Art, or Ugly?

uglyart

The appreciation of art is something all human beings are capable of, being the rational creatures we are.  Our powers of reason and deduction, paired with an innate sense of the aesthetic qualities that stand in the place of beauty and truth, make us capable judges in matters of artistic expression.  How, then, can opinions vary so much on how to discern art from ugliness? Especially in the post-modern period that glorifies reflections of broken icons of the past, revisits old themes with disdainful new representations, and often ridicules long held institutional beliefs and messages and symbolism — so many of today’s so-called works of art may actually be nothing but snarky garbage produced by…

Art of Type

4.0.1

Back in the 1960s, Steve Jobs was a restless young man attending college classes that deep inside he knew he would never need or use.  This was of course years before he would become the co founder of Apple Computer Company, now Apple, Inc., with his long time friend and engineering genius Steve Wozniak.  To dull Jobs’ increasing restlessness as he grappled with the direction he wanted to take his life, he found solace by breaking away from the courses prescribed in his major field of study and indulging his new found love of typefaces and fonts. He found them at once artistic and meditative, and his vision of a future of computers with beautiful fonts was…

Photography for Beginners

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I am not a photographer at any level.  I love playing around with my camera and I have a lot of fun taking pictures, but again I am no photography.  I love photography and it is one of my favorite forms of art.  What I don’t like is the fact that people think just because they own a camera of some kind that they are officially a photographer.  Well, it’s time to face the facts.  Just because you do own a camera and can push the shutter does not make you a pro.  That does not mean that you cannot become an experienced and wonderful photographer though. Here are some things to keep in mind: Real professional…

History of Street Art

graffitiiscool

Street art is all around us.  Just go to any city of significant size and population in the United States, and you’ll be hard pressed to find the absence of graffiti.  Some of it is gang related, but a lot of it is actually a legitimate form of art.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, and what some people find beautiful and creative, others might reasonably see as property damage, a nuisance, or meaningless scribble.  But street art can be very deep and full of meaning.  There are also styles that have evolved over the years, just as there are in other art forms.

What is Art?

what is art

Is art something that can really be defined?  I am the type of person who believes that it cannot be defined.  When someone asks, “what is art,” often I know not what to say.  I think that defining art would even go against a lot of things that are actually considered to be pieces of art, and no one would want to do that, right?  Still so many people attempt to put a definition along with the word art.  Sometimes there are numerous things that go into a work of art.  There is much time and much energy that people, or artists, will put into a work of their own that is called art.  Sometimes though, it…

What to Give an Artist

brushesfeew

Choosing the best gift to give to an artistic friend or family member can be a truly uninspiring challenge.  One of the things most often purchased for an artist on a gifting occasion is a complete paint set, with brushes and tubes or bottles of paint, some paint thinner, and other supplies for mixing colors and creating works of art.  The problem with many of these sets you find in stores is, the paint in them is not good quality stuff.   What you may think is an outstanding painting set may be far from it.  You might assume that the handsome wooden case with brass hinges and a velvet lined interior look even prettier with all…