Rabbits

I bought a couple of rabbits with skin on - but dead they were frozen and are defrosting/decaying in a bucket....Not sure now what to do with them I had a plan to try and use the skin but not sure I am brave enough...then I thought I'd take fotos...nead to do something as they cant stay in a bucket...current plan is to put them in one of those vacuum bag things that suck the air out...not of the rabbits! but the bags.. as I think that may slow down or the decay or at least make them easier to control...am possibly going mad!

Wrote this and forgot to publish...I have gone mad

PS Rabbits are now in vacuum bags

I took some pictures...

more john armleder...

a new favourite artist..da da da....John Armleder

I am adding John Armleder to my ulimate favourite list only has 3 others.

jenny holzer

The work of jenny holzer has been shown worldwide in prominent institutions such as the guggenheim museum (new york), the american pavilion at the venice biennale (venice, italy), the institute of contemporary art london (london, england) or the centre pompidou (paris, france). however, the main focus of jenny holzer has been on the investigation of means to disseminate her ideas within public space. since the late seventies, she has been working in the street and in public buildings, using media that would enable her work to blend in the landscape. from lcd displays (e.g., in times square, new york) to posters and stickers (applied to such urban elements as telephone booths or parking meters), the texts function as comments on that environment they fit into, stimulating awareness of our social conditioning as conveyed by the very landscape in which we may be confronted by them. jenny holzer is famous for her short statements, formally
called ‘truisms’. some are common myths while others
are just phrases on random subjects in the form of slogans.
the sayings include:

‘a man can't know what it's like to be a mother’,

‘men are not monogamous by nature’,

‘money creates taste’,

‘a lot of professionals are crackpots’,

‘enjoy yourself because you can't change anything anyway’,

‘freedom is a luxury not a necessity’,

‘don't place too much trust in experts’.


Her medium, whether formulated as a t-shirt, as a plaque,
or as an LED sign, always is writing,
and the public dimension is integral to the delivery of her work.
starting in the late 1970s with the posters that jenny holzer
pasted on buildings in new york city, and up to her recent
xenon projections on landscape and architecture,
her practice has rivaled ignorance and violence with humor,
kindness, and moral courage.


Often holzer's work presents both explicit content and
minimalist aesthetics that make profound statements about
the world of advertising and consumer society today.
by presenting an assemblage of phrases that mimic advertising
slogans through vehicles commonly used in advertising,
such as electric billboards, coffee mugs, and commercials
on cable and network television, holzer questions what
our eyes can see and what we can't see in media,
whether consumers today have any real control over the
information that is provided to them.

Going back to her years as a painter at the rhode island
school of design, holzer says she was influenced by the
‘clean, simple variations’ of minimalist aesthetics in artists
like donald judd, mark rothko and morris louis.

In her seoul exhibit, the artist has carefully arranged the
atmosphere of the gallery display so that viewers
‘won't feel as if they are in las vegas’
as they enter the room installed with electronic screens.
the meditative character of her art comes through with
the installation of two sandstone benches carved with
the artist's writings, which exist both as chairs and as
art pieces by themselves.
---
jenny holzer
was born 1950 in gallipolis, ohio, usa.
she received a BFA in painting and printmaking from ohio
university in 1972 and an MFA in painting from the RISD /
rhode island school of design in 1975.
holzer began to use text in her work while attending
ohio university. an abstract painter while at RISD,
she shifted to public projects and works that were
‘sublime and impressive’.
jenny holzer moved to new york city in 1976 and
enrolled in the whitney museum independent study program,
there she created the first ‘truisms’, in a first stage as a
series of one-liners on posters pasted anonymously around
the city. later she did installations with electronic LED displays
that are attentive to architecture, monuments and memorials;
and since 1996, large-scale xenon projections of text
on buildings and landscape. she has realized these xenon
projections in florence, rome, venice, rio de janeiro, buenos aires,
oslo, paris, bordeaux, berlin, washington, new york city and miami.
holzer received the leone d’oro for her american pavilion
installation at the 1990 venice biennale, was the recipient of the
2002 kaiserring from the city of goslar, germany,
and was awarded the public art network annual award by
americans for the arts in 2004.
she lives and works in hoosick, new york.

Anselm Kiefer

ANSELM KIEFER IN THE LOUVRE
Visitors to the Louvre face a long walk to get to Athanor, the museum’s new commission by German artist Anselm Kiefer. At the end of the Sully Wing in this high-ceilinged former palace, a visitor must climb a flight of stairs, and there it is: Kiefer’s 33-foot-tall, 14-foot-wide painting of a prone, naked figure, lying in actual dirt with the firmament above him dusted with gold and silver particles. Niches in the two flanking walls are filled with powerful, metal sculptures by the artist, whose studio is in the south of France. "Athanor" is an alchemical term referring to a self-feeding furnace that provides a uniform temperature for transformative experiments.

