After months-long waiting and the 2020 cancellation, the Met Gala is about to take place on Monday, September 13. The high-profile event is a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Under her decades-long patronage of the fashion editor-in-chief of Vogue USA, Anna Wintour has transformed this social and charitable event into the “Fashion’s biggest night out”. Each year it attracts larger crowds and an impressive list of A-class celebrities among the guests and co-hosts. The Costume Institute will host its first two-part exhibition, on the theme of American fashion, during 2021 and 2022. Part one, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” will open in the Anna Wintour Costume Center on September 18, 2021, and will remain on display when “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” opens on May 5, 2022, in the period rooms of the American Wing. Both shows will run through September 5, 2022. Rihanna wearing a spectacular gown created by the Chinese designer Guo Pei at Met Gala 2015 The biggest names in Hollywood are set to descend upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a breathtaking red-carpet parade of avant-garde ensembles celebrating fashion as a form of art. On this occasion, we are looking back at the permanent exchange of ideas, concepts, and inspiration between designers and artists. Elsa Schiaparelli The Lobster Dress designed by Elsa Schiaparelli in 1937 in collaboration with Salvador Dali A 2017 reedition of Schiappirelli’s design One of the most avant-gardist fashion designers, who remains a rich source of inspiration even today, is Elsa Schiaparelli. She had a keen interest in Dadaism and Surrealism and was part of the social circle of Francis Picabia and Man Ray. Besides being credited with creating the first sweater with a surrealist trompe l’oeil image of a bow, the first newspaper print (repurposed by Jean Paul Gaultier for his couture debut and now considered a staple look of the 90s after being worn by the fictional character Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO TV series Sex and the City) and the first wrap dress (later revisited and adopted by the American designer Diane von Fürstenberg in the 1970s), she is well known for her many collaborations with some of the most innovative artists from the 1930s and ’40s. The Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti cast in bronze one-of-a-kind buttons for Schiappirelli’s coats. Man Ray often asked her to model for his photographs. Meret Oppenheim designed a fur bracelet in 1936 for Schiaparelli’s winter collection, the piece was the precursor to the artist’s iconic surrealist fur-covered teacup. An evening coat embroidered in a pattern that reads simultaneously as a vase and two confronting was a product of her collaboration with Jean Cocteau. Perhaps her most famous collaboration was with the surrealist Spanish artist Salvador Dali. In 1935 the duo designed a perfume bottle shaped like a telephone dial, in 1937 the Shoe hat was inspired by a photograph of Dalì with his wife’s slipper on his head. Often considered scandalous, as the artists themselves and the female figures that wore dresses (Wallis Simpson were the Lobster Dress on her honeymoon), Schiaparelli’s couture creations stood the test of time. The House of Schiaparelli decided to reedit the infamous Lobster dress for the Spring 2017 season. Schiaparelli's collaborations with Dada and Surrealist artists resulted in some of the most renowned works of twentieth-century haute couture Dior Fall/winter 2020/2021 collection, Le Mythe Dior inspired by surrealist female artists Maria Grazia Chiuri Another couturier whose creativity has been shaped by feminist art is the head designer of Dior, the Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri. In 2020 Chiuri commission Judi Chicago, the subversive feminist artist, to create a set-cum-art installation for the iconic couture house’s spring runway show at the Musée Rodin in Paris. More recently, for the fall/winter 2020/2021 collection (Le Mythe Dior), during the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic, the designer created a fairytale world populated by nymphs and naiads, Venus, Narcissus, a faun and inspired by the less-known Surrealist artists and muses: Lee Miller, Dora Maar, Dorothea Tanning, Leonora Carrington, and Jacqueline Lamba. “Surrealist images manage to make visible what is in itself invisible,” Chiuri said of the collection in a statement. “I’m interested in mystery and magic, which are also a way of exorcising uncertainty about the future.” Yves Saint Laurent The Mondrian Dress design by Yves Saint Laurent in 1965 Piet Mondrian Composition C (No.III) with Red, Yellow and Blue No other moment in the history of fashion captured the public’s imagination better than the Mondrian dress designed by the French designer Yves Saint Laurent in the 1960s. This period coincided with the women’s liberation movement when women started wearing mini-skirts and loose-fitting dresses that placed fewer constraints on the body. Saint Laurent realized that the planarity of the A dress, very fashionable at that time, was an ideal field for color blocks. He demonstrated a great skill of dressmaking, setting each block of jersey to create the resemblance with the Mondrian paintings and at the same time to accommodate the curves of the female body in the grid of seams. Yves Saint Laurent went on to create haute couture outfits inspired by other artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso, but his Mondrian dress remains until today one of the most recognizable designs and at the same time a cultural symbol of the 60s. Few designers can claim such a profound influence on the way women dress as Yves Saint Laurent. The pieces he pioneered – the man’s tuxedo, cut for a woman’s body, the safari jacket, the trench coat – are now so congruous with women’s wardrobes that they seem like they have been there forever. The marriage between art and fashion is more stable than ever. As recent as 2020, Moschino’s Creative Director Jeremy Scott took inspiration from famous painters in his Spring/Summer 2020 collection with models appearing to have stepped straight out of a Picasso’s cubist masterpieces. Pierpaolo Piccioli, the creative director of the Italian house Valentino envisioned for his most recent collection a dialogue with more than 15 emerging artists and established artists—including names like Luca Coser, Jamie Nares, Wu Rui, and Malte Zenses. Discover more artworks by emerging and established artists in our curated collections.

