-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Categories
Meta
Follow Blog via Email
Monthly Archives: November 2012
BOOKS—WHERE ARE THEY GOING?
For many centuries, books were the virtually sole way to find out what others in other places were thinking about. Since the dawn of printing, artisans of book design and artisans of discursive design have found indescribable gratification in being … Continue reading
A.M. CASSANDRE
One of the most resolved poster artists to grace the era (1890–1940) of the métier’s heyday was A.M. Cassandre. During the 1920’s and 1930’s he designed enticements–particularly for transportation firms–which would impact by way of streamlined composition and surrealist spatiality … Continue reading
PARIS, OF COURSE (First of a series on Paris, and other great cities)
Rue de l,arbre sec (Street of the Dry Tree), the site of the gallows in medieval Paris, and also the site of the once-glorious Art Nouveau department store, La Samaritaine, now shut down (just off the right foreground of the … Continue reading
CRUISIN’
There’s something about the sea, and it has a lot to do with motion. It also has a lot to do with the glamor of joy amidst the unknown. That might seem a bit abstruse for a design project dug … Continue reading
FRIDA KAHLO
Diego Rivera could be termed a happy chef, mixing many gifts of nature and history into revealing and joyous adventures of taste and travel (hard or otherwise). His far less happy partner, Frida Kahlo, was something else. And yet, you … Continue reading
PANORAMA DE LA MONTAGNE
Panorama de la Montagne 1938 Alexandra Exter (illustrator) Marie Colmont (author) The “piece of resistance”–from the point of view of graphic art– in the Pere Castor series is the 1938 accordion book, that unfolds to 94″ (ht. 9 3/8″) to … Continue reading
DIEGO AND FRIDA
The paintings and murals of Diego Rivera are not simply impressive in themselves, as evoking dramatic places and events; but they bring about a range of hitherto incongruous historical resources which, in this aggregation, impressively foreshadows new avenues of momentum. … Continue reading
PERE CASTOR’S SERIES OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS
When we hear the expression, “French Illustrated Books,” our thoughts immediately turn to dazzling, audacious imagery in tandem with chic, often risque literature. But there is a remarkable and much-beloved series of that genre which devotes graphic printing prowess to … Continue reading
THE SAGA OF JACQUES DEMY:PAUL AUSTER’S “THE BOOK OF ILLUSIONS”
© 2010 James Clark I’ve introduced this piece, before dealing with “The Elephant Man” and “The Straight Story,” because it provides a look at someone else, besides Lynch, who has become haunted by the energies of French Surrealist artists. Moreover, … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Performance Art
Tagged contemporary film, contemporary novel, Jacques Demy, Paul Auster
Leave a comment