Blog — Page 209 of 281

Monochrome: Painting in Black and White

by Lelia Packer and Jennifer Sliwka

National Gallery London

As the title suggests, a book based on the absence of colour and a focus on black, white and shades of grey captured through an array of media.

Starting in the fifteenth century, the book travels to the present day, spotlighting the artists that grind their alchemy through a lens that is dominated by the duality of yin and yang.

It is interesting how monochrome art was perceived through the ages, be it as religious asceticism, i.e. helping to focus on what matters instead of being distracted by flashy colours, the indulgence in grey scales, i.e. grisaille to invoke the impression of three dimensionality, and especially the creative process that serves as the foundation for the creation of colour paintings yet is more often than not rooted in black and white sketches.

Different art periods are shed light on in terms of monochrome stand out artworks from the photorealistic to the abstract and it is astonishing to see the artistic prowess some creators display while limiting themselves to a monochrome palette and thereby exhibiting details through a heightened sense of dramatic impact that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

The accomplishment of the ambitious Monochrome: Painting in Black and White lies in the reader gaining a perspective and appreciation for colorless art – art that does not have to be dreary – and one that is central to modernist experimentation and manipulation of perception, light and space.

Having read the book, the absence of colour in art immediately creates curiosity as to the motivation behind artists deliberately abandoning the hues they have at disposal.

Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer

by Carmen Bambach

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni is widely appreciated as one of the most influential artists of the Italian Renaissance as he did not limit his work to one discipline but pursued a holistic approach to the arts tackling painting, sculpting, the written word and architecture with equal measure. Born as part of the Medici family, his works are weaved into the fabric of what comes to mind when one thinks of the more prominent pieces of the Vatican Museum’s exhibits. 

So far for the basics and historical facts. 

 If you would like to enrich your library with a tome on the man, Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer is not the worst start.

What made Michelangelo the Renaissance man he was is that his intricate emissions encapsulated a range of styles, concepts and drawings. He managed to consolidate the spectrum of the arts of his time in an unprecedented and unique manner.

The fact that only time eventually told how far ahead of his times he was goes without saying.

The book, which was originally released as a companion to the exhibition at the MET, features more than 200 drawings, arranged thematically, as well as paintings, sculptures, and architectural plans.

Framed by narrations of Carmen C. Bambach, who is thecurator in the Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, highlight and document the times and trials of Michelangelo’s long career, which ultimately culminated in his world renowned work as the architect of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, apart from drawings and other references that have entered popular culture, e.g. from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to references by T.S. Eliot, that are testament to how integral Michelangelo’s work is to the DNA of what inspired art after him.

Carmen Bambach manages to not only state facts but she subtly illuminates facets of Michelangelo’s creative process and underlying ideas as well as their impact on the manifestation of his art, which makes it an interesting and engaging read for anyone interested in creative processes – be it music, design or the performing variation – as the man had a unique angle both inspiring and challenging when it came to channeling his alchemy.

There Will Be A Climax

Old Fitzroy Theatre

Sydney, Australia

January 12, 2018

I do not subscribe to the notion of guilty pleasures or liking something “ironically”.

Either you like something or not.

Period.

I love the song “You spin me round (like a record)”.

I guess it also helps that I do not dislike Luther Vandross’ “I wanted your love” that it apparently was based on.

As a matter of fact, I think that Dead or Alive’s 3:19 minutes of fame can be spun on end for extended periods of time without ceasing to entertain me.

The fact that There will be a Climax is heavily leaning onto Stock Aitken Waterman’s first numero uno chart hit, both thematically as well as visually, start and ends with it, won me over straight away.

What is sandwiched in between the play, which was originally created by Sydney-based lighting designer Alexander Berlage as part of 2016 graduate productions of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, is a spinning, colourful, funky and engaging exercise in Dadaism that would have made Samuel Beckett proud.

Everything else would enter us in spoiler territory and I’d recommend that you go and check it out for yourself . . .

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Photo provided

Parkway Drive

Metro Theatre

Sydney, Australia

January 18, 2018

Let’s delve into physics and its underpinning laws, shall we?

