Picasso Exhibition NSW Art Gallery 2011

PICASSO EXHIBITION 2011

ARTICLE

Exhibition held at: ART GALLERY OF NSW

Visited on: 20/11/2011

As far as art exhibitions go, this one was interesting! I attended the exhibition on the 20/11/11 at 1pm at the ART GALLERY OF NSW. There was a dark waiting room before the exhibition, dedicated to display the private collection photos of Picasso, friends and family members. All black and white of course. And in that room was a large screen a few meters high by a few meters wide displaying old films of Picasso painting. That was interesting because it was filmed standing opposite Picasso on the other side of a tall and wide pain of clear glass, which he painted various designs on! He used a thick paint brush and a cream coloured oil paint where he demonstrates simple abstract strokes forming figures of animals and humans. These designs are depicted in many of his finished paintings that we are all familiar with. It gave me a close look at his free hand and his easy flowing ideas. His brush strokes were confident, and he painted with a jovial facade, every now and again stopping to smile at the camera filming him! These movies were filmed in his later years, I would say in or around his 80's. Then again people did look older than there true age those days, so he may infact have only been 35! Who knows!!

There was nothing else shown in these movies but him painting, alone.

It was time to enter the hall where his paintings were held, and off we went! The displayed paintings were catogorised from the earliest ones to the most recent ones.

Firstly what I noticed was that I wasn't yet seeing anything remotely close to what I knew as Picasso style paintings! What I was seeing was a large display of hand drawings of people, and hardly any abstract at all! More realism than anything else.

As the years progressed his style changed along with it.

I noticed something quite unusual, in around the middle of his career, although the paintings remained large and bold, it's almost as though he became tired, depressed or simply just lazy! The displays went from intricate detail and magnificent realism to child like simplicity and basic blotches of people on canvas! To me they seemed unenthusiastic, like he had lost his vitality. But of course I could be completely wrong about that, and may have just been a new style that he thought he'd tamper with! It wasn't so appealing or interesting to the eye however. Knowing very little about his personal history, I may not be aware of something that might have happened to him around that time, but I choose to remain ignorant and treat this as a simple "take" of my own.

It was in the 60's and 70's that I finally got to see the paintings that we all know and love! That became a little more exciting for me! Now keep in mind I might be out a year or two, or even a decade or so, and plainly going by what I "remember" of the exhibition, because I didn't infact document it whilst I was there.

The over all comment I have about it is that he had so MANY styles of creating, that it wasn't easy keeping up with it all! But what I personally liked about that the most, is that it reminded me of myself!! I thought, up until I had seen that exhibition, that there was something "wrong" with me, in that I can never just stick to ONE style of painting, or, had too many interests in design to focus on just one thing alone!. But I guess that comes with being creative! And since Picasso was the same, I'm not complaining!!

There were also displays of many many sculptures that he had made over the years. These I was not that interested in myself, because I was there to take note of his technique in his paintings, and it is what interested me the most. Plus the fact that sculpting has never actually been a creative interest of mine.

The sculptures were however large, above 6 foot, and mostly made of bronze, showing either men, women or animals. Others made of metal sheeting that formed abstract designs depicting musical instruments. Infact, I can say as a broad statement that his entire collection of paintings and sculptures consist of a very small hand full of subjects and those being, women (naked), animals (bulls and goats) and musical instruments (string). Not nessasarily all in the one combination, but mostly! There are a few paintings with a male child here and there and a man or two, but not many of them!

I guess like any artist he appreciated the female form, and being a male artist even more so. The animals displayed in his paintings I personally feel had a close relation to sexuality, people and women, which is the main focus of his work. My guess is, in Picasso's mind it was all related, and it made perfect sense!

I found the bull's especially interesting in his paintings, and they are a large focus in a certain era of his work, I think from memory around the 40's. He painted them over and over again. I wondered what was going through his mind?? Again, my guess would be, the bull being an extremely powerful animal, and a dominating one, and he admired it for those qualities. They may have represented some of his own! Or again I could be just talking rubbish since I also know very little about that time and place in history, for all I know bullfighting may have been a major craze!

