Untitled - George Berking 

The wicked technique of George Berking transforms this image from simple landscape into a cyclical design, turning the windmill subject matter into a double play.

I love how the hill on the left looks like a cornea, giving the overall effect that the image is giving the viewer the hairy eyeball.  Making a statement? Maybe.

Claustral - Morris Louis (1961) 

Some of the exploration of line that is visible in art from the 60s is really interesting.  This beautiful, richly coloured cupcake for the retinas brings to mind a melted-crayon version of Max Ernst's surrealist piece from the 1920s.

Forest - Max Ernst (1928)

Javanese Shadow Puppet

Wayang Kulit, or Javanese shadow puppetry, probably originated sometime in the first century CE.  Puppets like the one above are brought out by professional storytellers on special occasions to give entertaining or didactic performances (or both).  Often, scenes from the Indian epics The Mahabharata or The Ramayana are depicted.

Each puppet is hand carved from buffalo hide, with details like hair and build indicating class standing.  The intricate carving is picked out in sharp relief when the puppet is backlit against a screen.  The delicate features are as complex and intricate as the stories the puppets tell, blurring the boundaries between sculpture and performance art.

It kind of reminds me of the scene from the latest Harry Potter movie with the Tale of Three Brothers:

So fantastic.  Harry Potter the movie finally manages to deliver in style.

I love the design of these stamps, which depict Bauhaus (bow hows) art and the Bauhaus design school.  The Bauhaus movement, which started in post WWI Germany, strove for order in a society recovering from chaos.  Their architectural model, based on function and efficiency, is the reason why skyscrapers have the geometry that we see today.

A boa constrictor swallowing a wild beast - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

At first glance this drawing from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince seems quick and child-like.  And it's cute, for sure, but a second look reveals that this artist wasn't breaking in his first box of crayons.  Check out the balance in the snake's body, the wild-eyed panic in the eyes of the fuzzy purple thing, and the way that the negative space in the snake's mouth reflects the composition as a whole.  One thing's for sure; my 12-year-old cousin's never churned out anything like this.

When Life Shuts a Door...

Theo van Doesburg. Stained-Glass Composition: Female Head, 1917

Rose Window, Santa Maria del Pi, Barcelona

Check out the rich colour in van Doesburg's stained glass window.  Bet you didn't know it was a portrait of a woman until you read the title - I for sure didn't, anyway.  Compare to the fantastic rose window from the Barcelona cathedral Santa Maria del Pi.  They are both so beautiful, with such fantastic colours and great geometry, yet so different.  Van Doesburg is considered one of the founder of De Stijl, a style that valued harmony and order, and featured hyper simplified compositions.

Bianca Chang- Recent Works

Using hundreds of pieces of paper, Chang creates intricate sculptures, the tedium of which is awe-inspiring.  The pure aesthetic of the finished product stands alone, but in order to appreciate the full value of the work, one must watch the stop motion of its production.  In the video, the process becomes a performance, giving scope to the creation of each piece.  If only my Art History prof would accept a ten page paper cutout in place of a ten page essay.  If it displayed even a modicum of the exactitude and consideration of Chang's art, it would be much more enjoyable for everyone involved, and have a lot more staying power.  

To any environmentalists out there: Get pumped.  Chang just saved hundreds of sheets of paper from padding the recycling bin.