Posted by The G on January 7, 2012 under Artsy Fartsy | 
Photos by G. Art by Thomas Woodruff.
"The Four Temperament Variations" by Thomas Woodruff at PPOW in Chelsea. Now showing through February 4, 2012.
Full disclosure: I am cutting and pasting these next two paragraphs from the press release because their words capture this amazing exhibit in the most succinct way possible. In Thomas Woodruff’s latest body of work, he tackles the four temperaments as well as the painterly figurative genres of portrait, still-life, landscape, and wild life in his variations. Using his highly cross-referenced pictorial mash-up of visual motifs, this series is a celebration of the emotional value of color, the storytelling potential of character and costuming, and a contemporary revision of the enigmatic mysteries of our collective past. He creates his own beasts, including the “quadicorn” and the “batterfly” and weaves threads from animae, steampunk, and body modification culture into these grand, fabulist images as well as his encyclopedic knowledge of art and fashion history.
The Four Temperaments Variations were inspired by the theories of Hippocrates, around 400 BC, when wise men believed everyone’s body and mind were controlled by four different, mysterious, colored fluids: Sanguinic, Choleric, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic. Imbalance or overabundance of the fluids would cause disease or pre-described behaviors. Treatment would usually involve bleeding, cupping, herbs, and emetics. During the Renaissance this theory was revised to include ideas of temperature. In the Age of Reason, aspects of physiognomy were brought into play, and today many pop psychologists and dating services still find the personality traits useful tools for getting along and finding love. ”The Four Temperament Variations” by Thomas Woodruff is showing at PPOW in Chelsea (located at 535 West 22nd Street, 3rd Floor) in Manhattan through February 4, 2012.
Posted by The G on December 31, 2011 under The G Spot |
Photo by Tres.
G with Mark Kostabi
In 2011, I was extremely blessed to meet so many talented people in the world of the arts. One of the coolest people I was fortunate enough to meet this year was artist Mark Kostabi. I’d been a fan of his work for a long time and our places of birth are in the same state – California. It took living in New York to get the chance to meet Mark and the bond we formed has been a true highlight of my year. Aside from the fact that Mark Kostabi is a very talented artist, he is also an accomplished composer, game show host (yes, that’s right!), and has been the subject of many fascinating documentaries. His uncompromising position about telling the truth in the art world is nothing short of inspiring. He’s done it his way and while that has resulted in many career ups and downs, he currently lives a fabulous jet setting life in both Europe and the United States!
Speaking with Mark is a pleasure as he is so knowledgable about art. By the end of a conversation with him, your brain jots down mental notes of artists to research and if you do the work, you’ll tremendously expand your artistic vocabulary. I am so grateful that Mark Kostabi has made me feel so welcome in his Chelsea studio, Kostabi World, which is filled from ceiling to floor with his great art. I’ve had the pleasure to visit Kostabi World several times this year and I really look forward to spending more time there in 2012.
During a visit earlier in 2011, Mark signed one of his coffee table books for me with such a beautiful message, it is one of my most prized possessions (and coming from me, that is saying a lot!) You must see the film “Con Artist” which is a great document of a great man – According2g’s 2011 Man of the Year – Mark Kostabi.
Thanks Mark! Words can’t even express how grateful I am! If you don’t know the work and life of Mark Kostabi, I encourage you to change that right now and I hope your life will be as enriched by his work as mine is.
Thanks Mark!
Posted by The G on December 16, 2011 under Artsy Fartsy |
Photo by G. Art by Ari Lankin.
Ari Lankin
We’d like to wish a very special happy birthday to artist Ari Lankin today! Ari’s art is great. He is a master of many styles and as you can see above, his abstract paintings are both colorful and will give you endless viewing pleasure. You should definitely check out Ari Lankin’s official site as he often shows “process videos” where you can see a time-lapsed video that covers the inception to completion of selected paintings. I am fascinated by the videos as he often starts a painting in one direction and by the time it’s finished, it has taken a radically different direction. On a personal note, I’ve been lucky enough to visit Ari’s Manhattan studio and he is such a cool guy who in addition to being incredibly talented, is extremely cultured as well. Love ya man! Have a great birthday!
Posted by The G on November 27, 2011 under Artsy Fartsy |
Photo by G. Art by Mark Kostabi.
Mark Kostabi
Happy birthday to artist Mark Kostabi! I will try not to gush too much, but Mark Kostabi is one of my heroes! Mark Kostabi has been the subject of several movies and documentaries and why? Because he’s one of the most fascinating artists you’ll ever encounter. His art career was huge in the 1980s and he was at the top of the art world. While in the pursuit of fame, he did one of the things that everyone lusts after but few people actually do – tell the truth! He freely admitted that his paintings were worked on by others and it caused a huge stir in the art world. He went from being on top of the world to losing it all, but because he’s totally awesome, he’s back on top again! In addition to making fine art, he is also an accomplished musician as well as a game show host, where contestants title his paintings for cash prizes. TV execs are missing out by not syndicating “The Kostabi Show,” because it’s a great time! I have been very fortunate to spend some time with Mark at his New York studio Kostabi World this year and Mark is everything that you’d hope to see in an artist. He’s incredibly talented, funny, extremely smart and when you set foot in Kostabi world, you are treated like a King. My sincere thanks to Mark Kostabi for some truly unforgettable and life changing times this year. Happy birthday Mark!
Posted by The G on November 23, 2011 under Artsy Fartsy |
Photo by G. Art by Kenny Scharf.
The Kenny Scharf Car!
Happy birthday to artist Kenny Scharf! New York has been really lucky lately to get the chance to see so much new work from Kenny from gallery exhibits to numerous murals throughout the city on walls and security gates. Thanks to Kenny for making all of our lives much brighter and definitely more colorful. Happy birthday!