RtistiQ

13 Sep 2021

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Purple. One of the most dynamic and impressive colors in the visible light spectrum, it continues to exude power and prestige. In many cultures, this hue has been used to identify a monarch. And that connection continues to the present day. Combining the cool presence of blue with the robust charisma of red, purple is one of the most enigmatic colors. It seems electric at times, at other times serene. It merges the strengths of both cool and warm colors, standing as an entity unto itself. To understand why purple has such a pull on us, we need to understand its long history — social, political, and artistic. The Early History of Making Purplerait of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia (circa 1780) by Fyodor Rokotov Part of the appeal and mystique of this color throughout the past few millennia has been the extreme difficulty we’ve had producing it. The first millennia BC saw one purple pigment emerge, but it came at a high price. (While manganese was used in the neolithic to make purple, it would not be common again until the modern era.) While today you can purchase purple paint for a few dollars at any craft store, it used to be an expensive and daunting task. One of the first ways we created it was through the murex shellfish. This creature could be used to produce a pigment called purpura, also known as Tyrian purple But hundreds of thousands of murex were required to make even a small amount, limiting its use to the richest and most powerful people in society. One famous lover of Tyrian purple was none other than Julius Caesar. And he got a taste for it while visiting Cleopatra’s palace. Caesar wasn’t satisfied with having a lot of purple, he made it illegal for anyone else to wear it. Nero would later become even more committed, making it a capital offense, meaning death for anyone who dared to wear the great leader’s favorite color. While Rome eventually fell, the status it gave purple survived. For European kings, this was the color to show your regal status. Even the Catholic Church used purple for the robes of bishops. But as it so often does, technology eventually came in to democratize access to purple. But while the economics of the color changed, it nevertheless continued its hold on the imagination. Purple for the Masses The Artist’sGarden at Giverny (1900) by Claude Monet It was the precocious William Henry Perkiin who created the first synthetic purple pigment in 1856 — he was only a teenager at the time. While working with coal tar as a potential cure for malaria, he couldn’t help but notice the purple patina the material gave his instruments. What once was a color reserved for the elite of society could be created with this inexpensive base. Soon after this pigment was discovered — creating what the inventor called mauve — a new generation of artists were seeking to capture natural light on their canvases. Called the Impressionists, this group fell in love with purple, and for the first time it was relatively easy to acquire it. They used it so much that they were accused of “violettomania” by art critics. With high demand meeting high supply, purple was everywhere. As the Impressionists came and went, new waves of artists continued to experiment with purple artworks. Some of the greatest names in 20th century art made extensive use of the color — none other than Mark Rothko, Francis Bacon, and Georgia O’Keeffe make up only a few of the masters transfixed by purple. Pop art picked up the color as well, finding its exuberance and, at times, tackiness a perfect choice for their works. In the 80s, industrial and graphic designers used the color frequently, especially the Memphis school which came to define the look of the era. Purple Today It is interesting to scroll through the visual culture today and see just how much the design of the 80s and 90s is being referenced. Those references often include heavy use of one color: purple. It seems that purple, more than any color, has left an indelible stamp on us. From its origins as a rare commodity, the exclusive hue of the emperor, to its status as the color du jour of fine art, to its ubiquitous presence in pop culture — purple has kept us captivated. As we move further into the 21st century, there is no doubt that we will make use of purple, but in what new ways? Only time will tell. Looking for a purple artworks for your living room? Browse now on RtistiQ a curated collection of artworks that celebrates the meaning of Purple.

RTISTIQ TEAM

10 Sep 2021

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Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are certainly popular, and in the last year they have dominated art news headlines with tales of extravagant price tags. It’s a lot of heat and excitement, but just because NFTs are selling for a lot of money, does that really mean that they are good for the art marketplace? After all, there are plenty of items that sell at traditional auction houses for tens of millions of dollars, but very few artists and art lovers actually see any benefit from that kind of wealth being thrown around. But NFTs are different. They could very well reshape the way we think about buying and selling art, and they are overturning age-old expectations — in many ways for the better. Let’s look at some of the ways that NFTs are benefiting the art market. Greater Control for the Artists In the art market as we’ve known it, gallerists and art dealers have a lot of power. Their expertise and connections give them the ability to find buyers for artwork, and they can be especially helpful for artists just starting to break into higher prices. So what’s the problem with this system? Artists themselves rarely have the time to become experts in the art market or make the connections they need to move their art. That puts them at a power disadvantage. Even worse? There is almost a cultural stigma against artists diving into the pedestrian world of commerce. But NFTs allow certain new conditions for sales, conditions that artists can build into an NFT of their work. For instance, you can make an NFT of a digital work of art and guarantee that every time it is resold, the artist gets 10% of the price. What’s better, artists have access to the bidding information and the entire provenance of their work. That means they can see everyone who bought their artwork and how much they paid. This single change will revolutionize the artworld by leaps and bounds, helping artists to get more of the money their work generates. Greater Access for Art Lovers on Marketplaces On the other side of the coin are the art lovers. Many people want to buy art , but if you aren’t well connected, it can be hard to have access to everything that’s actually available out there. Of course, gallerists and auction houses and art dealers want to meet with and encourage every single art buyer. But the reality is that there is an emphasis on big time art buyers in the current art market. After all, if you are an art dealer with limited resources, are you going to focus on the tycoon you know who spends millions on art each year , or the middle income art lover just now wanting to buy? With NFTs, marketplaces are wide open. Auctions are available to everyone, and little if any information is reserved for a select few. This is letting more people leap into the world of art buying. That combined with the empowerment of artists means a lot more direct buying and selling of art. NFTs Are Changing When we think of NFTs in the artworld today, we predominantly think of auctions for blocks in a blockchain that are linked to digital files — like JPGs, MPEGs, GIFs, and so on. This has caused many to scratch their heads because when you purchase NFT arts for sale, you aren’t the only person with access to the art work. Anyone can still copy and share these files infinitely. But here is the thing: NFTs aren’t done evolving, not by a long shot. Remember when we talked about artists being able to use NFTs to get 10% of all future sales of their art? That’s what is called a smart contract. These are critical elements of NFTs, giving people the ability to have contract clauses automatically fulfilled when certain terms are met. And since NFTs copy the provenance of an artwork in a safe and secure way, they take the burden of provenance off of both the artist and the art buyer. Put these two things together, and you can see how NFTs won’t just become interlinked with the digital art market. They can also become critical features of the physical art market. As NFTs grow and change, we will see the art market shifting along with them. We are standing at the precipice of a major development in the art world. NFTs are going to be a core piece of this change.