My favourite painting from the entire exhibition was the bullfight, 'death of the torero'. It's only a small painting but what impressed me was firstly that it was so very different from anything else shown at the exhibition, in other words, I'm not sure if there are more like that hiding somewhere else in the world, but it was unique there! The very fine strokes and detail is what I loved, and the over all power of the image itself. The "true" picasso style is incorporated and of course I adore colour, and it's loaded with that too! Making is a great cocktail!

His etchings I also admired and need to mention, because again, this man had multiple talents and displayed in the one place! It was mind boggling!

There were many etchings done around the middle of his career, again going by memory, and I found them to be even more amazing than his paintings! The detail that was depicted in them and the beautiful flow of the lines is magnificent!

I have personally only ever experienced the making of an etching back when I was at school, so I'm buggered as to how it's actually made, but I think it's a print made from a drawing scratched onto to glass. Pardon my ignorance and lack of effort to research that! But I had more important things to write about!

Well thats about all I have to say about the exhibition, unless I think of more later! For now I'm tired of typing and it's time to go off and do some painting of my own!

I enjoyed it though, and the surprise element of it was the best part for me!

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: ANGELA YANNATOS

SEE THIS ARTICLE HERE: http://www.paintingsbyangela.com.au/

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Buying Used Guitars - Use These Tips to Find Hot Deals

Buying used guitars is something pretty much all guitarists can understand. The guitar purchasing bug can often be difficult to fight. Sometimes, you just get the desire to buy just one more. Buying a used guitar can be extremely enjoyable especially if you understand you will be getting a great deal. There are bargains to be found and there are many different places to discover them.

Buying used guitars - where to look

The two basic places to concentrate your search will be off-line or locally and online.

Even though some old-fashioned local strategies may not be as well-known or perhaps practical as they once were, numerous can nevertheless land a great deal every now and then. For anybody who is the sort that must take a look at as well as touch instruments physically prior to buying, incorporating offline and internet based strategies has to be your best choice.

You can look on the internet for community classifieds in your town as well as employing websites like Craigslist, eBay, and similar internet sites for local guitars which might be near enough for you to drive and have a look at them.

As well as the prevalent traditional sources for instruments which include music stores in addition to pawn shops, a few other wonderful methods are usually music schools, colleges, regional bars (band guitar players often sell and buy various instruments or perhaps have leads on who may well be selling).

Buying used guitars - little known source

If you have a luthier or instrument build/repairman in your area, he could be a wonderful source for you to tap regarding used guitar deals. At times people get various guitars repaired however they don't come to get them and they get sold for the price of the repair. Leaving your name, number plus the type or model of guitar you're looking for with the luthier could potentially cause many deals to come to you.

The ultimate solution to locating and buying a used guitar is actually on-line. There is no spot in the world that offers as substantial a variety, more suitable prices or more bargaining power compared to online world.

Sure you can not evaluate and contact the guitar in the event the seller is far away, however, you can look at their feedback levels, prior sales and the photographs in their ad to collect the knowledge you need to assess if the guitar they are advertising will work for you. It's also wise to look into the vendor's refund guarantee, the length of time you have to assess if you intend to keep the guitar, if it is insured once they ship it, in addition to who will cover the insurance and other shipping expenses should you ask for a refund.

Several websites in addition enable you to take a look at concluded entries for online auctions that have already happened. This enables you to see what the market price of the guitar is so you have some sort of guide in regards to what you're going to be paying. An awesome suggestion is usually to identify guitars that were listed previously but did not sell. It doesn't mean they are rubbish and might end up being as elementary as a badly written listing or an ad that ended up within the incorrect category.

Buying used guitars - loyal customer recommendations

Some guitar makers likewise have a users discussion board on their website. This is often a goldmine regarding bargains since these players are typically really faithful and committed to their preferred brand and model of guitar and they usually have a directory of specific guitars on sale from all around the world.

