artcess

grumpy girl and the dog

artcess — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:11:46 +0000

I love the grumpy girl and the white dog – characters created by Yoshitomo Nara. It is just cheerful to stare at them. They touch my heart!!

the mexican couple

artcess — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:15:44 +0000

The couple, Frida and Diego, is a legend. Their stories were probably what the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona was based on.

Frida Kahlo (1907 – 1954) had a life filled with misfortune and misery but she never gave up. At six, Frida contracted polio, which left her right leg thinner than the left, and she disguised by wearing long, colorful skirts. This did not stop her from participating in boxing and other sports. In 1922, she was enrolled in one of Mexico’s premier schools and became one of only thirty-five girls.

In 1925, Frida suffered serious injuries in a traffic accident, including a broken spinal column, collarbone, ribs, pelvis, fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. An iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus, which seriously damaged her reproductive ability. She underwent as many as thirty-five operations as a result of the accident, mainly on her back, her right leg and right foot.

After the accident, Kahlo turned her attention away from the study of medicine to begin a full-time painting career. Drawing on personal experiences, including her marriage, her miscarriages, and her numerous operations, Kahlo’s works often are characterized by symbolic portrayals of physical and psychological wounds. She insisted, “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.”

Considered the greatest Mexican painter of the twentieth century, Diego Rivera (1886 – 1957) was a notorious womanizer. After two marriages and fathering at least one illegitimate child, he met Frida while he was still married. They married in 1929 when he was forty-two and she was twenty-two. Frida and Diego had fiery temperaments. Diego knew of Frida’s openly bisexual affairs and tolerated her relationships with women, but not her relationships with men. Frida was furious when she learned that Diego had an affair with her younger sister, Cristina. The couple eventually divorced, but remarried in 1940 in San Francisco. Their second marriage was as turbulent as the first.

The Two Frida by Frida Kahlo in 1939

Flower Seller by Diego Rivera

The Broken Column by Frida Kahlo in 1944

Flower Carrier by Diego Rivera

85 new wave…looking at Chinese avant-garde art since 1985

artcess — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:46:18 +0000

When talking about modern art these days, Chinese avant-garde art is perhaps the hottest subject. There have been more than 25 exhibitions devoted to it in the United States alone from 1996 to 2005. The number of art galleries in China is growing in a lightning speed. Until recently, art exhibitions deemed controversial have been closed by police, and performance artists in particular faced the threat of arrest in the early 1990s. More recently there has been greater tolerance by the Chinese government, which triggers the outgrowth of modern art development. Let’s look at the work of some visual artists from this experimental art movement in China:

Pre-Chinese avant-garde

0. Wu Guanzhong 吳冠中 (1919 – )

Graduated from Chongqing National College of Art in China in 1942. In 1947, studied abroad at public expense at the National Higher Education Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, France in painting. Recognized as the leading master of modern Chinese painting by the international art scene of the 20th century.

The Ancient City of Jiaohe by Wu Guanzhong

Untitled (River houses) by Wu Guanzhong

Wistaria by Wu Guanzhong

1985 – present Chinese avant-garde

background: post-Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) in China, the long-repressed artists reemerged and continued to develop since mid-1980s as an outgrowth of modern art development.

1. Wang Guangyi (1956 -)

Leader of the New Art Movement circles that erupted out of China after 1989 and for his Great Criticism series of paintings, using the images of propaganda from the Cultural Revolution and contemporary brand names from western advertising. His works are the visual iconography of both the Chinese Cultural Revolution and American pop art.

Great Criticism - Warhol by Wang Guangyi

Great Criticism - Coca Cola by Wang Guangyi

2. Mao Xuhui (1956 -)

Best-known for his series of scissor paintings, which has a power and depth and style that are surprising for art pieces centered on a single object.

Red Scissors by Mao Xuhui

3. Zhang Xiaogang 張曉剛 (1958 -)

Classified as a contemporary Chinese symbolist and surrealist painter. Best known for his Bloodline series of paintings, which are often monochromatic, stylized portraits of Chinese people, usually with large, dark-pupiled eyes, posed in a stiff manner deliberately reminiscent of family portraits from the 1950s and 60s.

Bloodline: Three comrades by Zhang Xiaogang

A Big Family by Zhang Xiaogang

4. Li Jin (1958 – )

His subjects are often food, sex, women and animals. His pieces are also an expressive and colorful blend of traditional Chinese ink painting and modernist technique.

by Li Jin

5. Yue Minjun 岳敏君 (1962 -)

Best known for oil paintings depicting himself in various settings, frozen in laughter. Classified as part of the Chinese “Cynical Realist” movement in art developed in China since 1989. His work ‘Execution’ was the most expensive work ever by a Chinese contemporary artist, when sold in 2007 for £2.9 million pounds (US $5.9 million) at London’s Sotheby’s.