RtistiQ

03 Sep 2021

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With the excitement of the Summer Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 still fresh in our memory and the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 just around the corner, Japan is still on our minds. Unfortunately, we were not able to cheer live for our favorite athletes or to get lost in translation on Tokyo’s vibrant streets, but nothing stops us from discovering more about the unique Japanese history, culture, and art. Because of its long isolation as an island nation, Japan’s history overflows with one-of-a-kind perspectives and unique cultural forms. That independent streak makes Japanese art an always exciting realm of new experiences and fresh ideas. Over the 20th century, Japanese artists also began leading the pop art blend of mainstream fare with a critical artistic lens, while often embedding a rich mixture of themes and nods to historical legacy. Despite Japan’s incredible cultural output, many people around the world are not nearly as familiar with artists from the nation as they should be. Below, we’ve put together a list of five Japanese artists you should know. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and it’s in no particular order. This is a quick stroll through Japanese visual art, something to get you started on your own journey of discovery. 1. Mariko Mori Courtesy Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami Mariko Mori (1967) is an artist known for work in many fields, including: sculpture, digital art, and photography. Her oeuvre is filled with futuristic visions embedded with a profound influence from Japanese history. Her work plays with imaginative worlds and space-age forms, and the end result is always ethereal and mysterious. Some of Mori’s pieces are particularly sweeping in scope. Primal Rhythm saw her place sculptures in a bay, standing above the water in haunting silence. One, Sun Pillar, is a transparent sculpture that juts out of a large rock. Beside it in the water is Moon Stone, an orb that changes its color depending on the tide. While the shapes and material appear futuristic, they collaborate with the natural environment. It’s both beautiful and poignant, and it gives us an opportunity to rethink the way we interact with the world around us. Mori’s profile has steadily risen since the 1990s, and for good reason. She continues to explore new methods while staying true to the conceptual depth and attention to form that have made her work an integral part of contemporary art. 2. Yuko Mohri Copyright Yuko Mohri Yuko Mohri (1980) is an installation artist who recombines items from our day-to-day life into what she calls “ecosystems.” These installations often seem perilously balanced. Mohri includes sound and narrative as well, often telling stories through Rube Goldberg-like contraptions. In Moré Moré (Leaky), the artist made visual riffs on the use of buckets and plastic to catch leaking rain water that she saw in a subway station. Many of her pieces focus on the relationship between the human built world and the natural world. But the work is never overly ponderous. Often, the installations create a sense of fun. 3. Takashi Murakami Copyright Takashi Murakami Takashi Murakami (1962) is one of the most controversial artists in the contemporary scene. His anime-influenced sculpture and design have become the center of massive debates in the art world. Plus, his forays into commercial work have made him more popular than ever among fashionistas while angering art world purists. Murakami describes his style as “superflat,” a term he also used for postwar Japanese culture as a whole. Aesthetically, the term refers to Japan’s legacy of 2D art with little use of perspective. But societally, it points to the reduction of class influence on Japan. Today, Murakami asserts, the differences between high and low culture have flattened out into a single plane. Murakami has done everything from an anime-character sculpture show at Versaille, album covers for the likes of Kanye West, and hypebeast fashion crossover designs with Supreme. His flower motif is world famous, appearing on Louis Vuitton bags and jewelry worn by hip hop artists. It’s become a kind of calling card for the rebel. Today, he devotes a large amount of his time cultivating the careers of young Japanese artists while still making art that destroys our notion of high and low culture. 4. Yoshitomo Nara Courtesy Wikipedia Yoshitomo Nara (1959) is a sculptor and painter who creates images of childhood with an unsettling undercurrent of horror. His subject matter is very consistent, but it is through this steady stream of similar images that he’s been able to communicate so effectively. His characters, children with cartoonishly large eyes, are often engaged in naughty behavior, a rebelliousness that matches the artist’s own. Nara constantly subverts the nostalgia of childhood while still evoking it. The effect is a strange blend of the cute and concerning. Nara is closely associated with another member of this list, Murakami, as both a contemporary and as a fellow traveller in the superflat school. But while Murakami is in a pitched battle between the high and low, Nara is much more focused on the expression of genuine human emotion. In 2020, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art held a retrospective of Nara’s work spanning 36 years. The major event has helped boost his recognition outside of Japan. A well-earned honor 5. Yasumasa Mormura Copyright Yasumasa Mormura Yasumasa Mormura(1951) is a master of parody and humorous counterfeiting. But while many of his pieces are great fun, his career has an undercurrent of serious critique at its heart. Mormura’s pieces appropriate the great works of Western art and other iconic images, inserting his own photography into them. The works are strangely shocking. We are so used to the Mona Lisa, we feel at home within its frame. And then to see it changed into a self portrait of Mormura himself turns everything on its head. It’s a confrontation with the dominance of Western culture throughout the world. It subverts not only our expectation of a given painting, but our expectation of Western art as the source of all great masterpieces. In this way, Mormura is something of a punk rock artist. His themes of identity and imperialism are incredibly relevant to our times. That is why, late in his career, Mormura is still able to command attention for his important work. Asian art is more popular than ever, and collecting them is a fascinating hobby that can enrich your life through beauty, culture and education. Learn why you should start collecting Asian Art today.

