While you can’t witness today’s artist Alberto Seveso in high-speed action, the result of his speedy photography process is captivating. He only uses two colors to create these fast masterpieces.
Due Colori series by Alberto Seveso, photographed ink in water
Seveso who hails from Milan, Italy began fostering his passion for the arts from the early age of 15. CD covers and skate decks offered inspiration for the young artist. He realized that he could use his computer not only to play games, but also to create art. While he has no formal art training, the artist has seen much success.
In an interview for Abduzeedo, a design blog, Seveso says, “I think this job doesn’t require a degree, even if design schools are very important.”
The artist’s Due Colori body of work captures two colors of ink mixing with water. The high-speed effect is achieved through a combination of high-speed photography that he then combines digitally. His process illustrates the relationship between water and ink.
Due Colori series by Alberto Seveso, photographed ink in water
For me, the work is simple and at the same time beautifully complex. The two colors used in the work mix to create a multitude of color combinations. The artist also focuses on the shapes created when mixing the colors, each of them unique.
Due Colori series by Alberto Seveso, photographed ink in water
Thirteen-time Grammy winner Michael Jackson belted the hit single “Black or White,” which soared to the top of the music charts in 1991 and became the second best selling single of that year.
See if you can recognize the young Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin jammin’ with MJ in the “Black or White” music video below!
While the King of Pop wrote “Black or White” to address racial tension, famous artists utilized the colors black and white — or shades, values, or gradients as per the ongoing “black-and-white color debate” — as defining styles for bodies of work.
Richard Avedon, renowned American fashion and portrait photographer, developed his photos solely in black and white. Avedon photographed acclaimed subjects like The Beatles, Andy Warhol, and Marilyn Monroe.
You may have seen Avedon’s work in the permanent collections of The MoMa or The Met, or at the Richard Avedon exhibition at Chelsea’s Gagosian Gallery. Catch the last day of the Avedon exhibit and head over to Gagosian on your lunch break today!
Marilyn Monroe by Richard Avedon
Dying for a good black and white read? Just wait a month until Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld release the highly-anticipated The Little Black Jacket.
In June, Chanel opened a one week Little Black Jacket exhibition featuring over a hundred black and white photographs of the rich and famous adorned by custom Chanel jackets.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Uma Thurman in Chanel jackets
You can read it to believe it on August 25th, when The Little Black Jacket becomes available in all its black and white glory. Sporting pages of Lagerfeld’s and Roitfeld’s reinterpretation of Chanel’s iconic black jacket, The Little Black Jacket also includes black and white photos of jacket-bearing celebrities like Kanye West and Yoko Ono.
The Little Black Jacket by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld
Looking for an excellent restaurant filled with black and white decor?
The work of esteemed American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld covers the walls of Rockefeller Center’s Alfredo of Rome.
Audrey Hepburn portrait by Al Hirschfeld
Hirschfeld’s black and white portraits of celebrities and broadway stars hang at six-by-sixteen feet and invite restaurant goers into an atmosphere filled with authentic Italian cuisine and whimsical black and white art.
Al Hirschfeld caricatures lining the walls of NYC’s Alfredo of Rome
[Editor's Note: Have you read our entire Color Commentary series? Please check out Red and Blue and stay tuned for more colors to come...Only at The Bare Square!]
Every day, 1.3 million photos are uploaded through one application, where over 50 million users, including Oprah Winfrey and Lady GaGa, are brought together to share their “filtered” lives.
Meet Instagram:
This viral photo app allows for immediate photographic modifications through the tap of one of its eighteen time- or light-specific filters.
Instagram snapshot from nAscent artist Denise DeSpirito
With personal filter favorites, like the retro “Toaster”, and the vivd “X-pro II” any photograph of any subject matter can be instantly transformed into an entirely different atmosphere, likening itself to a digitally rendered time machine.
Revolutionary? Almost…
For years, professional photographers have toyed with the vast possibilities that time and light have to offer, often adjusting the values and ambiance of photographs to create meaningful and compelling works, reflecting their artistic expression.
Photography by nAscent artist Galya Kovalyova
nAscent artists Galya Kovalyova and Michael Lindwasser certainly master work of this style, from fabulously bright, color-popping photographs to black and white light-intensive images, capturing a hidden beauty that every photographer is capable of sharing – at least, they are now.
