Does Beauty Matter?

“In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty." 

Phil Ochs, protest songwriter and singer 

Today, beauty is an industry and its mouthpiece magazines put to despairing so many youth, especially women.

Blame Photoshop editing!

Britney Spears reveals her Pre-Photoshop body in new pics

Art is NOT about glamour!

Right: Lucian Freud painted a pregnant Kate Moss.

Is beauty subjective or can it be objective?

Since ancient Greece, there was established a connection between musical and visual harmony (geometry). This connection  was re-explored during the 15th century Renaissance when the scientific method was taking shape. This is called "Aesthetics", a discipline rejected by nietzschean philosophy and postmodernism. For them, beauty is only subjective and therefore ugliness does not exist anymore for them (however they still harshly critize those who show some "beauty" in their artwork!) Thi argument falls short when one is considering, say, cooking as a form of art. Sure, anyone wouldf agree that shit smells and tastes as shit and doesn't taste "good"! This is an objective fact, not a mere opinion on the relativity of our taste.
When ancient Greeks saw the connection between musical and visual harmonies, this became a proof there is something universal (and objective)!

Note: in music, a string divided by 3/5th generates the major sixth. For example, the interval from C to A is a major sixth. 

More:

• Why Beauty Matters Documentary (video on vimeo)
• More from this author on this subject here.
• Mathematics: Why the brain sees maths as beauty

Philosopher Roger Scruton: Why Beauty Matters?

More from this author on this subject here.

Is Contemporary Art stuck in Duchamp's urinal?

'Fountain' 1917 urinal by Marcel Duchamp.

Since Marcel Duchamp's days, today's "contemporary art" has been a mere attempt to ape Duchamp's "anti-Art dadaist statement". Often taken out of context, both political and social (this was during First World War) our today's contemporary young artists look at this superficially and believe that "urinals" are art!
Duchamp was an anarchist, opposed to the war and the political elites associated with it, he therefore was disgusted by pompous "academic art" aka the "Art establishment", the "bourgeois" and all the financial and statutory privileges associated with it. He considered them as guilty by "joint enterprise". This made him feel the need to urinate, hence his "urinal"...
Today the anarchist/punk Duchamp would certainly challenge our "Contemporary Art Establishment" (aka Turner prize, Saatchi, YBA etc) whose members spend most of their time and mental energy asking themselves whether "this is Art or not?" (as if "stuck") to find this comforting answer : money. Contemporary art has just become an empty and vain commodity whose "value" is defined by a greedy speculative market.
Should you be surprised that viewing today's "contemporary art" makes me feel the need to urinate too?

To laugh or to cry? That is my question...

The "twin masks of comedy and tragedy" are used to represent the creative arts, particularly theater. Shakespeare was the master in handling both masks. These concepts were born in ancient Greece more than 2,500 years ago. Their endurance across the centuries reflects the power of drama and the twin themes of joy and despair which bracket the human condition.
Though they can appear separately and indeed evolved as representations of different dramatic art forms, their appearance together holds far more symbolic importance.

(Comic mask with tragic mask in background, Roman, 2nd century CE London, British Museum. )

On that theme, I did two years ago this portrait of 'Funmi Adewole, an artist, a dancer, a poet and friend of mine. The idea was to convey 'Funmi's different facets or her personality, sometimes sad, sometimes happy. The two facets are in a sort of "emotional perspective". I submitted it then to the annual National Portrait Gallery (NPG ) "BP award". It was not even short-listed by the jury.
Should I cry or should I laugh? ;-)



This is a portrait of myself and my daughter. I believe that both expressions, apparently "opposite" (sad and happy) in fact complement each other, just like so-called "opposite colours" (eg red and green. blue and orange, yellow and purple...) complement each other.
Should we cry or should we laugh? ;-)




On that same old theme: Democritus (c. 460 - c. 370 B.C.) and Heraclitus (c. 540 - c. 475 B.C.) are known as the 'laughing and crying philosophers.' Fresco transferred to canvas (Bramante 1477)
Should they cry or should they laugh? ;-)



This is Leonardo da Vinci s Joconda with her mysterious smile: happiness or sadness?
My answer: it is BOTH happiness AND sadness. ;)

My portrait of Prof. Stephen Hawking

It is not my habit to comment my paintings. They should "speak" for themselves. I will however give here some clues: "Big Ben" represents our "newtonian" (classical) time but if you look closely its time is... wrong! It is affected by the nearby galaxy's black hole (Einstein's "General relativity"). The "Event horizon" here is replacing our classical traditional "horizon."
The galaxy's black hole cannot be visible but if you look at the real painting, the canvas is locally dented as would our space-time when considered as a four-dimensional "brane".