RtistiQ

26 Aug 2021

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The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. It calls to the world to act together in an unprecedented way, with dire stakes. As we move further into the 21st century, awareness for environmental issues will only become more pressing. We want to highlight the work that environmental artists are doing in bringing these issues to the front of the global conversation. Their work takes the discipline of making art on climate change and turns it to public advocacy, a form of artistic environmental activism. Along the way, these environmental artists have not only made statements that are timely and necessary — they’ve also made great art! 1. Wheatfield, a Confrontation (1982), Agnes Denes Copyright Agnes Denes It’s worth beginning at the beginning. Agnes Denes is renowned as one of the originators of the modern environmental art movement. Her work routinely highlights humanity’s impact on the ecosystems that we rely on and have a responsibility to steward. Wheatfield, a Confrontation is possibly her most notable piece. Here, she took control of two acres in the Battery Park Landfill in downtownManhattan. She worked tirelessly to produce a field of golden wheat amid the refuse. The outcome struck many different notes at once. It highlighted the extreme land values of Manhattan that drove the elimination of green spaces, the industrial agricultural system that makes an overabundance of food while leaving so many hungry, and waste. The amazing images of the New York skyline rising out of golden fields of wheat are especially gripping. We can’t help but be drawn to these strange views that upend our expectations. While the field no longer exists, these images continue to carry on the work of the original. View other 5 Famous Art Pieces Inspired by Nature 5 Famous Art Pieces Inspired by Nature 2. Ice Watch (2014, 2015, 2018), Olafur Eliasson The Ice Watch series is a great achievement from artist Olafur Eliasson. This art has brought one of the most critical effects of climate change to the centers of Europe, no longer letting us off the hook for the destruction we are causing far away from the cities where we live and work. In each of these pieces (the installation appeared in Copenhagen, Paris, and London), Eliasson brought enormous ice blocks into the city center. It must be remembered, these blocks are massive. Some weighing as much as 5 tonnes. These blocks of ice were then allowed to melt. These pieces brought the melting of far away glaciers into visceral reality. It is so easy for us to keep our distance from this dire process. But Eliasson does not allow us to stay blissfully ignorant of what we are doing. These installations became popular spots for selfies. People seemed drawn to these enormous objects. That natural charisma helped carry the deeper message to a public that has to reckon with climate change before it’s too late. 3. Support (2017), Lorenzo Quinn Courtesy LifeGate Lorenzo Quinn made a big impact with his installation Support. Here, enormous hands reach up out of the famous Venetian waterways, appearing to hold up the neartby Ca’ Sagredo Hotel. It immediately appeared in images around the global press. The work highlights the predictions that by 2100, Venice will be completely underwater. But while many environmental artists work with more direct representation, this surrealist piece made a deep impact in its own way. The piece is shocking. There is something about it that reminds us of the truly apocalyptic outcomes of our apathy towards climate change. And the way that it interacted with that most Venetian of landmarks — the Grand Canal — brought it in direct dialogue with the city’s self image. 4. Washed Up (2010-2015), Alejandro Durán Copyright Alejandro Durán Alejandro Durán’s series of installations takes for its materials the debris that washes up endlessly on the shores of Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Toothbrushes, water bottles, tires, ice trays, and every other thing you can imagine someone has thrown away — it likely exists in one of Durán’s installations. He combines the trash and often paints them, installing them in the Mexican landscape in oddly beautiful combinations. The many outcomes show the breadth of the artist’s imagination, not to mention the overabundance of trash that fills our oceans. These installations confront the way we treat our oceans. And the continued iterations only help to underline just how endless the waste in our global economy really is.

