Idle Eyes (aka: art recommendations)

[DanJW]

So I thought I'd add a general visual arts thread.

To kick off, here's a link to a series by American-Israeli photographer Rachel Papo. It's a series of portraits of female Isreali armed forces recruits during their national service. I love its very real depiction of the women - try comparing them to the various armed bimbos we have in games...

[castorp]

Great idea.

I really like the army pictures - even more with the things she wrote about them in mind.

In a hunt for good internet-art I recently stumbled upon Matthew Woodson - http://ghostco.org/. His pictures have an intriguingly ominous tone.

[vimes]

It's a 2 year old discovery, but I love Alasdair McIntyre's homorous approach and his use of diorama

I assume this doesn't have to be recent, so I'm gonna plug Egon Schiele

[n0wak]

That series of photos is great. It seems to get linked and relinked every few months and I enjoy looking through it every time it comes by.

I've recently enjoyed George Steinmetz's photography. A lot of it he takes from a motorized paraglider.

Also Kim Rugg's reorganized newspapers are pretty nice

PS. check my Tumblr and go back a few pages. (I should probably note that it is potentially nsfw)

[twmac]

Been travelling the globe for the last 6 months and there is one book that I carry with me everywhere called Bruised Fruit by David Choe. I find both his art and writing really inspirational (he travelled to the gaza strip and detailed the whole experience) and whenever I'm down I pick it up and read it like a comic book.

http://www.davidchoe.com/

The guy isn't a genius but I love his simple, honest style.

EDIT:

Yeah Dan, those women in the photos are pretty much 100 times more attractive than any computer game character. Not sure I'd be able to get along with their political/religious views though.

[Scrobbs]

'Hyperglamour' - from Universal Everything. Ex-tDR, Matt Pyke's computer art.

[LOPcagney]

I've been looking at Wesley Burt's art recently, specifically his sketches.

Yoshitaka Amano, who I actually didn't connect with Final Fantasy until after I had discovered him, is an artist I've always respected for his incredibly dense, colorful paintings.

[Nick]

I liked what I saw from a graffiti artist called tinho at a gallery not too long ago.

Here's what they have of his http://www.ocontemporary.com/tinho.htm

Also thought these were quite good at the same viewing.

http://www.ocontemporary.com/flip.htm

[n0wak]

http://www.blublu.org/sito/video/muto.htm

[Wrestlevania]

The 'digital matte' artists that litter CGSociety - particular the concept and speed painting-focussed ones - very rarely disappoint.

(Worth subscribing to the CGSociety weekly newsletter if you're a lover of digital art too--it's been one of my favourite subs for years now.)

There's also DigitalMatte.org, which hosts a lot of the best stuff found on CGSociety more succinctly.

[syntheticgerbil]

Man, this is a great thread you guys. I feel inspired and I also feel like kicking myself for sucking.

Anyways, I contribute Koji Morimoto, who I guess is most famous over here for directing Beyond from the Animatrix. Check out his short Noiseman Sound Insect if possible.

I didn't really know how great he was until I bought his artbook Orange. It has this casual, yet professionally unfinished type of feel to all of his art.

More here: http://www.kojimorimoto.net/fr/panorama.htm

[LOPcagney]

Man, this is a great thread you guys. I feel inspired and I also feel like kicking myself for sucking.

Anyways, I contribute Koji Morimoto, who I guess is most famous over here for directing Beyond from the Animatrix. Check out his short Noiseman Sound Insect if possible.

I didn't really know how great he was until I bought his artbook Orange. It has this casual, yet professionally unfinished type of feel to all of his art.

More here: http://www.kojimorimoto.net/fr/panorama.htm

Wow. Agree on every point. I was going to mention Koji but couldn't find any art to put up. I have Orange too, and it's by far the best art book I've ever read.

I have a subtitled high-quality rip of Noiseman. If anyone wants it just PM me. It's hard enough to get anywhere outside Japan for me not to feel too bad about spreading the love.

Also, check out Tom Friedman. All his art is about the patience and the concept behind it. Maybe my favorite conceptual piece is one where he hired a witch to curse a spherical region in midair above a pedestal. (He definitely has a sense of humor about his work.)

He also has a piece called "Hot Balls" constructed from balls he stole from various toy stores and one piece where he crumpled two pieces of paper identically. I'd say definitely check out his book to get a real idea of the kind of work he does.

[LOPcagney]

"Untitled

1992

Approximately 3,000 garbage bags, steel pole on painted wooden pedestal

63 x 28 x 20 in."

[Ginger]

Awesome thread, I've never really given much time to art, but some amazing things have been posted here. Cheers you have opened my eyes to a new world.

[Ginger]

Just came across this games art competition website Into the pixel.

[DanJW]

So while I was doing research for my art project, reading up on various "graphic novels as art", I came across Kabuki: The Alchemy.

Now there are lots of incredibly talented big names in this catagory; Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman and their assiocated artists; but David Mack really takes the biscuit for me.

Everyone needs to read Kabuki: The Alchemy. It is one of the most mind-bending and creatively inspirational works I have ever had the pleasure to experience.

[Scrobbs]

This might be old news to some of you...I first discovered it in 2006 I think.

http://www.desktopography.net/

It's rather good.

[Wrestlevania]

I've just stumbled across animation god David O'Reilly, via coverage of his delightful iHologram application for iPhone.

Impressed with this, I decided to check out his short cartoon series, Please Say Something; I think it's absolutely wonderful in terms of style, pace and execution. Really fresh and interesting.

I then decided to check out his website proper and my head melted just watching the portfolio ensemble on David's homepage. Some truly mind-boggling talent here if you ask me, just incredible in terms of colours, movement, diversity - you name it.

(He also appears to have done a video for Venetian Snares, music fans.)

[Scrobbs]

All forbidden.

[Dr.Gash]

check out his short cartoon series, Please Say Something

Absolutely fantastic. I was out of my nut last night and watched through the whole series. They remind me of the Radiohead blipverts but with a consistent narrative. Each "episode" hits a different sort of chord with its animation and that ending was superb... "Some day... some day I will figure this out." Sort of Deus Ex Machina but somehow strangely relevant to the story. Total weirdness, loved it.

[ysbreker]

http://www.totoroforestproject.org/

Buy totoro inspired art and help save a forest in Japan!

But seriously, some of the artworks on auction are amazing and I'm almost ready to put out a bid on one of the paintings (gallery > 3rd page > 2nd row 3rd from the left. Damn flash sites Can't even link to the page.)

Bit pricey tho.

[LOPcagney]

I did some research last year on the Codex Seraphinianus, a book which took the author years to write, and is essentially an illustrated encyclopedia of a made up universe, complete with its own languages, species, and physical laws. It's amazingly bizarre, and if you ever get your hands on a copy, it's worth a few hundred dollars. Otherwise, you can find PDF's of it online.

[Scrobbs]

Bloody hell cagney, that looks interesting!

Edited September 3, 2008 by Norfolk'n'Clue

[DanJW]

Indeed it does. And the Totoro gallery is full of gorgeousness

[Nachimir]

Thanks LOPCagney and ysbreker.

If I had spare money sloshing around right now i'd bid against you on the Totoro image, it's beautiful.

Found a CBR of the Codex this morning, it reminds me a lot of Jim Woodring, but the elaboration and attention to detail are phenomenal.