2024-10-12
A New Book of Cyphers
CREATOR: William Parsons
CATEGORY: Books
NOTES: 'A new book of cyphers; more compleat and regular than any yet extant. Wherein the whole alphabet (twice over) consisting of 600 cyphers, is variously changed, inter-woven, and reversed ... The whole (with the English translated into French) engraven on 56 copper-plates.'
2024-09-20
Stamps_Netherlands
CREATOR: Various
CATEGORY: Stamps
NOTES: A selection of postage stamps from the Netherlands. You can really feel how these designers pushed eachother to better themselves. It's difficult to comprehend where the inspiration came frome for some of these, they seem years ahead of their time. Nearly all were taken from the incrdibly comprehsive 'Image bank Het Geheugen' (The Memory) – a project that started digitzing their country's art in the late 90s.
2024-08-05
Just Little More Detail
CREATOR: Erté
CATEGORY: Spotlight / Illustration
NOTES: Not sure if the word 'glamorous' does his work justice. Probably best known for the cruella-esque 'Symphony in Black' – Erté's work is incredibly recognizable and detailed – a style that has been mimicked countless times after it was introduced.
2024-08-01
The World Unveiled
CREATOR: Edward Quin
CATEGORY: Maps / Cartography
NOTES: 'The series is unusual in that it utilises aquatint to great effect to illustrate geographical enlightenment by depicting the unknown as black clouds that peel back over succeeding maps to reveal the world as known at various points in time from 'the deluge' until 1828. The work was intended to educate schoolchildren about the history of the world, presenting history as a consistent and uniform whole, giving a rapid view of all great political changes in human society. Of particular note are the maps showing the Garden of Eden and the Discovery of America. The final map depicts the 'End of the General Peace' in 1828.'
2024-06-12
Common Time
CREATOR: Merce Cunningham
CATEGORY: Art
NOTES: Beautifully designed book from Walker Art Center. Mostly familiar with Merce because of his association with Black Mountain College. I can't even imagine the drugs during that time... Cunningham, Cage (his partner), The Albers, The de Koonings, Buckminster, Kline, Twombly, Motherwell, Gropius, Raushenberg... Jesus.
2023-12-09
Gerry Johansson
CREATOR: Gerry Johansson
CATEGORY: Spotlight / Photography
NOTES: I find Gerry Johansson's photography both morose and energetic, similar to an empty room at the end of a party.