84 art vendors took over three floors of the mall for Spokane’s largest all-local winter art market. Brrrzaar is in its fifth year at River Park Square.

Tulsa, OK

(74129)

Today

Patchy morning fog is possible. Otherwise, sunny and turning mild. Winds S/W 5-10 mph..

Tonight

Updated: December 17, 2023 @ 8:21 am

Brazilian artist Rafael Silveira supplants heads with bunches of flowers, flocks of birds, and plumes of smoke in fantastical portraits that delve into the inner workings of the human psyche. Lively hues of pink, yellow, and blue come together as he continues to convey the permeation of emotions through surreal phenomena.

Since childhood, Silveira has harbored a profound interest in the complexities of the mental universe. “I believe that my art is a profound dive into the human mind,” the artist tells Colossal. “I find inspiration in the mysteries of the human psyche and in the energies, both tangible and intangible, that permeate our lives and the nature surrounding us.”

As he translates these concepts to oil paintings, familiar anatomical features partake in unusual sights, as eyeballs hover like hot-air balloons, lips emerge from flowers, and brains converge with swans.

From his studio in Brazil, Silveira is currently working toward his first major solo exhibition next summer at KP Projects Gallery in Los Angeles. Make sure to visit the artist’s website for more work, keep an eye on his Instagram for studio views, and pick up one of his new prints.

“Free Mind”

“Burning Desire”

“Ebulição”

“Recanto”

“Polyphonic Nature of Existence”

“Flora Intimista”

“Vapores de Mente”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Plunges Into the Mysteries of the Human Psyche appeared first on Colossal.

Norman, OK

(73069)

Today

Cloudy early with showers for the afternoon hours. High 61F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

A steady rain in the evening. Showers continuing late. Low 54F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

Updated: December 20, 2023 @ 11:43 pm

In her short lifetime, Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) collected an incredibly vast archive of photographs. Her father, Guillermo Kahlo, had been one of Mexico’s most well-known photographers, documenting architecture, industry, and himself, and his legacy certainly influenced the artist’s enduring interest in self-portraiture and image-making.

While Frida fostered a prodigious artistic practice of her own, she also amassed more than 6,000 photos taken by friends, family, colleagues, and sometimes, herself. Within her trove are snapshots of Mexico and her life, particularly moments shared with her husband, the artist Diego Rivera. Compiled in a recently reissued book, the collection offers unparalleled insight into the influential couple’s life and work.

Frida Kahlo: Her Photos was originally published by Editorial RM in 2010 and out of print until its re-release in October. Containing annotations and notes, the tome features hundreds of black-and-white images that, before 2004, had been hidden in storage in the artist’s Mexico City home. This edition once again offers audiences the opportunity to better understand the bonds, preferences, and daily minutiae of two of the most important artists of the 20th century.

Spanish and English versions of Frida Kahlo: Her Photos are available on Bookshop.

Frida painting the portrait of her father Guillermo Kahlo (1951). Photo by Giséle Freud

Revolutionaries

Diego Rivera with his models, Nieves Orozco and Inesita

Diego Rivera (1933). Photo by Esther Born

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article A Reissued Book Reveals Hundreds of Photos from Frida Kahlo’s Personal Collection appeared first on Colossal.

Through densely embroidered still lifes and portraits, Cécile Davidovici stitches together a dialogue between time, objects, and nostalgia. Focusing on gesture and color, the Paris-based artist uses short, expressive stitches to render melons, wine glasses, hands, and faces that glow by candlelight and sunset.

Evolving quite a bit from her previous works, Davidovici explains, “I’ve always wanted to do portraits, and I finally succeeded in a way that spoke to me by working and experimenting a lot with embroidery. I love the idea of pushing the technique to places it’s never been before.” After completing the series, she applied her new embroidery methods to still lifes.

Placing both modern and classical subjects next to each other, La Vie Silencieuse, or The Silent Life, questions what it means to make still lifes today in contrast to their popularization centuries ago. Created as a joint effort, the artist worked with David Citborsky, who first created 3D models of each composition. Davidovici then used these images to render each scene through copious threads, converging textures, and jewel-toned hues.

See more work and process videos on Davidovici’s website and Instagram.

“Jupiter”

“Le Poids des Choses”

“La Vie Silencieuse”

“Pluton”

“Marbre Vert”

“Pierre Bleue”

“Les Heures de Cire”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Meticulous Embroideries by Cécile Davidovici Bring Objects to Life and Evoke the Passing of Time appeared first on Colossal.

For the first time on record, luxury goods and the fine art market have outperformed the FTSE 100 and prime central London property markets over the past year.

According to the Luxury Investment Index by Knight Frank, the art market has seen a significant surge, with a 30% increase in prices, while the FTSE 100 index only climbed 5%, and prime central London property decreased by 1%.