It's a great deal easier on your bank account if you look into buying used guitars instead of brand new ones constantly. No matter what strategies you decide to find your dream guitar, it is easy to bet it's out there. Show patience, look everywhere and above all, let other players know exactly what you are searching for and you will be rewarded for your personal efforts. Getting great deals when buying used guitars is half the fun. Do your homework and soon you could be adding another guitar to your collection.

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The Live Music Revolution

For decades, the importance of live music was downplayed over the more conventional sale of records. The music industry itself has been synonymously referred to as the recording industry. With many artistes climbing through the ranks, diversifying genres they made the industry a multi-billion dollar franchise the world over. Since the late 20th century, live concerts have gradually gained momentum, while record sales continued to lose their underlying popularity.

Nothing was scarier than the 25% drop of record sale revenue in the 21st century, which caused a massive rift in the music industry, and ultimately necessitated the need for diversification. Many people loved the music, and copyright law wasn't quite as strict, so bootleggers shaved most of the money from the market, by proverbially skimming off the top. Many people opted for the cheaper knock-off music as opposed to buying the real thing. This decline was the stimulation for the rise of live music concerts, road shows and the popularization of live music listings, as all means of recovering the lost revenue were sought.

Successful artistes today are essentially brand names. Many consumer product companies are paying top-dollar just to have famous artistes showcase their merchandise on their road shows and live concerts. What the artistes lost in record sales is now being supplemented by increased popularity of live music. It is essentially the next logical step in music evolution, with many artistes traveling all over the world and making millions while at it. A rather interesting survey saw that the bulk of music lovers would rather pay to physically see their music icon, as opposed to spending 10 times less to buy the musician's album!

The World Wide Web has its benefits, no doubt, but it is single handedly collapsing the recording industry. It hasn't actually happened, not definitively, but the influx of free online music sites has led to a serious decline in overall revenue. Luckily for the artistes and their promoters, the live music scene has grown just as rapidly. The live music scene notably saved the music industry based on it's rare ability to link industries. These linkages, that traverse borders, allow musicians to merge expertise with other professionals and hence create mutually beneficial relationships. The web has also helped to increase the exposure of groups to an international audience they may never have reached otherwise.

Gone are the days of lip singing in live performances. The entertainment value of live concerts far supersedes that of the conventional record, and allows you to be up close and personal with your favorite artiste. This fact alone has increased the live music popularity half a dozen times over the past decade alone. It sees millions of people traveling all over the globe just to see musicians they view as gods!! Record, Promotion and even product companies are putting more and more investments on road shows, setting up more comprehensive websites with detailed live music listings. Finally, many musicians are still limiting their potential by downplaying the value of having live concerts. Take it from a fan, nothing boosts your ratings like a successful live performance.

Trying to find live music and live concerts in Toronto? Then check out http://www.livemusiclistings.com/ and see all the latest bands and live music Toronto events in your neighbourhood!

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Are Party Photo Booths Another FAD?

Teenagers hang out in them, Courting couples snuggle up in them, Women have stripped off in them, Fred Astaire has danced in one, Andy Warhol turned them into a business, even the photos the booth produces have become collective items for some!

A gentleman by the name of Anatol (Josephewitz) Josepho, invented the first automated machine back in 1925 for the sum of around $11,000, about $145,000 today, a significant investment at that time. Upon first opening his studio in Broadway, it's suggested that, up to 7,500 people a day queued to have their photo taken for the princely sum of.25c, including many notable dignitaries of the time. Needless to say Anatol very quickly became a millionaire with his automated device.

What's staggering is the then difference in how this industry developed in America versus Western Europe! In the UK for example, it is estimated that there are significantly more static photo booths than the whole of the United States, similarly France, largely because of the difference in perception. Long established in the UK and continental Europe as a preferred means of obtaining a passport or ID photo, in contrast to the States where they retained an element of pure entertainment value. PhotoMe in the UK is indeed recognised as the largest photo booth operator in the world.