RtistiQ

26 Aug 2021

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Nature has long been a muse for great artists RtistiQ Blog | 5 Famous Nature-Inspired Art Pieces || "Blog" Let’s look at some of the best artists to ever try and capture the beauty and majesty of the natural world. That’s why we decided to put together a list of 10 famous nature artists who celebrate nature in their paintings. Some of the names on the list you’ve heard of, but there are probably a few that will be new to you. Plus, we made sure to put in a little something for everyone. 1.Vincent van Gogh There is maybe no painter more famous than Vincent van Gogh. And while he pioneered on many fronts, his landscapes are some of his most transcendent works. Through his experimental brush strokes, he made the land appear as it really is — alive. In his life, van Gogh created an enormous wealth of paintings. There were years when he completed almost one a day. The sheer volume of landscape masterpieces in his oeuvre sets him apart. 2. Claude Monet Above all, Claude Monet was fascinated by light. And his daring Impressionist style captured the light obsessively over his career. His landscapes do this particularly well. He would sometimes set out multiple canvases and paint a scene through different times of day, showing the interaction between the sun and the land. Consider his Haystacks series, where the artist captured the same scene 25 times. These haystacks were painted at every time of day, in every season, and under all kinds of weather. 3. Hokusai Hokusai’s prints are among the most treasured artworks in the world. He produced a great deal in his life, beginning with urban images that were popular at the time. These ukiyo-e woodblock prints often portrayed celebrities and scenes from so-called pleasure districts. But then, the artist began incorporating more and more of the natural world. Today, his greatest pieces (like the famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji) remain some of the most reverent works of art dedicated to the environment. 4. Georgia O’Keeffe Copyright Georgia O’Keeffe Georgia O’Keeffe merged a modern aesthetic with the desire to capture the essence of nature. The results are among the greatest works of the 20th century. Her technique highlighted the way that mountains and flowers mimic the human body. She also made bold use of color. While she took cues from nature, her palette explores many new surprising hues. The overall effect is timeless. Combined with her tender handling of the subject matter, O’Keeffe solidified herself as a master of painting. 5. Ansel Adams Copyright Ansel Adams Armed with only a camera and a tripod, Ansel Adams made photography history by taking shots of America’s great national parks. His famous love affair with Yosemite is now the stuff of legend. Work like Monolith, the Face of Half-Dome helped photography find itself as an art, whereas before it was considered a strictly documentarian form. Adams could express the full scope of a natural scene, with all its grandeur and private, intimate details. And for this reason, he is known as the father of landscape photography. 6. Olafur Eliasson Olafur Eliasson is not just an artist who paint nature, he uses natural materials to create it, too. For instance, his New York City Waterfalls installations created human built waterfalls. These structures brought towering 100 foot features into the skyline. In other pieces, Eliasson directly advocates for the environment. In his Ice Watch series In other pieces,Eliasson directly advocates for the environment. In his Ice Watch series Art That Raises Awareness for Environmental Issues the artist installed massive blocks of ice in Copenhagen, Paris, and London. As time went on, the ice melted, bringingthe reality of our melting glaciers into the heart of global cities that are leading contributors to climate change. 7. Walter de Maria Courtesy artappreciation101.wordpress.com Walter de Maria helped solidify land art as a form that could be viable in the 20th and 21st centuries. Over his life, he created many haunting works. In The Lightning Field, de Maria set up an enormous grid of 400 steel poles. While these poles very rarely attracted lightning, they did transform the wide open New Mexico landscape into a haunting scene. De Maria frequently used the land as his canvas. And as he did so, he brought our attention to the land, which is to say our home. These works have only increased in poignancy as the environmental crisis deepens. 8. David Hockney Copyright David Hockney It might seem surprising to have a famous British pop artist on our list, but David Hockney’s plein air landscapes are some of the best works in his career. Many of these were created later in life, like Bigger Trees Near Warter which was completed in 2007. That painting also stands as Hockney’s largest at a whopping 460 cm x 1220 cm. The landscape is an interesting late in life turn for the artist, but one that shows the indelible influence it has on us, even as our culture is consumed by the digital. 9. Peter Doig Copyright Peter Doig Peter Doig is among the most celebrated living artists of our time. He is renowned for foregoing the overly conceptual approach of his contemporaries and instead emphasizing creativity and conveying a sense of awe in the natural world. Many of his works are landscapes that often play off of photography. And he has also put his hand to creating cityscapes that amplify the strangeness of built environments. 10. Shara Hughes Copyright Shara Hughes Shara Hughes paints many kinds of scenes, but perhaps her most bombastic pieces are her landscapes. These works are excessive, lively, and maximalist. Her mastery over multiple techniques allow her somewhat abstracted approach to retain a high level of complexity. One can’t help but feel a certain joy when looking at a nature painting by Hughes. Her ability to reconnect us with that feeling of nature’s bounty continues to impress us. Inspired by nature paintings by famous artists? Check out RtistiQ’s nature art paintings from globally renowned artists. Browse through a variety of artworks that has been handpicked for your office and home walls!