It is through Instagram that labor-intensive photographic alterations used by professional retouchers have now become accessible to all, blurring the line between professional level tools and generic digital camera preferences.
Now, that’s quite a feat!
Intentionally or not, Instagram simply encourages the artist within us, urging the world to experiment with creative expression in our everyday lives.
This year, The Bare Square brought you art news and comment on a globe-spanning range of topics. From Ai Wei Wei, to New York gallery openings, from the depths of the sea to deep space, you’ve come to The Bare Square and nibbled on our bite-sized art news. Thank you for making the Bare Square part of your art experience!
Because we’re rapidly approaching 200 articles, picking a Top Ten wasn’t easy–so we picked eleven. That didn’t make it much easier, but it did give you a bonus article!
Without further ado, here are the Top 11 ARTicles of 2011 from The Bare Square! See what you missed, revisit what you liked, and PLEASE share with your friends and “Like”. Thanks again!
Jen Wallace, host of our web video show Art Seen, also contributes to The Bare Square. We published her story about actor James Franco’s art project in mid-July.
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, The Bare Square focused on Charles Wilbert White and David Hammons, African-American artists who paved the way for others.
Frederick Douglass Lives Again by Charles Wilbert White
Kulsoom contributed to this profile of nAscent artist Jack Laroux. The article holds the honor of having the most “Likes” of any article this year–way to go Kulsoom! (And thanks to Jack for all his fans and supporters!)
The Bare Square felt a deep sense of shock, loss, and despair over the earthquake in Japan. The article at #3 discussed the role of art in the wake of tragedy.
Being based in New York City, we at The Bare Square appreciated the work of street artist “Moustache,” having seen his handiwork ourselves many times. Sadly, the NYPD put an end to his vandalism, failing to see the humor in his clever “improvement” on public ads. People responded well to our remembrance…and we still miss him.
By far the most popular article in terms of ratio of “Likes” as compared to page views, and a just plain cool and romantic story, The Bare Square interviewed the creator of the best proposal story we’ve ever heard. Do yourself a favor–click the link, re-read the article, and watch the video (even if you’ve watched it before). With New Year’s Eve coming, let this story inspire even more romance!
Only the staunchest proponents of art historical pretense would deny the mass democratization of art courtesy of the digital age, or the impact of smart phone technology on changing definitions of art. According to Nielsen, 40% of US mobile phone users have a smart phone as of July 2011, and 20% of that demographic capture a camera-phone snapshot every day. With more than 250 million photos uploaded onto Facebook every 24 hours, it seems all one needs is an Android and an opposable thumb to follow in footsteps of photographers past.
Ansel Adams shudders in his grave.
Though we at The Bare Square are avid supporters of following one’s bliss, and believe wholeheartedly in individual expression and creativity, an iPhone alone does not a photographer make.
That doesn’t mean you can’t try.
(Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd) from The Discerning Photographer
Presenting the Prix Mobile, a newly announced global art competition geared exclusively to iPhoto acolytes with an innate sense of composition, and the willingness to be scrutinized by a jury of mobile-tech experts. Not to mention the $32 dollar entry fee.
Because sometimes you have to pay it forward.
The international contest, sponsored by LeWeb, a yearly Paris-based mobile technology conference, opens today to those of digi-visual sensibilities, with the sole qualification that images be generated through a mobile device, smart phone, or tablet. And with a $1,389 cash prize for the winner, Prix Mobile comes just in time to pay the rent on your tenement-style East Village studio apartment. Or that impending data service charge for all the photo sharing you’re about to do.
And in the spirit of accessible art, The Bare Square has joined the DIY-bandwagon. For those who Twitter at the slightest vibration, and suddenly find themselves on Facebook in between bouts of procrastination, there is free art to be had, by the sole merit of social-media sharing. Presenting the “Hip To Be Square” sweepstakes, offering weekly prizes to registered readers who re-Tweet, re-Post, and share The Bare Square with friends. The more you share, the more likely you are to win a free piece of art from some of New York’s finest emerging artists. To enter, click the “Hip To Be Square” icon, placed conveniently to the right.