Execution by Yue Minjun

Butterfly by Yu Minjun

6. Fang Lijun 方力鈞 (1963 -)

Known to be one of the main forerunners of the early 1990’s movement known as Cynical Realism Fang Lijun’s famous figure, together with Yue Minjun’s representative character, have already become well known icons in the world of Chinese contemporary art.

Group Two, No. 2 by Fang Lijun

7. Yang Shaobin (1963 -)

Yang Shaobin is one of China’s most famous Contemporary Oil Painters. Together with Fang Lijun And Yue Minjun he is a leading figure in the movement known as Cynical Realism.

Untitled by Yang Shaobin

8. Liu Ye (1964 -)

In Liu Ye’s art, humor and sadness blend into a whole. The stillness of his ironic images provide us with a deep sense of detachment and timeless freedom.

WOW by Liu Ye

Banned Book by Liu Ye

9. Zeng Fanzhi (1964 -)

Unlike many of the other well-known Chinese painters, Zeng’s subjects are not political but psychological. In his well-known “Mask” series, Zeng’s figures wear a white mask; they are mostly well-dressed urbanites, but they have large, strange hands, weird expressions, blank stares or puzzling eyes.

Tiananmen by Zeng Fanzhi

Mask series by Zeng Fanzhi

Last Supper by Zeng Fanzhi

10. Zhao Bo (1974 -)

Zhao Bo is one of a group of young artists called New Realists, who look to their immediate surroundings, most often life in the streets, as their inspiration and produce works inspired by these scenes.

My Massive Wedding Party by Zhao Bo

New Cellphone by Zhoa Bo

japanese prints by 3 artists from 18th century to gen Y

artcess — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:08:16 +0000

Let’s do a little exercise: In 10 seconds, write down as many things that are related to Japanese culture as you can think of.

Most people will have animations on their lists, as this is one of the things the Japanese does superbly. It is not hard to find this theme reflected in Japanese art. In fact, the root of animation might already be planted 300 years ago through the ukiyo-e prints. Ukiyo-e means “a picture of the floating world” and was a result of the middle-class consumers demanding for contemporary genre scenes. Ukiyo-e arts are charactered by absence of depth, clear and opaque colors. I can see the “Sudden Shower on Ohashi Bridge” by Ando Hiroshige (one of the most renown ukiyo-e artists in the Western world) as the opening scene of a Japanese animate about samurai.

Sudden Shower on Ohashi Bridge by Ando Hiroshige (1857)

Fast forwarding to 20th century. I have to mention Takashi Murakami, who is probably the most well-known Japanese modern artist in the West and was a designer for Louis Vuitton in 2003. People, including me, adore his work, mostly printed by lithography (a method for printing using a plate or stone with a completely smooth surface). His Superflat method very clearly shows the anime influence.

And then, And then, And then... variation by Takashi Murakami

Skull Rock by Takashi Murakami

Recently I have met a young, sweet looking American born Japanese artist in the Bay Area, California. Cat Oshiro was prepping her printed illustrations for sale by consignment in a small Japanese dessert store. I was attracted to her work, which shows huge influence from Hiroshige and Murakami to the Gen Y artists.

Cupcake Ship by Catherine Oshiro

art in the last 588 years

artcess — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:14:21 +0000

The most remarkable artworks were perhaps produced in the last 588 years. I am moving my time pointer back to 1420 to look at how the human culture evolved since then.

1420-1610 Renaissance

renaissance means “rebirth” in French
themes include closeness to nature, and beauty of the human nature

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (Renaissance in Italy)

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarroti (Renaissance in Italy)

Sistine Madonna by Raphael Sanzio (High Renaissance in Italy)

Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time by Angolo Bronzino (Mannerism In Italy)

Laocoon by El Greco (Mannerism in Spain)

Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Renaissance in the Netherlands and Belgium)

Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach the Elder (Renaissance in Germany)

1600-1740 Baroque

baroque was possibly derived from a Portuguese term used to describe erratic shape, and until the late 19th century it was mainly used as a synonym for ‘absurd’
themes include grandeur, drama, vitality, tension, pathos, emotional exuberance

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Carravaggio (Baroque in Italy)

Embarkation of the Queen Sheba by Claude Lorrain (Baroque in France)

The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus by Peter Paul Rubens (Baroque in Flanders)

