Art History
Mooncakes to Lanterns: Artistic Symbols of the Mid-Autumn Celebration
Jun 17, 2024
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11 minutes read
The Zhongqiu Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, is celebrated with a rich tapestry of religious and cultural art forms, each carrying deep symbolic meanings. This festival, deeply rooted in Chinese tradition, showcases a variety of artistic expressions that encompass moon worship, offerings to the moon, and the display of lanterns, all of which play crucial roles in the festivities.
Art History
Reflecting on Tradition: Contemporary Art's Homage to the Mid-Autumn Festival
May 27, 2024
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6 minutes read
The Mid-Autumn Festival, a celebration rooted in over 3,000 years of Chinese tradition, has evolved from ancient harvest rituals to a cherished occasion symbolizing unity and familial ties. From moon worship to lantern displays, its themes resonate in contemporary art, bridging tradition with modern aesthetics.
Art History
Painting: the faces of the moon
Oct 31, 2023
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9 minutes read
Once the sun goes to sleep, returning every night to the same bed, he feels the absence of the woman he will never meet, the moon, who, waking up in her place, leaves, besides the messy sheets, a strong absence...
Art History
Moonlit Meditations: Uposatha and Artistic Expression
Jun 11, 2024
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9 minutes read
Uposatha, originating from the Muluposatha Sutta around 600 BCE, is a crucial Buddhist observance that offers opportunities for ethical reflection and spiritual growth through practices tied to lunar phases. Adapted from pre-Buddhist Brahmin rituals, it involves intensified precept observance, meditation, and Dhamma study, fostering communal reciprocity and remaining significant in both Theravada and Mahayana traditions.
Art History
Artistic Interpretations of Magha Puja
May 30, 2024
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6 minutes read
Magha Puja, a revered festival among Theravāda Buddhists, originated from a historic gathering between the Buddha and his disciples, emphasizing core principles of the faith. Instituted by King Rama IV in 1851, it symbolizes communal harmony and spiritual urgency, inspiring contemporary art and reaffirming its relevance in the modern world.
Art History
Gates of the Afterlife: Exploring the Zhongyuan Festival Through Art
Jun 12, 2024
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7 minutes read
The Ghost Festival, also called Zhongyuan or Yulanpen Festival, is observed in East and Southeast Asian cultures on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month. It centers on ancestor veneration and the cyclical nature of life and death, resonating through historical roots to modern expressions in art and rituals, offering insight into the human experience and the link between the spiritual and mundane realms.
Art History
Art history: interiors with windows
Oct 3, 2023
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8 minutes read
The above is followed by an art-historical study regarding the window, aimed at highlighting how, within some masterpieces of art history, its depiction has not only been linked to figures with an attitude akin to Madame Bovary's...
Art History
Blending Tradition and Modernity: Vesak's Artistic Exploration of Symbolism
May 6, 2024
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10 minutes read
Vesak is a significant Buddhist festival commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. Artistic representations of Vesak commonly utilize traditional symbols like the Bodhi tree, lotus flower, and Buddha statues, invoking themes of enlightenment, compassion, and spiritual awakening.
Art History
Asalha Puja and Art: A Harmonious Celebration of Dharma
Jun 17, 2024
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12 minutes read
The Asalha Puja, an important Buddhist celebration marking the Buddha's first sermon, is enriched by various forms of artistic expression such as paintings, frescoes and sculptures, incorporating both traditional and modern techniques.
Art News
7 of the Best Art Projects and Oddities at Burning Man 2022
Aug 31, 2022
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2 minutes read
It's already a few day of Burning Man 2022, and a lot of Burners brought their favorite Starlink satellite internet kits with them, so they're online and we can see what's been built in Black Rock City this year.
Art History
Hi Barbie, Hi Ken!
Jul 23, 2023
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8 minutes read
Avoiding dwelling at length on the ways in which advertisements have come to be part of our lives today, occupying them nefariously for almost every second, taking the most varied forms, it is good to reveal how man was once actually free to choose what he needed, simply by employing his brain...
Art History
Basquiat painting Warhol and the contrary...
May 14, 2023
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8 minutes read
It is often thought that it was only the paintbrush, chisel, etc. that forged the narrative of art history, forgetting that the latter is primarily made up of people and, consequently, of fruitful encounters, without which the innovations of a single genius would surely not have found the deserved understanding and success...
Art History
2023: like Alice in Wonderland...
Jan 22, 2023
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9 minutes read
In keeping with the most classic Disney quote, I refer to the image of Alice, who, lying comfortably on a meadow in the company of her cat, lets time pass lost in thought. At some point, as we all know, the maiden's attention is caught by a strangely elegant and hasty rabbit, who, erect on his two white paws is pining in order not to be late for who knows what ever appointment...
Art History
The desert between land art, painting and sculpture
Nov 6, 2022
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7 minutes read
The desert topical has been told through the point of view of land art, a contemporary art form that originated in the United States during the 1960s, which abandoned the boundaries of the traditional pictorial and sculptural medium...
Art History
MOMA Masterpieces: Contemporary Interpretations
Feb 23, 2022
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7 minutes read
The iconic institution of New York's MOMA is home to such timeless works of art as Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night, Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans and Jasper Johns' Flag. Such masterpieces continue to be a source of inspiration for contemporary artists around the world, who have re-interpreted them into original, modern, current and sometimes ironic pieces of art...
Artist Portraits
Francesca Borgo: I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting
Oct 28, 2023
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7 minutes read
"I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting since I was kid and kept doing it as a hobby until 6-7 years ago. Then I had a medical condition that blocked me at home for weeks."
Artist Portraits
Irena Aizen, the psychology of human interrelationships
Jul 23, 2022
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8 minutes read
Irena Aizen's figurative production carries forward the goal of investigating subjects of personal interest to the artist. In fact, Aizen's works often analyze the psychology of human interrelationships, represented through the prism of naive and childlike perception of the world...
Artist Portraits
Perception and Reality in the Art of René Magritte
Jun 19, 2024
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8 minutes read
René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his thought-provoking paintings that challenge the viewer's perception of reality. His work often explored themes of perception, identity, the nature of objects, and the relationship between words and images, all presented in a surreal and enigmatic style.
Art History
3 ways to travel with paintings
Aug 9, 2023
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8 minutes read
We are at the beginning of August and the cities are finally emptying out, people are saying their goodbyes and postponing their talk until September...