RtistiQ

26 Aug 2021

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As we’ve covered, nature is a tremendous inspiration to artists As we’ve covered, nature is a tremendous inspiration to artists 10 Famous Nature Artists and their work and what happens when something inspires artists? You get a lot of paintings. The subject matter of nature might be the most celebrated by artists around the world. This nature-based artwork leaves us no shortage of famous paintings to enjoy, and as the environment becomes an ever more important issue, this work is more important than ever. To highlight this long relationship between the artist and the environment, we’ve assembled a tour of 5 famous art piecesinspired by nature. And what happens when something inspires artists? You get a lot of paintings. The subject matter of nature might be the most celebrated by artists around the world. This nature-based artwork leaves us no shortage of famous paintings to enjoy, and as the environment becomes an ever more important issue, this work is more important than ever. To highlight this long relationship between the artist and the environment, we’ve assembled a tour of 5 famous art pieces inspired by nature. 1. The Oxbow (1836), Thomas Cole Thomas Cole founded the Hudson River School, one of the most formative groups in American painting. It’s members worshipped the naturally abundant beauty of the Hudson Valley. And one of the best of these is The Oxbow. It shows the Connecticut River Valley as a storm rolls off into the distance. The titular bend in the river, the foreground that frames the scene, and the drama of the rain all combine to create a masterpiece. Some commentators have noted that the painting highlights the arrival of civilization, glimpsed by the cultivated fields in the distance. Today, the Hudson Valley is covered in buildings and cut through by roads. Maybe Cole could see what was coming. 2. Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818), Caspar David Friedrich Caspar David Friedrich was one of the greatest of the German Romantics. His landscapes can celebrate nature, and just as often, they evoke a spookiness that still sends shivers down our spines. But this piece does something else. It stirs us, calls us to action. The wanderer stands in the center of the canvas, his back to us, looking down into the mists that roam the mountains. It’s a stunning natural image and one of the greatest in art. Its power remains more than 200 years after it was painted, and the mark it left on our visual culture cannot be overstated. To this day, the painting appears on numerous album and book covers. 3. Spiral Jetty (1970), Robert Smithson .Not satisfied with just being inspired by nature, the imminent sculptor Robert Smithson chose to collaborate with it for this legendary piece. Made out of basalt rocks, salt crystals, and mud, the enormous feature pushes out into the Great Salt Lake. The space has a haunting aura about it, like a monument from some civilization long past. It’s become a pilgrimage for art lovers for that special quality: you have to see it in person to really get it. In 1999, the Dia Art Foundation took over as the owner of the work, taking on the immense responsibility of maintenance. It’s no easy feat. While Smithson is no longer with us, his unique collaboration with the environment remains. READ: Check out 4 Artworks That Raise Awareness for Environmental Issues 4. Water Lilies (1898), Claude Monet Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series includes several pieces worthy of a spot on this list. But since there are over 250 of them, we had to pick one. But the entire series is worth looking through. These paintings examine Monet’s garden, a place of refuge and inspiration for the artist. By focusing on the water lilies, Monet focuses on the fine details available to all of us willing to take a closer look. While many artists choose to explore the natural world through big, bold landscapes, these paintings are intimate. Monet observes so thoroughly and evokes what he sees through beautiful color. 5. Red Canna (1919), Georgia O’Keeffe Georgia O’Keeffe’s early painting Red Canna reveals all of the features that would go on to define the master’s oeuvre. But it also retains that youthful flair that makes it such an exciting work. At first it seems simple, but once you begin to examine the bold color choices, the strength of the work reveals itself.There are multiple pairs of complementary colors, and a striking mixture of diagonal lines and the vertical jut of the flower itself. As she often did, O’Keeffe explores the similarity between the shapes of plants and the human body. This brings an eerie quality to the painting, making a flower all too familiar with ourselves. Nature and Art These 5 nature art paintings are only the tip of the iceberg. There really is no end to gorgeous art inspired by nature. Hopefully, this list can get you started on your own journey of discovery in this wide and wild field.

RtistiQ

20 Aug 2021

5 min to read

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About Colonial Style Colonial style is an interior design style often associated with the hot climate. Having a controversial history, it emerged during the Age of Discovery (15th and 16th centuries) and reached its highest refinement during the British Empire’s heyday, just before WWI. At its peak, a colonial-style house would have been a happy marriage between the best of both East and West. Unique furniture to cater to the British taste was made out of locally sourced wood and decorated exquisitely by master artisans from Africa, India, Asia, and the Caribbean. Today, colonial style defines a timeless aesthetic of natural materials on a plain background, spiced up by curated items. A style that embraces the hot and humid climate and its lavish nature. Natural materials and rich textures Given the tropical climate, the furniture was traditionally made from locally sourced wood such as teak or natural grasses, rattan, bamboo, cane, or wicker to allow it to expand and contract depending on the humidity levels. These materials are rich in texture and can add an extra layer of comfort but remain very practical. Banana leaf is woven light fittings, or ceiling fans add an exciting contrast against traditional darker furniture and keep you cool by ensuring better airflow. For indoor-outdoor living, low-maintenance jute rugs and lots of baskets for storage are essential. NATHAN PADDISON, HoleEarDaze Exotic prints Another important element of the colonial interior design style is the prints. Palm trees, tropical flora, fauna, or chinoiseries prints are often featured in this type of interior. Introduce prints subtly by adding soft furnishings, a few cushions on a plain couch, or the upholstery of a chair, or go all out with an entire wall or even a room covered in a statement jungle mural or a botanical-themed wallpaper. For someone far away from the tropics, looking to recreate the look, it might evoke feelings of exciting times of adventure and discovery. Still, for those lucky enough to call the tropics their home, it’s a constant reminder of the surrounding natural beauty. Eclectic collections Traced back to colonial times, this design style was defined by displaying eclectic artifacts collected during long explorative travels. Nowadays, it is less a Cabinet of Curiosities and more of beautifully curated vignettes of objects acquired during family holidays. Fine China and antique silver can be sat on shelves along with artisan objects, family photos, and hand-made candles – always channel your inner Wes Andersen when it comes to grouping objects. ANANTA MANDAL BanarasGhat II Beautiful art The eclecticism of the style can be successfully paired with contemporary art. Many contemporary artists are depicting nature-related subjects if you wish to highlight this in a more nature-oriented manner. If you prefer to create a more tranquil space, you can choose an atmospheric painting that works perfectly as a binder between the rest of the elements, through color pallet or even subject. Author: Floarea Baenziger Design credits: Vintage British Colonial Style Bamboo and Rattan Lowboy Dresser Modern Ceiling Lamp in the style of Chinese Lanterns. Vintage chair upholstered in a chinoiserie pattern called Chinese Garden A beautiful and inspiring book, Singapore Colonial Style: Interiors of Black & White Houses