The installation of Athanor was celebrated with "Drawings / Boundary / Drawings," Nov. 1, 2007-Jan. 28, 2008, a special exhibition of 90 works on paper selected by Kiefer, displayed in the Louvre’s drawing galleries in the museum's southwest section -- at the opposite corner of the museum from Athenor, requiring a trek through the entire museum to see both exhibitions in one go. But those who made the trip were amply rewarded. A connoisseur’s delight, the exhibition suggested that Kiefer has the taste, or perhaps the scholarship, of an erudite specialist in Baroque art.

A third component of Kiefer’s work at the Louvre is available primarily to the flâneur. Exiting the Louvre Rivoli Metro station, a passerby on the rue Place du Louvre where it meets rue de Rivoli can look up at the northeast corner of the museum, and through the end window catch a glimpse of Athanor, strangely lit at night. Talk about alchemy. It’s the only painting in the museum you can look at when the place is closed.

Some flower pictures

Back to meanings

Language of flowers

For the indie pop band, see Language of Flowers (band).
For the song written by the composer Edward Elgar, see The Language of Flowers.

Purple lilac symbolizes "first emotions of love" in the language of flowers.
The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. This language was most commonly communicated through Tussie-Mussies, an art which has a following today.
The nuances of the language are now mostly forgotten, but red roses still imply passionate, romantic love and pink roses a lesser affection; white roses suggest virtue and chastity and yellow roses still stand for friendship or devotion. Also commonly known meanings are sunflowers, which can indicate either haughtiness or respect – they were the favorite flower of St. Julie Billiart for this reason. Gerbera (daisy) means innocence or purity. The iris, being named for the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, still represents the sending of a message. A pansy signifies thought, a daffodil regard, and a strand of ivy; fidelity.
History
Though most popular in the Victorian period, the symbolic use of flowers dates back to antiquity. In medieval and Renaissance culture, flowers were often given moral meanings. This is most apparent in art in which saints are often depicted with flowers that are symbolic of their virtues. Liana DeGirolami Cheney notes that "some of the Christian symbols for Virginity or Chastity are the white rose, the myrtle, a vessel or vase, the lily, and the unicorn"The Turkish "Salem", or language of objects, developed to communicate any message without the need to write.
There is also an independent Japanese flower language, called hanakotoba

Bamboo:

A symbol for longevity (it's always got green shoots) as well as strength and grace (it bends readily but doesn't break easily). In Chinese philosophy the straight stem of bamboo symbolizes the path towards enlightenment, the segments of the stem being the steps along the way.
Carnation:

A symbol of betrothal or engagement. In China, a carnation is a symbol of marriage.
Chrysanthemum:

The national symbol of Japan, 'mums are a symbol for long

Clover leaf:

The three divided leaves of clover represent the Christian Holy Trinity of God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Four-leafed clovers represent luck.
Daisy:

The most basic of flowers, a white daisy is a symbol of innocence.
Deadly nightshade:

A highly poisonous plant (Atropa belladonna) with purple bell flowers and small black berries. A symbol of deception, danger, and death.
Forget-me-not:

A low-growing plant (Myosotis) with small, usually blue flowers . As the common name suggests, a symbol of a plea for remembrance. "Forget me not" are supposed to have been the last words of young man who fell into a river and drowned while picking these flowers for his lover.
Honeysuckle:

A less-common symbol of love. Also of generosity.
Iris:

Associated with death as Iris was a Greek goddess of the rainbow, which she used to travel down to earth with messages from the gods and to transport women's souls to the underworld. The three upright petals and three drooping sepals are symbols for faith, valor, and wisdom.
Jasmine:

This strongly scented, white flower is used as a Hindu symbol for love.
Juniper:

Symbolizes chastity (because juniper berries are protected by the tree's thorny leaves), Christ (an association with the crown of thorns place on the head of Christ), and eternity (juniper wood is supposedly never attacked by bugs or worms).
Lily:

Symbolizes purity, chastity, and innocence. White lilies represent the purity of the Virgin Mary. The Angel Gabriel was often painted presenting Mary with a white lily when he announced to her that she would give birth to the Son of God.
Lotus:

A common symbol in Asian art, the lotus symbolizes birth and rebirth through the fact that the petals open when the sun comes out and close when the sun sets. Also a symbol for fertility, creation, and purity. The long stem symbolizes our connection to our origins, while the flower represents the enlightenment to which we aspire.
Mistletoe:

Standing under the mistletoe at Christmas gives anyone the opportunity to kiss you.
Orchid:

A symbol of perfection. The spots on an orchid sometimes represent the blood of Christ.
Poppy:

A symbol of death. Red poppies are a symbol of Remembrance Day (11 November), which commemorates the dead of the First and Second World Wars.
Rose:

To symbolize love and passion, use red roses. For virginity and purity use white roses. To symbolize jealousy and infidelity, use yellow roses. In Catholicism, red roses are a symbol of the Virgin Mary.

