at Shore) 2014, Photo Romi Cortier
Nude (Woman at Shore) 2014, Photo Romi Cortier

These exquisite  Nudes by Phil Bower on view at the Samuel Freeman Gallery were a remarkable discovery during the Culver City Summer Solstice ArtWalk. I’d seen the latter image, Nude (Woman at Shore) online, but wasn’t prepared for how remarkable she’d be in person. The paintings are billed as photorealism, however, they’re far beyond that in person. In my opinion these paintings are a new form of Impressionism. When viewed up close the images become almost pixelated and difficult to understand… step back about 5 feet, and Voila! Your eye connects the dots and builds the image for you. Bower’s use of color is a true gift, especially when combined with his glazing technique. His images are culled from websites broadcasting voyeur videos from around the world. He then takes a frame grab and works from the low resolution images. While it may sound a bit creepy, these ‘models’ have been captured in a moment of being pure, honest, and completely uninhibited. Standing in front of Nude (Woman at Shore) was like being transported back to the Musee d’ Orsay in front of Alexandre Cabanel’s The Birth of Venus… it took every ounce of restraint to not reach out and touch her life like flesh.

Exhibit closes July 5th, 2014.