RtistiQ

16 Aug 2021

5 min to read

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Choosing great art for your home can be one of the most fulfilling ventures. Nevertheless, the process of choosing art can be intimidating. Why? Because they don’t know how to choose the right artwork for their home or office. Luckily, we have a few questions to help you find out what artwork to buy. We’ll break it down into areas of the house to make it even easier to follow along. How to Choose Artwork for Your Office Buying wall art for the office can be tough, especially if you have business partners or clients visit. Do you work in a creative field?If so, consider abstract art with lots of unexpected color and shapes, something that keeps you thinking in new ways. This will keep you on your toes and show off your lively free thinking. Do you work in an engineering field or with statistics? Maybe go with clean abstract expressionism, like Mark Rothko or Barnett Newman. Thoseserene blocks of color will give off sophistication while appearing serious minded. Do you work in travel or serve a global clientele? Consider travel photography art prints. These will give your office that sense of adventure and world-wide reach that your work should inspire. Do you work in traditional fields that require high trust, like insurance or real estate? If you work in these sectors, go for representational paintings. A classic approach will establish you as reliable and rooted in a long legacy. As you can see, there is a kind of painting for almost every form of work. When you use artwork to align your office with your values, you’re already one step ahead of the competition. How to Choose Artwork for Your Kitchen The kitchen is the heart of the home. Why shouldn’t it have a lot of beautiful artwork? Do you cook a lot of a certain cuisine? If so, consider buying artwork from the same cultural background as the food you love to cook. This can be especially fun, as many of us use our cooking to connect to our cultural roots, even if we’ve moved to a different part of the world. If you go this route, make sure to support the artists from the culture. Do you like keeping a clean kitchen? If that sounds like you, you probably have a lot of white tile and/or stainless steel. Maybe you have marble countertops. These will give you colors and shapes to guide you in buying art. READ: Tips on How to Buy Art Online Are you the next Julia Child? If you like to experiment and push yourself to cook masterpieces, maybe you would like to fill the kitchen with still life paintings of food. There are plenty of fine art masterpieces that lovingly portray food, and these can be found in beautiful fine art prints. Is your kitchen a mess of unopened mail and used mainly to reheat leftovers? Yeah, we feel you. Maybe pick a strong theme and run with it. Find a subject matter you like (maybe paintings of nature or whatever fits you) and stick with it. This will give it a warm, at-home quality. No matter how you run your kitchen, there is a form of artwork to get you the right painting. How to Choose Artwork for Your Living Room Ah, the living room. The place where families come together. Why not give them something to look at? ● Do you do a lot of entertaining? Maybe go for big pop art pieces, something that really makes a statement. This can give the space a lot of energy and get people talking. ● Do you like to keep it cozy? Nostalgic painting of days gone by can help set the mood. Look for paintings that remind you of childhood, or those sweet moments by the fire. ● Is your living room toy central? If playtime is the main attraction, it might be good to pick something the kidswill love. Large animals are great, like giraffes and elephants and bears. ● Do you do more reading than TV watching? Express that side with prints of neoclassical paintings with historic scenes. Art is the perfect way to make a gathering space beautiful. Buying That Perfect Work of Art These questions should help you get on the right track and find the artwork you’ve been waiting for. No matter the space, you can find the painting for you. It might take a little time, but if you know what you want, you’ll get there. Good luck! If you are ready to explore artworks for your home & office, RtistiQ is the place to be. Our art platform makes the experience of buying art for your home enjoyable. From abstract art to nature collections, our online art gallery brings a wide range of artworks in multiple styles that fit your mood/taste. Explore our artworks today!