In a nutshell, the law of Boyle-Mariotte captures the concept of gas pressure tending to increase proportionally as the container volume decreases in size.

Aight. Still with me?

A Frenchman going by the flamboyant name Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac formulated a law describing how gas pressure and fixed volume rises in direct proportion to the absolute temperature of the gas. 

In layman’s terms: Shit becomes explosive.

Where am I going with this you ask?

Well, both laws applied in a metaphorical manner to Parkway Drive holding court at Sydney’s Metro Theatre.

If you are situated in the old world and remotely into the post 2k renaissance of metal core, chances are that you will probably be familiar with Parkway Drive’s live abilities, which resulted in them becoming a global player, consequently gained them major slots on main stages of stadium sized festivals and continues to excite the masses.

Now imagine packing that seasoned big time band into a medium sized sold out club.

What you get is an explosive display of polished musicianship, a nearly perfectly calibrated delivery and a show a tightly run show without lacking spontaneity. The fact that the band has a naturally good rapport with the audience fuels the relentless crowd participation.

Celebrating the ten year anniversary of their second album Horizons, the show was infused with a focus on Parkway Drive’s DNA of their earlier incarnations, i.e. in-your-face breakdown glam - an endless array of heavy parts that trickled down on the more than willing audience not unlike the condensation water from the ceiling.

What makes the Parkway Drive live experience special is that despite all the heaviness and what comes with shows of the genre, it is in essence a whole lot of fun and it is not rocket science to realize that this outcome is due to the band’s work and approach, e.g. briefing bouncers to deal with the anticipated avalanche of stagedivers and other shenanigans the Parkway Drive elicits from their audience.

There is little doubt that Parkway Drive is well on its way to become a legacy band and seeing them mix it up by still playing smaller venues on their home turf seems to indicate that they have not lost touch with their roots and is always a welcome treat.

Unfortunately I missed the opener Polaris, a band whose live reputation precedes it and whose debut album was recently released by Sydney’s Resist Records. I will make sure to catch them on their upcoming headliner tour in April.

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Photos by KAVV

American Idiot – The Musical

Opera House

Sydney, Australia

January 11, 2018

The first time and only time I saw Green Day live was in 1991 during their first European tour in front of 20 people at AJZ Stinkdrüse.

The band was on Lookout Records at the time, which is what enticed me to visit, had released a charming yet mediocre in the vein of Californian pop-punk album and there was neither a major label nor mainstream success looming on the horizon.

Fast forward 27 years and mentioning that I am going to see their musical American Idiot is a conversation topic with my mother, as she is familiar with their album from 2004 and the fact that it was adapted for the stage as a musical on Broadway.

Thematically American Idiocy is a timeless topic that can easily be transition from the Bush era, where it originated, to the status quo with Trump at the helm of operations in the new world.

Emphasis is heavily on the music with the conceptual storyline not really delving much deeper than being situational, illustrating and acting out the tropes of the songs, i.e. disenchantment, dissatisfaction with the state of affairs, the entrapments of the establishment, addictions and the downward spiral that comes with it.

This does not mean that the musical is not an engaging and enjoyable affair, which is mainly to the excellent cast’s choreography and vocal and dance performances, backed by a tight live band.

A loud and powerful affair that gets the audience out of their chairs and does not pretend to be more than it sets out to be – light on plot and more of a tour de force that does not reinvent the wheel but celebrates the energy of rock’n roll, the rest- and aimlessness of the generation in question and the foils and spoils that come with the territory.

Adding credibility and extra flavour is the fact that one constituent, i.e. the drug dealer St. Jimmy, has become a placeholder role for which local scene relevant musicians are invited to perform.

Past incarnations have seen Billie Joe Armstrong himself as well as Melissa Etheridge and Davey Havok of AFI fame play the role.

Tonight saw Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson fill the role much to the delight of the enthused audience, which frenetically welcomed each scene he had a part in.

American Idiot is pretty thin when it comes to a coherent narrative but delivers in spades when it comes to providing a snapshot of disillusionment and is an immensely satisfying and fun affair if you are into Green Day’s 21 Century Breakdown and the album that gave the musical its name.