Last Supper Paintings and Portion Size

Last week the Internet was a buzz about the portion sizes of the food depicted in various last supper paintings. An AP article about this issue can be read here. Another article covering the same issue can be read here.

The issue at hand, was that over the years portion sizes in the various images have increased. The articles both explain the process of how these images were analyzed. They also both went into an explanation of how this has related to portion sizes and overeating. However, form my point of view this is another example of the ideal vs. the real.

Many of the paintings analyzed were created hundreds of years ago. The food making process has changed considerably since then, and therefore the ideal of what food should look like has also changed. I think that this issue is less about portion size, and more about what the ideal food should look like.

Art, reality, and a little on Toyota

The post for this week is structured around the ideas of reality and art. I have long been a fan of Plato's take on reality and art, and I will explain his philosophy on this issue again, if you are unfamiliar with it. The topic for this week was inspired by Toyota's bad luck of late, and a news report filed by ABC News. To read that report in full, click here.

The ABC News report was about the braking issues that Toyota is experiencing. A professor at Southern Illinois University (GO SIU!) reported to a congressional hearing on the braking issue, and how he re-created some of these problems in the lab. The tachometer that monitored the revving engine was filmed twice. Once during the actual on-the-road test, and then again in a stationary position on blocks. The second filming, when the car was on blocks, was easier to see. The vibrations of the car made visibility in the on-the-road test difficult. Since the footage of the test on blocks was easier to see, this was what was used in the final report. Toyota has taken issue with this presentation, and said the conditions of each test would produce different tachometer readings.



To me this all relates to reality, and how reality is depicted. I said I would relay the thoughts of Plato and reality, but in the in the interests of keeping this blog entry at a reasonable length, I will refer you here. What does all of this have to do with art? Art is reflection of reality. Even if the theme of the work is fantasy, that idea is based on some reality or another. Additionally the issue with ABC News was based on an aesthetic decision. Reality in art, and more widely in aesthetics, is based on decisions made by individuals. How those individuals are communicating their vision of reality is the real issue. Post your comments, and I'll see you next time.

2 for 1 post

The topics (There are two! It's a two for one deal.) this week were sent to me by a friend. One discussed art produced on skateboards, and the other examined the work of Theodore Geisel AKA Dr. Seuss.

The article on skateboard art can be read here.
As I read this, I was not so critical on the artists descicion to paint an image on skateboards (as the argument of the article seems to describe) rather, I was more interested in why he chose skateboards. As I have often posted here, I firmly belive art is a tool meant for communication. The idea being expressed should be a part of all elements within the work. When I was in art school an artist and fellow student decided to produce his imagry on televisions, suitcases, hatboxes, and various other objects rather than paper or canvas. The image painted on thses items somehow related to what that object was. The result was a complete work where all aspects of visual information applied. I'm less certain of why this artist is painting on skateboards. It seems like he is only interested in making money. If that was his intenion, then I agree with the argument of the article. My reasons for agreement however, are quite different.




The second topic came from another blog. The full story can be read here. This discussion expressed surprise at learning about some politicized imagery produced by "Dr. Seuss." I have to say that I am not surprised. That time period (WWII years) was very politicized for all artists. I've seen similar works produced by Charles M. Schultz from that time period. What would have surprised me would have been to learn that this type of cartoon was produced well afet the war years in private. This is not the case however.



Thats all for this week. Leave your comments, and I will respond. See you next time.

Mathematics could be used to detect forgeries

The other week (I can't really be certain time runs together lately) I heard a story on NPR about a mathematician that developed an equation that could detect if a work of art was genuine or fake. That story can be read and heard by clicking here. I had read about this several years ago, but had not really given it much though since then.

I think the important thing to keep in mind is that the equation does not really detect forgeries (despite my title). It can however, be used to gain a general sense of the marks on the surface when compared to similar marks made on a known work of art. I think math is interesting. I wish I were better at it. I'm glad to see a relationship between maths and art because I think the two seem somewhat compatible. Math can be pretty creative when the right type of person is solving the equation. What are your thoughts on math vs. art?

Caravaggio is 400

I recently found out that is 400 years since Caravaggio's death. There are to be a number of Caravaggio exhibitions throughout the year to commemorate this artist. So I decided to post three images here, in homage. I got these images from flikr so there shouldn't be any infringement issues. What are your thoughts on Caravaggio?

Paintings in the news

This week two paintings were in the news. It isn't often that paintings make the papers, so I thought I would respond to these news items. The first is about Picasso's The Actor, and the second is about the Mona Lisa, and Leonardo DaVinci.

Earlier this week a lady visiting The Metropolitan Museum of art tripped and fell into Picasso's The Actor. This resulted in a rather severe tear. The full story can be read here. I find this type of thing humerus. While I feel very bad for the woman involved and would not want to be in her shoes, I think this incident serves as an example of the impermanence of things. I think this is especially true for art. Far to often galleries, museums, and collectors view their art as this precious item, that is meant to last forever. Nothing lasts forever, and this proves it. Things can be damaged, destroyed, or stolen. Nothing is too sacred as to be permanent. A photo of the painting before it was slashed can be viewed below.



The second item concerns the Mona Lisa, and the painter that created it; Leonardo DaVinci. Apparently, new evidence has come to light that may show how this painting is actually a self portrait. There are some Italians that want to exhume DaVinci's grave and run some tests. This story can be read here. In my opinion this is just silly. Who cares if the Mona Lisa was meant as a self portrait or not? Is that really going to change the painting? I doubt it. There will always be those that disagree with whatever the outcome of the tests is, so this exercise isn't going to solve anything. I'm including a picture of the Mona Lisa as well (although I'm sure you already know what it looks like.)



Those are my thoughts on these news items. What do you think? Leave your response in the comments.

Latest Painting

It's been a while since I have posted anything here. But it has been a while since anybody has read anything posted here. So I guess we are square. This is my latest painting. What do you think? Do you have any comments or suggestions? I had some trouble with the background. I didn't really know what to do with it. I eventually decided to work with color, and I think the color in this composition works very well. This was based on a sketch I did several years ago, and the sketch includes more of the figure. I may try this one again later, in order to get the full image of the dancer. The original sketch can be seen below.