RtistiQ

13 Aug 2021

5 min to read

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What is Postmodernism? Like most of the movements in art and architecture, the Postmodern movement, sometimes called PoMo, developed as a reaction against Modern architecture and design. Unlike Mid-century modern architecture guided by simplicity and functionality, Postmodern design embraces unconventional ideas with an emphasis on playful, artsy, and extravagant style. The Postmodernists were not theoreticians, they enjoyed experimenting with vivid colors, theatrical shapes, exaggerated forms and mostly they enjoyed breaking the rules of architecture and design. The “Birth” of Postmodernism It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact starting point of Postmodernism, but most of the schoolers agree that a possible “birth” could be traced back to Ettore Sottsass’s Totem, an industrial ceramic work created for the exhibition "Menhir, Ziggurat, Stupas, Hydrants & Gas Pumps" in Milan in 1967, now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art design collection. Another arguable origin for postmodernism is the book Learning from Las Vegas (1972) by the American duo Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. In this book, the pair argues that the multiplicity of architectural styles that is so typical for Las Vegas hotels and casinos is a subversion of modernist notions of “taste”, particularly in the form of neon signage. Tacony Palmyra Bridge, SUE GRAF Punk is in the House Postmodernism emerged in times of rapid social change and challenging economic circumstances. This was a time when the anti-establishment subculture, the punk music and the deconstructed fashion of Vivian Westwood, emerged. Almost at the same time, at the end of the 70s, architect Frank Gehry was taking apart his Santa Monica home and reconstructed it in a radical manner much ahead of its time. The interior walls were removed to expose structural elements, plywood was added to the exterior, and corrugated metal panels, more common of barn roofs than of suburban homes, were used to decorate the outer walls. The statement of the 1980s In the 1980s everything became a style statement. Cutting-edge graphics in art, magazines and music videos energized a new, post-punk subculture. Postmodern characteristics of vivid colors, theatrical shapes and exaggerated forms became the dominant look in fashion, furniture and accessories. The MEMPHIS Group The Memphis Group was a radical design group that emerged in 1981 in Milan, Italy. The group was founded by the designer and architect Ettore Sottsass and his fellow Italian creatives with the aim to create a new design collective. They took their name from a Bob Dylan song titled Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again. Only six years later the members of this loose group of like-minded designers suddenly disbanded. Memphis was a reaction against the status quo. If the Bauhaus and the modernist designers made austere furniture with chrome and leather or expensive wood, Memphis designers had an affection for affordable materials such as plastic. The group’s concept was centered around “radical, funny, and outrageous”. Their aesthetic was a mix of geometric shapes, zany patterns and loud colors. Essentially, disregarding what was considered “good taste”, the Memphis group combined the geometric figures typical of the Art Deco movement from the 20s with the color palette of the Pop Art movement from the 60s with a touch of 50s kitsch. A Unique Style Controversy aside, the Memphis group was ground-breaking. Their use of clashing colors, haphazard arrangements was previously unseen. The laminate and terrazzo materials, which were usually used as flooring surfaces, were now incorporated into tables and lamps. It was a radical departure from the concept of objects designed to be functional, not decorative. Memphis changed all this with a more creative and humorous approach to design. Les chiens roses, DOMINIQUE ALBERTELLI From Subculture to Mainstream Among the early few supporters was the fashion designer of the Chanel House, Karl Lagerfeld. He was so impressed by Sottsass’s design that he bought his entire first collection. When David Bowie’s estate auctioned his art collection in 2016, it was revealed that he had collected more than 400 pieces of Memphis items since the '80s. Whit such influencing followers, the period Memphis items reached the cult status being highly sort after by design collectors and being exhibited in major art & design museums. V&A London has dedicated a major retrospective in 2011-2012 Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970 - 1990. Vitra Museum, in Germany, has currently on display Memphis: 40 Years of Kitsch and Elegance (06.02.2021 – 23.01.2022). Today the postmodernism is no longer a radical movement or a subcultural but it has become mainstream. The Revival of Postmodernism Once laugh at as the epitome of bad taste, the Memphis aesthetic is back in style, maybe once again as a reaction against the modernist-influenced interior design that has dominated the past decade from the Haussmannian apartments in Paris to Manhattan studios. Strange times are asking for bizarre furniture. If you feel brave enough to bring a touch of 80s in your home, the original Memphis pieces are still in production or have been re-edited and available for purchase through Memphis Milano. Additionally, the preloved furniture market is spoiled for choices with period items to dazzle your mood. Countless furniture and accessories young designers are reinterpreting this style by giving it a fresh look. Ruang Abu-abu, DIDUNG PUTRA Bold Art for Bold Design When it comes to choosing the art, there is no reason to be shy, follow the true Memphis spirit, and go for statement pieces, and vivid colors. Don’t forget that there is no middle way for this design style, more is more. References: Celia White, From Neon to New Order Paul Atkinson, Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970-1990 Sarah Barnes, How the Memphis Movement Went Against “Good Taste” to Inspire Designers Today Design references: Playful Cocktail pendant light designed by Hanna Anonen Coffee table part of Kelly Behun's capsule collection and pop-up shop for Barney's New York Known as La Mamma, Big Mama, or Donna, the iconic Up red chair and footstool were created by Gatano Pescce in 1968 for B&B Italia. The ceramic turquoise black and white bowl designed by Ettore Sottsass in the 1960s for Bitossi Italia. Shogun table lamp was designed in 1985 by the Swiss architect Mario Botta for Artemide. Malachite large plate. Coffee table book The Impossible Collection of Design. Bishop ceramic occasional table or stool (pink and green) by the French interior designer India Mahdavi. 1972 Ekstrem chair designed by Terje Ekstrom. Sam Son chair designed by Konstantin Grcic for Magis Tahini lamp, 1981 a design icon by Ettore Sottsass.

RtistiQ

09 Aug 2021

5 min to read

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