The Girl with the Pearl Earrings by Jan Vermeer (Baroque in the Netherlands)

The Toilet of Venus by Diego Velazquez (Baroque in Spain)

1700-1770 18th Century: Rococo

rococo means ‘stone’ in French
themes include playfulness, aristocrats, leisure, mythological narratives

The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard (Rococo in France)

1750-1800 18th Century: Neoclassicism

neoclassicism was related to the political circumstances in France
themes include historical events, religious and mythological subjects

Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine by Jacques-Louis David (Neoclassicism in France)

1600-1890 18th Century: Japanese Prints

theme includes ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e woodblock print in Japan

1780-1850 Romanticism

themes include strong emotions, such as trepidation, horror, awe

The Fighting "Temeraire" Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up by J.M.W. Turner (Romanticism in England)

1850-1900 Realism and Naturalism

theme includes everyday life without embellishment or interpretation, realistic objects in a natural setting

Bargemen on the Volga by Ilya Repin (Realism in Russia)

A Bar at the Folies-Bergere by Edouard Manet (Late Realism in France)

1860-1900 Impressionism

impressionism is derived from the title of Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise
themes include ordinary subject matter, unusual visual angles

The Dance Foyer at the Opera by Edgar Degas (Impressionism in France)

Le Déjeuner des canotiers by Auguste Renoir (Impressionism in France)

Venice Twilight by Claude Monet (Impressionism in France)

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat (Impressionism in France)

1860-1900 Post-Impressionism

themes include continuation of Impressionism, individual and subjective expression

At the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Post-Impressionism in France)

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh (Post-Impressionism in France)

1850-1900 Symbolism

themes include spirituality, imagination, dreams

The Scream by Edvard Munch (Symbolism in Norway)

1880-1920 Art Nouveau

art nouveau means ‘new art’ in French
themes include organic, floral and other plant-inspired motifs, highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (Art Nouveau in Austria)

1898-1908 Fauvism

fauvism mean ‘wild beasts’ in French
themes include wild brush work and strident colors, simplification and abstraction

La Dance by Henri Matisse (Fauvism in France)

1905-1940 Expressionism

themes include expression of strong emotion, liberating colors, simplifying forms

Yellow, Red, Blue by Wassily Kandinsky (Expressionism in Germany)

1908-1920 Cubism

themes include abstracted, broken up, analyzed, and reassembled, multitude of viewpoints, random angles, shallow ambiguous space

Tete de femme (Dora Maar) by Pablo Picasso (Cubism in France)

Monsters, Chimeras and Hybrids by Marc Chagall (Cubism in France)

1930-1940 Nouveau Réalisme

nouveau réalisme means ‘new realism’ in French
themes include bringing life and art closer together, collective singularity

Le Due Frida by Frida Kahlo (New Realism in Mexico)

1924-1950 Surrealism

themes include surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non-sequitur

Golconde by Rene Magritte (Surrealism in Belgium)

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali (Surrealism in Spain)

1945 – Abstract Expressionism

themes include spontaneity, unconsciousness and the mind

Orange and Yellow by Mark Rothko (Abstract Expressionism in USA)

1950 – Pop Art

themes include popular mass culture, paintwork and representational art

Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol (Pop Art in USA)

1960 – Op Art

themes include optical illusion, movement, hidden images, flashing and vibration, patterns

Movement in Squares by Bridget Riley (Op Art in England)

many more …

art of independence

artcess — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:51:28 +0000

The Independence Day of United States reminds me of the disabled artists as they have also claimed independence by excelling through their passion and talents in art. The artwork of these 9 disabled artists in United States deeply touch my heart.

1. Michael Starosky (Richmand, California) has never worked in any art medium until at the age of 48. This untitled work, informally called Orange Head, makes me smile. Read more about his work at niadart.org.

Untitled (Orange Head) by Michael Starosky

2. Taneya Lovelace (San Francisco, California) is able to express herself through her dramatic canvases. I will be grateful if I can hang Green Spray in the centre of my living room and enjoy her wonderful work everyday. Read more about her work at creativityexplored.org.

Green Spray by Taneya Lovelace

3. Emily Alexander (Chicago, Illinois) wants “the viewer to see the picture plane as mysterious, and search for the little details that make this mystery.” Butterfly symbolizes the journey of metamorphosis. Read more about her work at vsarts.org.

Butterfly by Emily Alexander

4. William Coppola (Palm Desert, California) created this artwork, Boy and Man at Piano: Ragazzo E Maestro, in 1996, which gives me a sense of warmth. Read more about his work at vsarts.org.