So what is a photo booth?

This is the $million question because it differs wildly, the many Dictionaries refer to it as a very small room which you sit in and have your photo taken by a machine, more recently Wikipedia refers to them as a vending machine or modern kiosk. There are a few, mostly professional photographers, who somewhat miss the point, and refer to a portable studio as a photo booth?

The main difference from the booths of today versus the current variety is, as with other elements of photography, the introduction of digital cameras and digital printers. Long gone are the days of wafting the 'smelly' print in the air until it dried.

How does this evolve to Parties & Weddings

Firstly, back to the cultural difference, Western Europe functional and practical, America fun entertainment it's a polite way of a saying 'novelty'. Here in is where the current phenomenon took off. Once digital cameras became mainstream and a few software developers realised, applications they had developed for professional photographers, could just as easily apply to booths, with only a few minor modifications.

The very fact that they held the entertainment value in America meant the only obstacle was portability, hardly a showstopper. From just a handful, it didn't take long for the idea of hiring a booth at events to take off, pretty much just as with Anatols and the very first booth, the interest and growth was rapid. In around 2007 the bug really hit and even today is still growing across the States. Interestingly enough one of only a few and perhaps the major software producer, is still a Husband & Wife team in the UK, who's other applications are just part of a portfolio of photography related products. The key difference, though they appeared in the UK around the same time, it took longer to develop mostly due to the cultural difference in the perception of photo booths being fun/functional.

So from it's foundation in America, Party Photo Booths, as they've become known, grew across the world, with a lot more interest in the UK and parts of Asia, from here it's continued to develop globally, more recently in Europe and Australia.

Are there any differences?

This is fascinating and partly answers the question are they a fad?

In America, having now been accepted as a mainstream form of entertainment, the industry continues to grow at pace, here in the UK, whilst the industry is still growing they are still very much a novelty and the balance is only just beginning to tip in favour of them being appreciated as a common party piece, much the same as bouncy castles and chocolate fountains. I predict, this year will see the accelerated interest in the UK.

Interestingly though are the key differences, when the opportunity arose in America, to overcome the portability factor, many budding entrepreneurs popped into the garage and fashioned their booths out of wood, or box frames in Aluminium. This continues to day with a range of shapes, sizes, look, appeal and being polite, the 'finish'. In contrast, whilst a few early adopters in the UK did the same, the growth and interest from consumers hiring, and indeed new entrants into the business, appears to be in more professionally designed, aesthetically pleasing booths, at least at the time of hire! Though even in the States one or two are trying to re-define the structure. In Australia there is even an inflatable version which appears very successful.

It is of no real matter as at the end of the day the magic is in the instant print and it's this element that carries the real emotion.

So are they a fad?

Reality says only time will tell. But let me put it this way, can you honestly remember what you had to eat at the last wedding you attended? Do you remember the chocolate fountain, what flavour were the dips? Can you recall the music? The band? Will you in 5 years? 10 years? You're not alone, yet each year £millions are spent on these quite happily. The images captured and created by the booth can sit on your desk, in your wallet, photo album, even in a frame on your sideboard or wall for years.

What about the future, well currently available also are video booths and hybrids that perform both. Similarly green screen is becoming popular for additional creativity. Interestingly also, again originating in the States, are green screen karaoke video booths, in which you can be superimposed into dancing cartoon characters, whilst miming to your favourite songs, delivered to you moments later on a DVD.

What will they think of next?

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Can Song Lyrics Be Considered Poetry?

Can song lyrics be poetry?

Without a doubt lyrics contain poetic elements, but whether they would have the same effect and power as pure poetry written down on paper without musical accompaniment and vocal performance, is another matter. The answer is probably not, however, as we know poetry began as an oral tradition, and in the medieval era there would have been no distinction between the lyrics of a ballad and the composition of a poem. In fact a 'ballad' is now both a recognised poetic form (quatrains of abab rhyme scheme in alternating iambic trimetre and tetrameter) and the term used to describe a slow, often romantic, song.

