Reading Chaucer. Bronze, edition of 8. Here's a sampling of British sculptor Philip Jackson's book-tinged work. Jackson covers the spectrum, from the realism of the Founders Sculpture below to the abstract aspects of the others, with each piece exuding a penetrating focus on a book. Guided Missal. Edition of 5. Chanting Cimarosa Edition of 8. Founder's Sculpture. Commissioned in 2005. Bronze, life size
Chris Jordan : “Edge-walking the lines between art and activism”
[caption id="attachment_4195" align="aligncenter" width="555"] E Pluribus Unum, 2010, image via Yes![/caption] It's hard not to appreciate the work of Chris Jordan. His work Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption (2003 - 2005) and his ongoing series, Midway: Message from the Gyre (2009 - Current) give us some of the most haunting visuals of the new century and are a stark reminder of our distance to the precipice. Here's a look at some other of his works that lean our way: E Pluribus Unum (pictured above): a 24 feet square, composed of aluminum panels laser etched with the names of "one million organizations around the world...
The original painting of one of the most iconic book images, “The Bookworm,” might be sold
It came to the Milwaukee Public Library in 1972 from the collection of René Von Schleinitz. It was the only item from his "significant collection of German steins, figurines and genre paintings" to go the library. The rest was donated to the Milwaukee Art Museum, including other images of his featuring readers and scholars. Now the library is seriously considering an offer of $400,000 from an undisclosed party for the painting. It is called Der Bucherworm "The Bookworm" and was painted by Carl Spitzweg around 1853. It is by far Sptizweg's most famous work and has become one of the most well-known biblio-images...
Picturing the Record Collector: Dust & Grooves by Eilon Paz
Born out of his successful website of the same name photographer Eilon Paz has now collected a healthy sampling of his portraits of record collectors from around the world in his debut book; Dust and Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting. 130 vinyl collectors are featured, each in the friendly confines of their record rooms. The first section of the books focuses on the visuals while the second part features 12 in-depth interviews which lets us in as to "what motivates record collectors to keep digging for more records." Joe Bussard: King of the 78s As to the success and important role...
A trio of book sculptures by Rosie Leventon
SOMEWHERE A DOOR SLAMMED.... 2009 Rosie Leventon is one of the new-breed of green artists cropping up around the world. Her work is deeply "grounded in a sensitive concern for the natural environment and how we use it." She "sees her work as interweaving a kind of personal archaeology with the archaeology of contemporary society and the physical archaeology of places." She is all about using local and recycled materials and resources whenever possible. Here's a look at three of her bookish "recycled sculptures." For SOMEWHERE A DOOR SLAMMED Leventon created a tower of paperbacks, mostly of the romance variety. In...