Art: Traditional and Modern

Art is undoubtedly a very subjective topic and one which elicits many opinions as to what is acceptable. Some individuals only accept traditional paintings as being a true representative of art, such as those by Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Turner. Others who are perhaps more enlightened may prefer modern artists such as Warhol, Picasso and Dali. Of course, not all art has to be in the form of painting at all. It can include sculpture, architecture, music, literature, film, and dance. Whatever a person's opinion, it is a subject which leads to endless fascinating debate.

Andy Warhol: Pop Art Icon

7 Mar 2020

No one personifies the 'Pop Art' movement of the 1960s more than American visual artist and film director Andy Warhol.

Best known for his colorful silkscreen paintings (Campbell's Soup Cans, Marilyn Diptych etc), Warhol's idiosyncratic artwork offers a scathing commentary on contemporary America's culture of consumerism and celebrity worship.

The Study of Art

6 Feb 2020

Purists may argue that only traditional paintings should be considered as art, yet there is so much more to be learned from the study of modern pieces. Rather than merely dismissing contemporary art as worthless junk, it is worth taking the time actually to consider how it was made and what it conveys.

Meeting in the middle

31 Jan 2020

If there’s been one theme as relates to art in the 20th and into the 21st century, it must be about the debate between high and low art. As readers by this point should know, I find the debate to be rather nonsensical. We like what we like, and I don’t think anyone should have to apologize for enjoying monster truck rallies in the evenings and Japanese pan flute in the morning.

The dregs and outcasts of society find their place beside the cultural elite in museums and galleries, but probably that is nowhere more certain than online. We can hide behind our anonymity and be who we want. We can pose as rich or poor, wearing our poker faces.

Bluffing to the Top

This realization led me to play online poker. I read a few articles at njcasino.com on strategy particularly for online poker since I’d usually played face to face. I’m not a great bluffer, but I’m a pretty good one. One of the most difficult things about playing online poker is that you don’t get to see another player’s tells in the same way, but you still can. This is particularly true if you’ve been playing against someone for a while. I think those with lots of money are the ones who play every hand to the end, assuming that things will work out for them eventually.

Those are the ones I like to take to the cleaners!

Dadaism: Art of the Irrational

16 Jan 2020

Few modern artistic movements are harder to wrap one’s head around than what we today refer to as ‘Dadaism’.

A product of the early 20th Century (and profoundly influenced by the horrors of World War I), this ‘irrationalist’ movement constituted an artistic reaction to the ills of modern capitalist society.