"All of my life, I have been fascinated by the big questions that face us, and have tried to find scientific answers to them. If, like me, you have looked at the stars, and tried to make sense of what you see, you too have started to wonder what makes the universe exist. "

— Stephen W. Hawking

From website for PBS program, Stephen Hawking's Universe (1997).

My portrait of Prof. Stephen Hawking

It is not my habit to comment on my paintings. They should "speak" for themselves. I will however give here some clues: "Big Ben" represents our "newtonian" (classical) time but if you look closely its time is... wrong! It is affected by the nearby galaxy's black hole (Einstein's "General relativity"). The "Event horizon" here is replacing our classical traditional "horizon."
The galaxy's black hole cannot be visible but if you look at the real painting, the canvas is locally dented as would our space-time when considered as a four-dimensional "brane".

"All of my life, I have been fascinated by the big questions that face us, and have tried to find scientific answers to them. If, like me, you have looked at the stars, and tried to make sense of what you see, you too have started to wonder what makes the universe exist. "

— Stephen W. Hawking

From website for PBS program, Stephen Hawking's Universe (1997).

My research project: The Eye Inside

The Eye Inside

Hawking's portrait: Time Flies!

I like this expression "Time Flies" because, it is true! My time for the last year has been so hectic and difficult but who am I to complain? I wished I could have completed the portrait of the author of "A Brief History of Time" sooner but I am afraid it 'll take a bit longer. Luckily I am at this present moment in a better situation for my mind to focus. Of course, not being a scientist, just a layman my approach to these questions is more "intuitive" i.e. "visual".
"What I cannot create I do not understand" said Physicist Richard Feynman as quoted by Hawking in his "The Universe in a Nutshell" book. So this is how I am trying to understand Hawking: by being creative. With a fresher approach I have decided to change its composition (again!) while immersing in the amazing world of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Time is key in this new composition as it is in our lives or in Hawking's. In his case, time is vital and essential at both a personal level (he was supposed to have died many years ago) and at a more fundamental conceptual level. And both meet in the same person: Stephen Hawking. Life's short. Knowing we could all die at any time, what would you do? He decided to focus on what's most important: to try to unlock the mysteries of the Universe, while still alive. Nothing less.

Time is precious yet we don't know what it is. And some say it flies...
It reminds me the ancient Greek philosopher Plato who said "Time is the moving image of Eternity". No wonder it is precious.

Hawking's portrait: Time Flies!

Professor Stephen Hawking once said: "All my life I have lived with the threat of an early death, so I hate wasting time." Source: Stephen Hawking: brain could exist outside body
I like this expression "Time Flies" because, it is true! My time for the last year has been so hectic and difficult but who am I to complain? I wished I could have completed the portrait of the author of "A Brief History of Time" sooner but I am afraid it 'll take a bit longer. Luckily I am at this present moment in a better situation for my mind to focus. Of course, not being a scientist, just a layman my approach to these questions is more "intuitive" i.e. "visual".
"What I cannot create I do not understand" said Physicist Richard Feynman as quoted by Hawking in his "The Universe in a Nutshell" book. So this is how I am trying to understand Hawking: by being creative. With a fresher approach I have decided to change its composition (again!) while immersing in the amazing world of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Time is key in this new composition as it is in our lives or in Hawking's. In his case, time is vital and essential at both a personal level (he was supposed to have died many years ago) and at a more fundamental conceptual level. And both meet in the same person: Stephen Hawking. Life's short. Knowing we could all die at any time, what would you do? He decided to focus on what's most important: to try to unlock the mysteries of the Universe, while still alive. Nothing less.

Time is precious yet we don't know what it is. And some say it flies...
It reminds me the ancient Greek philosopher Plato who said "Time is the moving image of Eternity". No wonder it is precious.

My coming portrait of Stephen Hawking

I met Prof. Stephen Hawking in Cambridge (UK) on June 4, 2008 after he kindly agreed with my proposal to do his portrait. I had this project in mind since the time I saw one of his painted portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London : I was appalled (so was he I learned later). It showed him as a "poor handicapped" with a sad grin in front of a scribbled blackboard. It wasn't fair! Hawking is a survivor. Because of his condition he should have died decades ago. Not only didn't he die but he helped revolutionise science! He has become a celebrity but unlike many "famous people" he deserves it. He is an inspiration not only for the handicapped but for those, like myself, who are lucky to be "normal". His muscle paralysis prevents him from doing all what we take as granted. His cheek movements are measured by a device connected to a computer which is how he communicates now: writing 2-3 words a minute, yet he has written best-sellers!
My idea for a fair portrait was that it should induce us with a sense of admiration and respect, not "commiseration". Moreover, a portrait wouldn't be fair if we avoid what has been the center of his entire life: Science. So my idea (and I believe I am the first portraitist attempting this) is to include visually some of his scientific theories and concepts. Most famously is his research on "black holes", the "Big Bang" (with R. Penrose) and his attempt to reconcile the “macrocosmic” laws of Einstein's General relativity (e.g. Time and Space are modified by Strong Gravitational fields) and the “microcosmic” laws of Quantum Mechanics; "Black holes" (as the "singularity" in the Big Bang theory) being the best "place" where such a "reconciliation" would occur. These questions have given rise to many ideas, one of the most promising "Theory of Everything" being the "String Theory".
So, after many attempts I came up with the idea of a monumental portrait (1.5 x 1.2 meters) to give a sense of the magnitude of the phenomena Hawking is dealing with. The backdrop is a famous galaxy whose center, possibly a black hole, dents locally the canvas (as a "brane") of the painting and hereby affects our immediate reality (represented by Big Ben whose time is modified by the Black hole/Galaxy).
Hawking's face appears, partly hidden, with an ironic smile. Reading his books helped me to realise that he has a real sense of HUMOUR!

