Richard Schmid is an amazing contemporary artist, whose books (specifically “Alla Prima II”) I often feel tempted to buy, but the price is quite high even for used copies (~$150-200), so I still haven’t bought it yet. For me, it’s still very expensive. By the way, in the book, he shows the process of creating his works layer by layer.
I remind you that similar posts are grouped under the tag #artrauflikes, and on beinginamerica.com in the “Art Rauf Likes” section, you can find all 58 of them (as of now), unlike Facebook, which forgets (or ignores) almost half of them.
I published a new article on my hybrismart. Just imagine, you have a website (frontend + backend) and they are exchanging requests, and you want to change a request on the fly — the parameters or even the JSON that is sent or received from the server back to the browser, all without altering the website’s code. Theoretically, the site might not even be yours 🙂 The reasons can vary — perhaps to test a concept before asking developers to implement it properly, to swap the actual response with a template one, to enable debugging through some debug parameter, to simulate an erroneous/invalid API response, or to remove or alternatively set some headers. For all of this, there isn’t a straightforward free solution “out of the box.” I had to create one myself. The article includes analysis and code that can be used.
Today in the news, the UK is abuzz with controversy over the new official portrait of King Charles III by Jonathan Yeo. It is quite contentious. However, after the portrait of the Queen painted from life by Lucian Freud, which also faced significant criticism, the British have continued to invite artists who love to experiment. So, Jonathan Yeo. He actually has some good paintings. I am attaching some of them, and at the end, the controversial portrait of Charles. The artist probably thought that if he made a simple official portrait in a classic style, it wouldn’t garner the needed attention. Well, he wasn’t wrong.
I remind you that similar posts are grouped under the tag #artrauflikes, and on beinginamerica.com in the “Art Rauf Likes” section, you can find all 58 of them (as of now), unlike Facebook, which forgets (or ignores) almost half of them.
A truly excellent short documentary from 53 years ago (in Russian). Highly recommended viewing. It features a bald man who perplexes a young woman with various follies. The original title is “Physics at Half Past Nine”. Tsentrnauchfilm, 1971. Scriptwriter and director: S. Raytburt. Raytburt, incidentally, received an award at the Venice International Film Festival for “The Development of Reflex Activity in Ontogeny”. It’s a shame that almost all his films are unavailable online.
Arkhip Kuindzhi (1842, Mariupol). In Russia and Ukraine, this name is probably known to everyone, but outside these countries, almost no one knows him. Meanwhile, he left a very interesting mark in history.
I remember “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” well in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. It should be noted immediately that the painting has darkened significantly over time. It creates a complex impression — the colors seem almost luminescent (but they’re not). Printed reproductions, photographs, and online images fail to convey the magic of this painting. Anyone who has been to the museum and seen it with their own eyes will confirm this 🙂 What also deserves special attention is how Kuindzhi showcased the painting. The canvas was displayed in a darkened room, with walls draped in dark fabric, and it was impossible to approach the painting closely. Light was directed onto the work in such a way that it reflected off the canvas at a certain angle, making the thickest areas of paint gleam as if they were burning from within. It created the impression that the viewer was not looking at a painting but through a window.
It is curious how Kuindzhi depicts moonlit nights in other nocturnes. He does not paint the moon itself. It is located outside the canvas — behind the viewer. Although the moon itself is not visible, the light makes it clear that it is a full moon. Kuindzhi aimed to convey how moonlight reflects off different surfaces, and he succeeded in doing so.
In 1882, at the peak of his success and popularity, Arkhip secluded himself in his studio and did not allow any visitors. His further creative life became a mystery to everyone. Admirers and critics began to believe that Kuindzhi had exhausted himself. But he continued to create; he simply did not want to show his works to people. The artist’s seclusion ended in 1901, almost twenty years later, when Kuindzhi reminded everyone of his existence. He showed his students and friends four paintings, and later, other works became known as well.
I remind you that such posts are grouped under the tag #artrauflikes, and on beinginamerica.com in the “Art Rauf Likes” section, all 57 (as of now) are available (unlike on Facebook, which forgets (ignores) almost half). Very likely the posts are available on raufaliev.com as well — the migration is in progress.
Ans Debije (Netherlands). Her still life technique is impressive: from a distance, they look hyper-realistic, but up close, it’s pure impressionism. The way materials are conveyed is amazing—just one spot or brushstroke, and you can immediately tell if it’s plastic, glass, or metal. She has hundreds, maybe even thousands, of small works, and they are all simple and beautiful. Choosing the best is difficult. Check out her website — https://www.ansdebije.nl/. Brilliant!
Today I’m showcasing a very unique artist, Michael Taylor. His works remind me a bit of Lucian Freud (I should write about him separately sometime). Both artists hail from the British school. Among the paintings included, there is “Boy with an Apple,” commissioned by director Wes Anderson for his film “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” The fictional story of the portrait played a crucial role in the plot of the film, serving as a MacGuffin—a pivotal item around which the action is built. Notice that the paintings are simultaneously photorealistic and not realistic at all. This is what is known as “controlled distortion.” Very unusual and very cool.
Published a new article on Hybrismart.com. It’s about building a monitoring system for e-commerce business metrics. Things like order volume, SLA compliance for business processes, tracking the creation of new database items, etc. Come read it.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 