Recently a band, "The Waterboys", released an album called "An Appointment with Mr Yeats", in which fourteen of Yeats's poems are set to music. The result is utter brilliance. The natural cadences and rhythms of the poems are used to create musical melodies: especially in such poems as "The Hosting of the Shee" in which the driving dactylic fits perfectly to a pulsing drum-beat. In this instance it is literally the case that the lyrics of the songs are established poetry, sung and accompanied instrumentally, showing that it is entirely possible for lyrics to have poetical devices and forms as well as strong melody and rhythm.

Certainly not all lyrics will have equal formal distinction as the poetry of Yeats, but many song lyrics are composed to create onomatopoeic effects. In the song "Invincible" by Muse, from their album "Black Holes and Revelations" the lyrics are largely composed in perfect trochaic, i.e. a stress followed by a un-stress making up one 'foot' of metre:

Fóllow thróugh
Máke your dréams come trúe
Dón't give úp the fíght
Yóu will bé al-ríght

The trochaic creates a tumbling rhythm that momentously moves on, just like the subject in this song is being told to keep going and not "give up". This is aided by the simple aabb rhyme scheme.

Good lyrics have a similar effect to poetry in their formal techniques: however, another essential component of poetry is the image and the metaphor. But many songs also employ metaphor and imagery: Led Zeppelin's famous (and infamous) song "Stairway to Heaven" describes a woman who is "...buying a stairway to heaven." a line that simply has to be metaphorical, given its symbolic surrealism. The brilliance of the song is realised when the line: "You know sometimes words have two meanings" is sung, inviting us to think twice at the words we are hearing.

Ultimately I think there can be no absolute decision. Some lyrics are constructed well enough to rise to the level of poeticism, whereas others are only given power through their performance and their accompaniment.

Joe Sale is a writer and student at the Univeristy of Birmingham. He has written and published two books so far: 'Dark Age Heroes' and 'Z.A.'

To find out more about him visit his website at: http://www.taliesinbooks.com/

Or follow him on twitter at: josephwordsmith

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Get the Best Acting Lessons Through Acting Workshops

The world of films is so glamorous that many people are being charmed by it and so many of these people are being urged to become actors or actresses. Yes, this field is rewarding but a lot of guidance from professionals and hard work is required for one to have a chance to shine. While there are people who are naturally born actors or actresses, there are those who want to learn the art. These people need to take acting lessons, follow certain guiding principles and be qualified in certain examinations. Acting is a form of art that is of extreme level and many individuals tend to forget about this. With no proper guidance from the right people, they can end up losing their careers in acting.

Attending acting workshops is the best way for you to learn the art of acting. It is highly recommended for you to choose a reputable workshop for such a workshop can really help and guide you in improving your skills in acting. However, it is not that easy to find the best reputable acting workshop for you. Basically, there are two acting courses that these workshops offer. One course is for total beginners and the other is meant for experienced actors and actresses to improve their talents more.

For you to find the best acting workshops, you need to conduct a comprehensive research on their credentials as well as reputation. Everyone has his or her criteria and so it is a must for you to find out if the various acting techniques that many workshops teach fit you. You must also consider the comments and feedback that these workshops receive from students over time. Put into consideration the location of the workshop also. If you cannot find any acting workshop in your locality that fits you, then you have no choice but search in other places.

One major factor that you should consider when selecting a good workshop is the faculty. You can most probably learn a lot from a coach with at least 20 years of teaching experience. The approach of a coach, as such, is not just based on theory but more on real experience. For you to have a chance of learning from first-hand experiences, choose an acting coach having acting experience in actual films. The coach should have the capability of giving you the tools and knowledge that you necessarily need to be able to compete and have successful careers in the industry.

There are many acting workshops to help launch careers in acting.

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