Yet despite the art market outperforming the FTSE 100, without independent funding and support from private investors, Britain’s artists may stand a minimal chance of career success with the arts sector in the UK struggling to survive due to brutal government funding cuts.

During the pandemic, the government’s £1.6bn Culture Recovery Fund prevented a collapse of the entire art sector. Since then, current funding now sits at a mere £9.40 per pupil at state schools and in 2022, the body that decides arts funding in England cut £50m worth of grants in London in order to support organisations outside the capital.

As these cuts send the UK’s visual arts sector into crisis, The International Body of Art (IBA) – an arts company that helps launch the career of underrepresented artists through its public exhibitions programme – has launched their platform, ‘Projects‘, which now provides a vital lifeline for underrepresented creatives, allowing funders to both sponsor and connect with the artists.

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With proprietary research stating that 26% of artists have had to abandon their careers in the arts due to limited financial prospects, and 29% of ethnic minority artists watching their white peers’ careers progress further than theirs, the platform facilitates an intimate connection between donors and artists who fall outside of the traditional bounds of the art institution.

Highlighting the dire need for initiatives such as this, individual grants from Arts Council England for UK artists declined by a staggering £5.2m year on year between 2008 and 2019, often with ethnic minority, working class and female artists being disproportionately affected.

Within the context of a £2.2bn industry, the art world is one of the most homogenous sectors – with stats from the Smithsonian revealing that 85% of the artists featured in permanent collections are white and 87% are men.

Serving as the antithesis to the art world’s elitism and the hazy market-driven control, IBA gives underrepresented artists a platform, both in the form of their quarterly exhibition programme and by helping artists acquire funding through their first-of-its-kind crowdfunding platform.

Tax deductions: Keep more of your money

Backers who choose to support IBA are introduced to the inner workings of curating an exhibition and have the opportunity to collaborate and engage with the artists – offering insight into works and ideas that aren’t given adequate light in mega galleries and institutions.

To this end, IBA’s proprietary research has revealed that a staggering 35% of ethnic minority artists have had to abandon a career in the arts due to having limited financial backing, and separate reports show that just 7.9% of professionals within the creative industries come from working-class backgrounds. The barriers to entry in the art world are varied – low-paid jobs, less-than-favourable working conditions, and a culture seeped in nepotism means that many artists and art enthusiasts remain discouraged from pursuing careers in the industry.

To contribute to a project there are various options of different values, ranging from £5 to £1100. With each contribution, there are different ‘rewards’.

These can range from a signed ‘thank you’ note, to private premier invitations, 1-on-1 Q&A calls, or even an extended meditation session with an artist. Having been created by the artists themselves, each reward is tailored to its project, meaning that funders are sure to receive a reward that they love based upon which project they connect with and contribute to.

With proprietary research unveiling that almost 1-in-4 art investors (21%) are actively looking to support underrepresented artists, ‘Projects’ allows early-stage art collectors to connect with some of the country’s most promising emerging artists, with the aim of breaking down the barriers to entry for both artists and art enthusiasts.

ByAngela Chen

Friday, December 15, 2023 8:13PM

Columbia College of Chicago hosts a Holiday Market, ShopColumbia, featuring art from students, alumni and staff.

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Standing just under eight inches tall, two oval portraits rediscovered after 200 years are now considered Rembrandt’s smallest formal works. On view at the Rijksmuseum, which houses the largest collection of the Dutch painter’s oeuvre, the pair was rediscovered two years ago and depicts members of Rembrand’s family rendered with his characteristic loose brushstrokes.

Painted in 1635, the portraits feature the wealthy plumber and slater Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and his wife Jaapgen Caerlsdr, who were married in 1591 and ages 70 and 69, respectively, when they sat for Rembrandt. “Considering (the works’) small size and dynamic, sketchy style, he probably painted them as a favour to the couple,” a release from Rijksmuseum says. “The van der Pluyms had a close bond with Rembrandt’s family, which began in 1624 when Jan and Jaapgen’s son Dominicus wed Rembrandt’s cousin Cornelia Cornelisdr van Suytbroek.”

Larger versions of these tiny works have been known to researchers for decades, which helped to attribute the smaller pair. Using a combination of X-radiography, infrared photography, infrared reflectography, macro X-ray fluorescence, stereomicroscopy, and paint sample analysis, Rijksmuseum found that the portraits were built up like other Rembrandt works and alterations in the sitters’ collars were made similarly to his other pieces. The materials, including lead- and iron-based paints and Earth pigments, also match those often employed by the artist.

Both works are on view long-term in Amseterdam. (via Hyperallergic)

Jan Willemsz van der Pluym

Jaapgen Caerlsdr

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Two Newly Discovered (and Very Tiny) Rembrandt Paintings Are On View for the First Time in 200 Years appeared first on Colossal.