Today I give you Lucas de Alacantara, a delightfully imaginative artist (not much info about him that I could find).
His work also contains a number of elaborate steampunk contraptions…
Tag: art
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On any given day, I’m guilty of countless curiosity tangents. After seeing one word or image that strikes me, I’m liable to spend (too much) time in search of related images, information and anecdotes.
Today? VINTAGE STRONGMEN, inspired by these bandages seen on Swissmiss:
Outlets for the general fascination with physical strength shape-shift through generations, but the fascination itself appears to be a constant of the human experience.
Since images like the ones above are easy enough to search out (if you’re so inclined…which you’re probably not), I’m going to focus on a few of the things that surprised me in my strongman odyssey.
I came across many more dolls and toys than I expected. Particularly modern ones. There’s a strongman revival in the works, folks. Believe it.
Perhaps the toy trend comes from the recent hipster adoption and pop culture resurrection of the handlebar moustache.
They just kept popping up!
Inherently contradictory paper strongman:
Awww…
There are a variety of vintage toys as well.
No idea about this one…
I really wonder what this old “Rover” LP sounds like:
For those who wanted to measure their own “strongmanity” (my adjective describing one’s degree of strongman attributes):
Lou has Muscles and Might (though surprisingly weak ankles):
Mildly uncomfortable…
More uncomfortable…
Best left unexplored, really…
Yearning to know more? Try a Composite Guide.
There were indeed comic representations too, but that’s a whole other story.
I’ll wrap it up here with a classic poster.
You’ll find the greatest wealth of images on Oldtime Strongman (I didn’t take images from the site for this post because I found the logos distracting to look at, but much effort clearly went into this site).
This post is dedicated to the mighty Buff Jenkins, who has helped me loosen many a jar lid. May your tankinis always be striped and well-fitted!
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I considered posting about Linn Olofsdotter a long time ago, and I’m not entirely sure why I put it off. I came across one of her works again recently, reminding me to highlight a few of my favorites here.
Her graphic design work is whimsical and complex; divergent forms organically morph into one another in swirls, bursts and vivid color.
I love the chaotic, bright collages of life that pop out of the darkness.
See more on her site.
Note: due to some things I must take care in the non-blog world, I’ll be using posts from my stockpile for the next week or so. Please excuse me if I don’t comment back or answer contacts right away.
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Mads Peitersen brings us something outside the realm of standard form and function. What if your own prized gadgets housed human(ish) anatomical structures?
Now place your ear close to your computer and check for a heart beat…
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The art of cake making has really taken off in the past few years, elevating a simple confection to a work of intricate sculpture.
Cookieboy works on a smaller scale; humble shapes of dough are his tiny canvas.
The only problem with these cookies is that I’d almost feel guilty eating them…like I’m destroying hard work.
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Sandra Yagi has a show opening up on January 12th at the Bert Green Fine Art Gallery in Los Angeles.
I like her “Dancing With the Stars” series of conjoined dancing skeletons, perhaps because it’s the only time I’ve seen a modicum of whimsy in this otherwise morbid, macabre subject matter.
The Anatomicals are also wonderful.
She has some clever Mutant Creatures as well.
From the artist statement:
Contemporary culture, human folly and an obsessive curiosity for the macabre provide the fuel for my subject matter. My work is inspired by the natural sciences as well as by the classical drawing techniques of the old masters, including anatomical studies by artists such as Andreas Vesalius and Bernhard Siegfried Albinus. My recent paintings incorporate anatomical imagery to explore the human psychological condition, such as cutaway skulls portraying our basic human drives and the thin veneer of humanity overlaying our animal nature.Many more works at the gallery.
Artist site -
I recently learned that there is a Society of Wood Engravers; an international group of artists dedicated to creating and sharing relief prints of all types.
As you may know by now, I love when artists continue to practice the antiquated art forms so often usurped by digital techniques. Wood engraving is a rather laborious classic art form, but the results can be beautiful.
Some of the Society’s artists have a truly distinct style.
And sometimes the less elaborate prints have a unique twist.
See the galleries here.
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Fellow North Easterners, let’s take a small break from describing recent weather with suffixes like “pocalyse” and “ageddon” and look at few sketches that remind us how gorgeous snow can be…when we don’t have to deal with it personally.
Since I am unable to speak or read Russian, I can’t impart any info about this artist. Just sit back and enjoy the view.
I’m posting some of the larger landscape sketches, but there are a number of “close ups” which also demonstrate amazing depictions of light and detail.
Nature, it its cruel indifference, is really quite breathtaking…
Many more here.
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Dan Funderburgh has designed a series of wallpapers and prints based on vintage scientific images.
Looking at the large wallpaper panels nearly made me hyperventilate (why do I experience the covetous lust for scientific art that most women feel toward shoes and handbags?).
Hang on…I’m still fantasizing about having one of these panels in my house…perhaps this one (such subtle brilliance!)…
“The work of a scientist is based on the conviction that nature is basically orderly. Evidence to support this faith can be seen with the naked eye – in the design of a honeycomb or a mollusk’s shell – but scientists seek and discover patterns at every level of being. – The Scientist, Henry Margenau. This series of prints and wallpapers is an interpretation of the Time Science Library – 25 books that were published between 1964 and 1967 on topics such as ‘Energy’ ,’Matter’, and ‘The Mind’. The work is a recognition of the art of knowledge and of the poetry of things we do not and can not know. It’s also a tribute to my parents who are biochemists and my grandfather – an engineer who left me the books.” – Dan Funderburgh.
SheWalksSoftly 