Rosemary:

Included in funeral wreaths as a symbol of remembrance and in wedding bouquets as a symbol for fidelity. It's said that if you touch a lover with a sprig of rosemary, they'll be faithful.
Sunflowers:

As a flower which blindly follows the sun, sunflowers have become a symbol of infatuation or foolish passion.
Thistle:

A thorny plant with a beautiful flower, the national symbol of Scotland. It's thorns symbolize both evil and protection. In Christianity it represents the suffering of Christ.
Violet:

Symbolize faithfulness, humility, and chastity.

Symbolism and the use of Flowers and their meaning
Many flowers have important symbolic meanings in Western culture. The practice of assigning meanings to flowers is known as floriography.

Some of the more common examples include:
Red roses are given as a symbol of love, beauty, and passion.
Poppies are a symbol of consolation in time of death. In the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, red poppies are worn to commemorate soldiers who have died in times of war.
Irises/Lily are used in burials as a symbol referring to "resurrection/life". It is also associated with stars (sun) and its petals blooming/shining.
Daisies are a symbol of innocence.
Flowers within art are also representative of the female genitalia, as seen in the works of artists such as Georgia O'Keefe, Imogen Cunningham, Veronica Ruiz de Velasco, and Judy Chicago, and in fact in Asian and western classical art. Many cultures around the world have a marked tendency to associate flowers with femininity.
The great variety of delicate and beautiful flowers has inspired the works of numerous poets, especially from the 18th-19th century Romantic era. Famous examples include William Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and William Blake's Ah! Sun-Flower.
Because of their varied and colorful appearance, flowers have long been a favorite subject of visual artists as well. Some of the most celebrated paintings from well-known painters are of flowers, such as Van Gogh's sunflowers series or Monet's water lilies. Flowers are also dried, freeze dried and pressed in order to create permanent, three-dimensional pieces of flower art.
The Roman goddess of flowers, gardens, and the season of Spring is Flora. The Greek goddess of spring, flowers and nature is Chloris.
In Hindu mythology, flowers have a significant status. Vishnu, one of the three major gods in the Hindu system, is often depicted standing straight on a lotus flower. Apart from the association with Vishnu, the Hindu tradition also considers the lotus to have spiritual significance. For example, it figures in the Hindu stories of creation.

Random pictures

Patterns and colour continued....

Apfelbaum is known for her pallete of stunning, eye-popping colors and hues. These works transform the colors of mass culture -- of television, saturated magazine ads, bags of Wonder Bread -- into wild, oscillating spectra bordering on the organic. Dusk red blobs fan rows of yellow leaves; teardrop shapes of black nudge indigo forms resembling paramecium, single-cells, or algae blooms. One of the most original artists working today, Apfelbaum's painting pushes past its traditional disciplinary forms, off the wall, and into pop culture. Apfelbaum's work calls for audiences to think about the pleasure of aesthetic experience -- and to experience the pleasure of aesthetics.

Islam stripped bare: Middle Eastern art

Some natural and symbolic colour connections

Colour may generate another level of meaning in the mind. This symbolism arises from cultural and contemporary contexts. As such, it is not universal and may be unrelated to its natural associations. For example, green’s associations with nature communicate growth, fruitfulness, freshness and ecology. On the other hand, green may also be symbolic of good luck, seasickness, money and greed — all of which have nothing to do with green plants. These associations arise from a complex assortment of sources.

Furthermore, colour may have both positive and negative symbolism. For example, although blue is the beautiful colour of the sky on a sunny day, it can be symbolic of sadness or stability. Idiomatic American English reflects these traits in phrases such as “singing the blues” and “blue chip stocks.” Red is another example of dual symbolism. On one hand, as the colour of fire and blood, it is an energizing, aggressive and bold colour. In direct contrast, red is used for “STOP” signs throughout the world today. Psychological or Cultural Associations


Although there are no absolutes, there are logical sources for the range of complex and sometimes contradictory psychological/cultural meanings of colours. These may arise from any of the following:

1. Cultural associations: the colour of currency, traditions, celebrations, geography, etc. (For example, green is associated with heaven (Muslims) and luck (U.S. and Ireland)

2. Political and historical associations: the color of flags, political parties, royalty, etc. (For example, green is the colour of Libya's flag; it’s the favorite colour of Emperor Hirohito and the source of "Green Day" in Japan, and in the U.S., the Green Party.)

3. Religious and mythical associations: the colors associated with spiritual or magical beliefs (For example, the green man was the God of fertility in Celtic myths, a symbolism that carries over into today’s associations of Green M&M candies with sexuality in the U.S. Also, in contemporary Western culture, green is associated with extraterrestrial beings.)

4. Linguistic associations: colour terminology within individual languages (For example, South Pacific languages refer to shades of green by comparison to plants in various stages of growth. In Scottish Gaelic the word for blue ('gorm') is also the word used for the color of grass.)

5. Contemporary usage and fads: current colour applications to objects, sports, and associations generated by modern conventions and trends. (For example, green is used world wide for traffic lights signifying "go." In Scandinavia, green has been a popular colour for many decades. In the U.S., “avocado green” was a popular colour for appliances in the 1960s. Today, lime green has been a hip and trendy colour in fashion and advertising in the US since the late 1990s.)