Boy and Man at Piano by William Coppola

5. Albert Chi Hwang (Merced, California) formed his unique style of paintings. Apollo is part of his ‘Circle & Square’ collection, and makes me can’t stop gazing at it. Read more about him at albertchihwang.com.

Apollo by Albert Chi Hwang

6. Sarah Beren (Rochester, New York) uses the body of rabbit as a metaphor for the psyche. I thought it is a smart way to convey her message. Read more about her work at vsarts.org.

Untitled (Rabbit-Turquoise) by Sarah Beren

7. Isaac Powell (Pullman, Washington) says “The title [Growthplate] is personal to me because my right arm was damaged in the womb.” Checkout his portfolio as all his creations are amazing. Read more about his work at isaacpowell.com and vsarts.org.

Growthplate by Isaac Powell

8. Matthew Krawcheck (Miami, Florida) inspires me how to “turn challenge into an advantage”. Read more about his work at mattkrawcheck.com and vsarts.org.

Three Self-Portraits by Matthew Krawcheck

9. Betty Bernard (Galveston, Texas) is good at making art. Spirits and Saints is my favorite piece among her portfolio. Read more about her work at creativityexplored.org.

Spirits and Saints by Betty Benard

Timing the Real Estate Market by Robert M. Campbell

artcess — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:28:00 +0000

Since one of my goals is to have a game plan for our current home, we have been reading about the Campbell Method for buying and selling real estate for maximum profits. Is now a good time to sell or buy home in the bay area? Answers can be found by following the 5 vital sign indicators:

1. Existing Home Sales: down = sell, up = buy (www.DQNews.com)
2. New Home Building Permits: down = sell, up = buy (www.CIRBData.com, www.census.gov/const/www/permitsindex.html, www.recenter.tamu.edu/data/bpm)
3. Mortgage Loan Defaults: down = buy, up = sell (www.DQNews.com)
4. Foreclosure Sales: down = buy, up = sell (www.DQNews.com)
5. Interest Rates: amplifier (www.research.stlouisfed.org/fred2)

Here are the 3 market truths:

1. The vital signs are the language of the real estate market. When they talk, listen.
2. Trust what you see, not what you think.
3. The market is always right, you aren’t.

My 2007 Objectives

artcess — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 18:57:00 +0000

A. Financial/Wealth
4. Plan to sell our current townhome in Redwood Shores (DONE)
- Plan to lock the gain of our primary residence by selling our home by March. If needed, we will move to live in an apartment (with rent of <$1800) temporarily.
- With the net gain of ~$580, we can use 1. ~$300k for real estate investments; and 2. $~280 for liquid investments and reserve for buying a new home.

5. Continue on Investment properties (IN PROGRESS)
- Real estate investments will continue to be my focus in 2007. My goal is to purchase enough properties to give me $10,000/mo of cash flow, and to increase my net worth to $2M. I know I will continue to focus in appreciating markets, e.g. gozone, NC, TN, etc.
- Plan to purchase a duplex in Alabamba for ~$398k which gives break-even cash flow for the first few years.
- Plan to purchase an apartment building in NC, SC, or TN which gives $x000 positive cash flow.

7. New home in Penninsula (ON HOLD)
- This is another carried over objective from last year. Plan to move to a nice SFH in the penninsula area, if the market is in favor.

B. Career/Business
3. Find a part time or a volunteer job as sales or assistance at retail, art gallery, or interior design firm. (DONE)

4. Explore and get started on my own business (DONE)
- I have been seriously thinking about starting my own business lately. Partly because I was inspired by a rich friend; he said, “Corporate america is too comfortable. Go out and get uncomfortable!!” Also, I know I should try something when I’m still young. A quote from Marshall Sylvar. “If not now, when?” So far I have got 2 ideas in mind, and my goal for 2007 is to try and explore them, and to make it profitable:
- a) I am amazed by the talents of the emerging chinese contemporary artists: http://www.artscenechina.com/. I am particularly moved by the works by Wang Xiao Jin, http://www.wang-xiaojin.com/, who is only represented by an art gallery in Shanghai and another one in Florida. I thought, “What about San Francisco?”. Did a brief research and I was not able to find any art gallery focusing on chinese contemporary arts. Can I do something in this area? Can I start my own art gallery? Can I get the artist’s permission to sell his prints at a lower price for middle class clients?
- b) Another idea. When people like me wants to learn jazz piano, learn painting, learn knitting, etc, we go to community colleges or local private schools. When rich people wants to learn these things, what do they do? Always hire private tutors? Can I start a luxury hobby school, targeting rich wives in the Bay Area? Can I find a well built and designed private school in a good location, offering hobby classes at a high tuition? Can I make it like a country club charging a huge membership fee to ensure ‘quality’ of students? I know what I’m selling is the ‘experience’ and a place for people to hang out, have a good time, and at the same time, do something that makes them feel proud of themselves. The school can offer high quality wine, coffee, etc while they are painting, knitting, etc. Once students are inside the school, they do not have to carry cash or credit card. They will be recognized by all employees and everything will be charged to their ‘accounts’.
- Finish writing a business plan and coming up with start up capital

