Leonardo Da Vinci’s 15th century mural painting The Last Supper, depicting a monumental event chronicled in the Christian New Testament, is one of the most famous works of art in the world (rated #3 by one account).
The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci
Needless to say, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper was not the be all and end all of dinner parties…
The action film The Expendables 2, to be released on August 17th, just came out with their new movie banner, imitating the legendary Last Supper landscape.
With Sylvester Stallone assuming the role of Jesus, conveniently seated at the center of the table, the allusion can only foreshadow what to expect in this action-packed thriller!
The Expendables 2 movie banner
Even the renowned surrealist painter Salvador Dali couldn’t help but to create his own mystical rendition of the Last Supper scene.
Dali’s 1955 The Sacrament of the Last Supper remains one of his most popular compositions as a compelling combination of classical subject matter and fantastical imagery.
The Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dali
And, finally, how could the world of fashion pass up the opportunity to advertise the Last Supper style?
Internationally-recognized clothing company François and Marithé Girbaud redesigned the Last Supper in their ad for jeans in March of 2005.
The ad depicted almost all women fashion models and was met with criticism that the image offended and trivialized the religious sensibilities of all citizens.
Ultimately, the ads were banned as a result of a court decision that ruled they were offensive to Catholics.
Marithe & Francois Girbaud: Last Supper
Remember the 1990′s television hit That 70′sShow?
Watch the cast’s hilarious recreation of the famous Last Supper scene below!
- Ava Cotlowitz
[Editor's Note: This is Ava's last article as a summer intern. Please show her some love and send her off with a "Like" and a "Share"!]
With summer nearing its end, what better way to pay tribute to the sunshine season than with an article bursting with the color yellow!
For starters, The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine certainly feels the yellow vibe.
Originally, the song, written by Paul McCartney, told a story about different coloured submarines, but eventually evolved to include only a yellow one!
Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh couldn’t get enough of yellow hues.
In 1887, Van Gogh began his sunflower series, painting various still lives of the stages of sunflower growth and decay.
However, Van Gogh’s sunflower frenzy could not have happened without the innovations in manufactured pigments in the 19th Century. With the vibrancy of new colors like chrome yellow, Van Gogh achieved the intensity he needed to complete his paintings.
Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh
Want to soak up the sun — indoors?! Head over to the world-renowned Yellow Lounge on Mercer Street to hear the musical beats of great international performers with cutting-edge DJ sets.
You’ll instantly feel at ease in the hip urban setting, with warm yellow lighting illuminating the room!
Yellow Lounge in NYC
Taste the sun with the summer-themed delicacies at the Upper East Side’s Park Avenue Summer.
The restaurant decor draws inspiration from the Galapagos Islands, with hand-cast tortoise shells mounted throughout the space on yellow panels and beautiful yellow lighting fixtures to brighten up the room.
Park Avenue Summer
Summer’s not over yet! Bask in your favorite fun in the sun activities with friends and family and remember to spread some summer love!
- Ava Cotlowitz
[Editor's Note: Did you miss Blue, Red, and Black & White? Enjoy the entire Color Commentary series...Only at The Bare Square!]
Architect David Businelli, owner of Staten Island’s Studio 16 Architecture, proudly transformed Studio 16 into an internationally-recognized firm since its 2008 re-branding.
David Businelli of Studio 16 Architecture
With four American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards and countless honors for design achievements, Studio 16 Architecture brings a fresh approach to homes, businesses, and institutions.
While Businelli’s design style remains modern, he also likes to add new flavors, forms, and colors into projects whenever possible.
Art room for St. Clare’s Parish Center by Studio 16 Architecture
The Marina Cafe by Studio 16 Architecture
When Businelli creates an architectural design he says, “Art is very important. I look at it as an essential part of any design strategy.”
“I like Fortner’s sense of color and composition and the architectural forms of Noble’s sculptures. Both artists would work perfectly in the spaces I’ve worked on,” Businelli says.
“Within the integration between art and architecture there’s always that question of what’s happening with the space,” Businelli continues, “How will art work on the walls to create a proper focal point.”
Back in the winter, The Bare Square highlighted some creative couples that loved making art together.
From Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates to Gilbert and George’s Singing Sculptures, the duos channeled their sparks of love into monumental works of art.
With the power to create and the power to love going hand in hand, there’s no wonder that famous artists throughout history have paired up for romance.
For abstract expressionist artists Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, their love manifested after participating in the same New York City art exhibit in 1941. As a married couple, Krasner devoted her life to support Jackson’s art career, putting her own artistic dreams on hold until after Pollock’s untimely death.
Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock
Spanish painter Pablo Picasso first encountered surrealist photographer Dora Maar at a Paris cafe in 1936 while she was playing the “knife game” — swiftly stabbing the point of a knife between her five splayed fingers. Since then, their romance flourished for nine years and Maar became Picasso’s leading muse.
Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar
Mexican painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera first developed a relationship on a strictly professional level. As a young artist, Kahlo admired Rivera’s work and often sought out his guidance on pursuing art as a career. Amid his encouragement the pair fell in love and eventually married in 1929.
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
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Today we celebrate the 84th birthday of the one and only Andy Warhol!
Photograph of Andy Warhol by Richard Avedon
He added celebrities to canvas and appropriation to art, becoming a founder of the 1960′s pop art movement and an art icon in his own right.
Even after his untimely death in 1987, Warhol reverberated in the art world, influencing contemporary art successors like Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst.
Warhol’s factory-like production, commercialization, and references to consumer products made an everlasting impression on fine art.
Marilyn by Andy Warhol
When Warhol first introduced the Campbell’s soup can as a work of art in 1962, he prompted a series of fine art that embodied the everyday item and the ubiquity of consumer culture.
American artist Jeff Koons continues down the trail blazed by Warhol, creating reproductions of similarly banal objects.
Koons’ most famous works are sculptural stainless steel creations of balloon animals. Like Warhol, Koons adopts a factory-like system, employing 90 regular assistants at his New York City studio in Chelsea.
Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons (Photo: Librado Romero – The New York Times)
Within the Warhol Factory, silk-screening allowed for assistants to produce multitudes of “Warhol originals.”
For English artist Damien Hirst, his famous “spot paintings,” rows of randomly coloured circles, are created by assistants as well.
Spot painting by Damien Hirst
Warhol’s epic portraits of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Elizabeth Taylor, certainly serve as a landmark of his career.
Through a combination of silk-screening and metal oxidization, Kirschenbaum creates portraits of celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Audrey Hepburn by Greg Kirschenbaum
Yet Warhol’s artistic influence extended beyond fine art and into the world of music with his managerial position for the hit 1960′s band The Velvet Underground.
Enjoy The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” in honor of Andy Warhol’s 84th birthday!
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