Pass the Eye

Five O'Clock and Frantisek Kupka

I finished work a little early today and have a little time to kill before my dinner date shows up. So, I started doing some research for an upcoming post on my favorite paintings.

I didn't get very far down the road when I (re)discovered Frantisek Kupka.

He was an artist I first came across on a trip to Budapest, where I saw a couple of his (later) paintings in a museum. I jotted his name in my travel notebook and looked him up once I got back to the states. 

At the time, I was pretty amazed to learn that he'd done a few paintings that I'd seen before, including -- my favorite -- The Black Idol (pictured left).

If the painting looks somewhat familiar, that's because it seemingly served as the inspiration for Dracula's castle (pictured below) in Francis Ford Coppola's version of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Think that's a stretch? Watch the movie again. It's littered with artistic references, from Dracula's Gustav-Klimt inspired traveling gown to the font that the movie's name is written in (also seemingly inspired by Klimt). In fact, it's one of the things I loved most about that movie. It was one big love letter to Symbolist art.

At any rate, if you haven't checked out Kupka, he's worth a look.

It also doesn't hurt that he was completely hot.

Who Invited John the Baptist?

I meant to post this last week when I first came across it, but oh wells.

The photo is courtesy of David Lynch; it's my favorite selection from his "Dark Night of the Soul" collaboration with Danger Mouse. 

Haunting, disturbing, macabre, but somehow also tragically beautiful. What do you think it means?

Masters of the Grotesque: Ensor, Ernst, Bacon, and Goya

Looking forward to catching a few shows at The Met over the long weekend, including Francis Bacon and James Ensor (whose work is pictured at left).

Back in college, I remember coming across a few artists in the Expressionist movement but I missed Ensor entirely. Didn't really catch on to his work until I came across this piece in The Times recently. (Don't forget to take a look at the slideshow.)

His work is delightfully weird and macabe. He hits on two of my favorite themes in art: The memento-mori skull and anthropomorphism. Goya also hit on both as did Max Ernst.

Ernst's The Robing of the Bride (pictured left) is one of my Top 10 favorite paintings of all time.

Setting forth on those emaciated limbs, installed in the red feather robe, with the pert but timid breasts, the bride resembles a glam rock icon preparing to storm the stage.

The cock of the head and angling of the body feels so familiar now (pick up any Us Weekly and you'll see the pose repeatedly in the red carpet pics), but it must have seemed incredibly direct and affronting at the time.

The painting is bizarre, arresting, and absolutely unforgettable.

Today's Covet: Phaidon Colour Art Library

The packaging gods at Phaidon have worked their magic again with this beautiful set of art surveys ($389, via auto).

This was probably inspired by the success of their Wallpaper travel guides -- brilliantly packaged, amazingly curated primers to a host of international cities. (The Rome installment was my go-to guide when I was there, helping me pick everything from my hotel to dining spots.)

Nice to see Phaidon giving Taschen and Assouline a run for their money. I do wish, however, that their stationary section was a bit more robust.

And, also: Why don't they offer the complete set on their own site? Well, thanks goodness the folks at auto are on the ball.

Let's See Prada Slap This on a Handbag ...

Prada's latest collaboration with artist James Jean seems inspired, but I doubt it will push that artist to the overhyped heights of Takashi Murakami after his work with Louis Vuitton.

Whatever, I hope J.J. and Prada continue to work together. It'd be funny to one day see Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan carrying a bag emblazoned with this little one-armed goat fetus (another, perhaps slightly less commercial, James Jean creation).

Oh, and please do popover to Prada to see their trippy little animation "Trembled Blossoms." Strangely, they give opening credit for the music, but not the animator. I guess they want everyone to assume that the art is from Miuccia herself? As I said, Jean prob. won't get famous from this arrangement.