The portrait is half way done and many changes might occur before it is "finalised". It is a creative and therefore very "quantum-like" unpredictable process ;-)

My coming portrait of Stephen Hawking

I met Prof. Stephen Hawking in Cambridge (UK) on June 4, 2008 after he kindly agreed with my proposal to do his portrait. I had this project in mind since the time I saw one of his painted portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London : I was appalled (so was he I learned later). It showed him as a "poor handicapped" with a sad grin in front of a scribbled blackboard. It wasn't fair! Hawking is a survivor. Because of his condition he should have died decades ago. Not only didn't he die but he helped revolutionise science! He has become a celebrity but unlike many "famous people" he deserves it. He is an inspiration not only for the handicapped but for those, like myself, who are lucky to be "normal". His muscle paralysis prevents him from doing all what we take as granted. His cheek movements are measured by a device connected to a computer which is how he communicates now: writing 2-3 words a minute, yet he has written best-sellers!
My idea for a fair portrait was that it should induce us with a sense of admiration and respect, not "commiseration". Moreover, a portrait wouldn't be fair if we avoid what has been the center of his entire life: Science. So my idea (and I believe I am the first portraitist attempting this) is to include visually some of his scientific theories and concepts. Most famously is his research on "black holes", the "Big Bang" (with R. Penrose) and his attempt to reconcile the “macrocosmic” laws of Einstein's General relativity (e.g. Time and Space are modified by Strong Gravitational fields) and the “microcosmic” laws of Quantum Mechanics; "Black holes" (as the "singularity" in the Big Bang theory) being the best "place" where such a "reconciliation" would occur. These questions have given rise to many ideas, one of the most promising "Theory of Everything" being the "String Theory".
So, after many attempts I came up with the idea of a monumental portrait (1.5 x 1.2 meters) to give a sense of the magnitude of the phenomena Hawking is dealing with. The backdrop is a famous galaxy whose center, possibly a black hole, dents locally the canvas (as a "brane") of the painting and hereby affects our immediate reality (represented by Big Ben whose time is modified by the Black hole/Galaxy).
Hawking's face appears, partly hidden, with an ironic smile. Reading his books helped me to realise that he has a real sense of HUMOUR!

The portrait is half way done and many changes might occur before it is "finalised". It is a creative and therefore very "quantum-like" unpredictable process ;-)

Con-(temporary) Artists

I think it would be more appropriate to rename so-called "Conceptual Artists" as "Con Artists". Here is a taster from Tracey Emin, the famous Con(ceptual) Artist. 
No need for any further arguments here, her work speaks for itself and is typical of this "Artistic Movement": no concepts, no ideas, this is lazy art (hence the title: "My Bed")...
Welcome to "Con Art"....


‘My Bed’: By Tracey Emin
The artwork generated considerable media furore, particularly over the fact that the bedsheets were stained with body secretions and the floor had items from the artist’s room (such as condoms, a pair of knickers with menstrual period stains, other detritus, and functional, everyday objects, including a pair of slippers. The bed was presented as it had been when Emin had not got up from it for several days due to suicidal depression brought on by relationship difficulties.
My Bed has very quickly come to symbolise a certain kind of art, usually referred to as conceptual art, which is appreciated by much of the art world.

From http://reemac.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/final-project-stage-1-contd/
Interesting reading:  The modern cult of ugliness: With desolate city centres and sordid 'art' like Tracey Emin's,  ROGER SCRUTON says the death of beauty in modern Britain is making us all ugly too

Jeremy Paxman gives up! The Turner Prize and Stuckists

Interesting url at www.stuckism.com/index.html

In the same vein:

Mark Kostabi, Con Artist (a documentary trailer):


F For Fake (Orson Welles)

My story of the 1992-93 Alsace-Sarajevo aid convoy

This entry has moved at my new "Artivism, or Art with a Conscience" blog:
A Citizens' aid convoy to besieged Sarajevo:A personal account