6. New job as Project Manager (DONE)
- This is a carried over objective from last year since I will be starting the new role in mid Jan 2007. My goal is to gain one year experience in the new team, and I will learn from working with senior executives and will get familiar with developing software development processes for a large corporate.

C. Free Time/Fun

D. Health/Appearance
1. Get up at 7:00 am everyday (PARTIAL DONE)
- I have been struggling this this goal for a few months, and was still not able to succeed by the end of last year. I know this goal will be a breakthrough for me, and I will have to accomplish this!
- Daily devotion for 10 minutes.
- A walk for 30 minutes or 30 minutes in gym if raining.

E. Relationships

F. Personal Development/Learning,
2. Set quarterly goals to help achieve my 2007 objectvies. Measure the deliverables. (DONE)

G. Community/Charity

Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

artcess — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 22:11:00 +0000

Amazing book by Napoleon Hill about Andrew Carnegie’s magic formula for success — desire, faith, autosuggestion, specialized knowledge, imagination, organized planning, decision, persistence, power of the master mind, the mystery of sex transmutation, the subconscious mind, the brain, the sixth sense, and the six ghosts of fear.

“Knowledge will not attract money, unless it is organized, and intelligently directed, through practical plans of action to the definite end of accumulation of money….Knowledge is only potential power.”

2006 Year-end Objectives Evaluation

artcess — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:44:00 +0000

Often hear about the importance of writing down, saying out, and measuring our goals. I cannot be more agreed with this statement. The followings are my 2006 new year resolution items and the end-of-year evaluation. Time to celebrate my success!

Goal 1: Get our greencard approved
Result: Achieved
Details: It is interesting that this goal is not really in my total control. However, I would really like to give credit to Law of Attraction. The universe recognized my strong desire to get greencard, and it was granted. The whole process was very smooth as well. It took 2 days to get my LC approved, and approximately half year before I got my greencard. I guess many of us will be surprised how efficient INS was on my case. Thank you!

Goal 2: Get PMP Certification
Result: Achieved
Details: This is my second success of 2006. There were 2 reasons supporting my desire to get PMP Certification: 1) I wanted to change job in 2006 and many jobs required PMP, and 2) I figured getting my work experience and knowledge certified was certainly not a bad idea. As part of the process, I took a course called ‘Project Leadership’ at UCSC, and it confirmed my interest in project management. I learned tons of practical knowledge around leading and motivating a project team, and I put a lot of concepts I learned from the class into experience at work while managing my team of two awesome engineers. The results were really rewarding, and I heard and appreciated positive feedback from my team. There was indeed one obstacle during my application process. First, my application was audited. Second, the audit package I sent in was lost. Finally, I manged to overcome the challenge and worked with the audit specialist to get mine approved. At the end, I passed the examination as expected. I am a hot new PMP 2006!

Goal 3: Get a new job as Project Manager
Result: Pending
Details: I am very close in achieving this goal. Immediately after I got my PMP certification, I updated my resume and started my job hunting journey. The process was as not as ‘easy’ as I expected. I did not get as many responses as I thought I would get. I found out that the companies were looking for individuals with more experience, and most of them were not offering my expected salary. Then, I saw a posting of internal transfer — a Project Manager position in the oracle fusion process management group! This was exactly what I wanted! I got the job offer, and the negotiated transfer date is 1/15/2007! I am absolutely ready to move to the new team. However, I got a news that my transfer was on hold because there was a possibility of transfer freeze in the company. I know if I wanted to transfer out, I will succeed. I will update this as I get more update.

Goal 4: Move to a new home
Result: Pending
Details: We are still in the process of looking for a new home. I will update this as I get more update.

Goal 5: Purchase 2 investment properties
Result: Achieved
Details: 2006 was really an excited year for us. We went through numerous training and sales events around real estate investment in the latter half of the year, and we are expecting to close 2 pre-construction land properties by end of this year. They are Grande Harbor in TN and River Rock in NC.