WHAT COULD THESE TWO PICTURES POSSIBLY HAVE IN COMMON?
WHAT COULD THESE TWO PICTURES POSSIBLY HAVE IN COMMON?
The image of Che Guevara is iconic. Notice the composition of the image, the subject, the the perspective, the background, and the cigar smoke. Now look at the image on the right. Notice the composition, the subject, the the perspective, the background, and the water.
Would you suppose that they were taken by the same photographer? They were.
Swiss Magnum photographer René Burri, … for years led a double life – one in black and white and one in color. Many of his pictures, such as the one of Che Guevara smoking a cigar, or his photos of Le Corbusier are known throughout the world. In contrast up until recently his color photography received little recognition. On the occasion of Burri’s 80th birthday we close this gap and present for the first time his largely unknown color work along with the short stories behind his icons in black and white.
The Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich and the New Media
The Museum für Gestaltung presents, René Burri A Double Life:
René Burri helped shape the history of photography in the 20th century. Many of his images, such as the cigar-smoking Che Guevara or the works on Le Corbusier, are known throughout the world. Burri meticulously archived all his photo-essays in the form of contact prints that allow us follow how the photographer approached his themes, subjects, and the people he portrayed – the stories behind the icons become visible. Parallel to his work in black and white, Burri also always worked in color and in this sense can be said to have led a kind of double life. His interest was never merely the photographic document as such – he always searched for a formal and aesthetically satisfying solution. Besides this, Burri also created non-commissioned works that reflect his delight in experimentation and his artistic ambitions. For his 80th birthday and to mark the comprehensive donation to its collections, the Museum pays homage to René Burri and with these works presents a largely unknown area of this great Swiss photographer’s creative oeuvre.
Museum für Gestaltung, Photography, Zurich, Switzerland
Wednesday June 5, 2013 – Sunday October 13, 2013
René Burri at Magnum Photos
When you look at René Burri’s work for Magnum Photos, shows the depth of his work – Churchill, Picasso, Le Corubusiser, Cuba, Viet Nam, and more.
Here is his work in the book, Photographs, where you can 315 of his images from the book, courtesy of Burri and Magnum, and Phaidon for free.
This shows that the artist and the publisher are not afraid to use the New Media to provide the work, free. Contrast this with the attitude of e-book publishers.
It also shows that the use of the New Media to present Art does not have to have a lot of bells and whiseles, and does not to have to involve complicated technology.
René Burri: “I never thought I would become a photographer.”
Here is a video of René Burri on his work in color:
Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light, at the Museum of Modern Art is the first solo exhibition of Labrouste’s work in the United States, establishes his
work as a milestone in the modern evolution of architecture … Labrouste made an invaluable impact on 19th-century architecture through his
exploration of new paradigms of space, materials, and luminosity in places of great public assembly.
His two magisterial glass-and-iron reading rooms in Paris, the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève* (1838–50) and the Bibliothèque nationale (1859–75), gave form to the idea of the
modern library as a temple of knowledge and as a space for contemplation. Labrouste also sought a redefinition of architecture by introducing new materials and new building technologies.
The exhibition includes over 200 works, from original drawings—many of them watercolors of haunting beauty and precision—to vintage and modern photographs, films, architectural models, and fragments. Labrouste made an invaluable impact on 19th-century architecture through his exploration of new paradigms of space, materials, and luminosity in places of great public assembly.
MOMA- FUFILLING THE MUSEUEM’S MISSION
This blog looks at the use of New Media Technology to fulfill a museuem’s mission of bringing art to the public. New Media technology, used creatively, can make art accessible to everyone. In the clip below, Barry Bergdoll, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at The Museum of Modern Art, takes Artinfo on a tour of Henri Labrouste’s “Structure Brought to Light.” Notice first, that Mr. Bergdoll is not a “talking head.” He keeps the focus totally on the exhibit, not on himself. This is an important quality. Second, his explanations are clear and concise, so that everyone may understand the exhibition. Third, his enthusiasm is infectious. This not only makes the viewer want to see the exhibit, but helps to demystify the “museum experience” and make it fun!
A FURTHER USE OF THE NEW MEDIA- Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light
Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light
The book is published in conjunction with the first exhibition devoted to Labrouste in the United States—and the first anywhere in the world in nearly forty years—this book is the result of a four-year research project into the entirety of Labrouste’s production. It presents nearly 225 works in a variety of mediums, including drawings, watercolors, vintage and modern photographs, film stills, and architectural models. Essays by a range of international architecture scholars explore Labrouste’s work and legacy, offering fresh historical perspectives on the architect and his structural innovations. 232 pages; 225 illustrations.
A stunning example of the influence of Labrouste’s influence on American architecture is the Boston Public Library. (Plug) In my book, Paris in Boston (available on Amazon), I wrote * “My research revealed that Charles Follen Mckim of McKim, Mead & White modeled the façade of the Boston Public Library on that of [Labrouste's] Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève.” McKim, like most of the American architects of the time studied architecture in Paris. The two buildings are pictured below, the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève first.
Here is a clip of Labrouste’s work in Spanish. Even if you don’t understand Spanish, you will appreciate Labrouste’s work in this great video!
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Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light is presented by MoMA, the Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, with the participation of the Académie d’architecture and the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève.The exhibition is organized by Barry Bergdoll, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art; Corinne Bélier, chief curator,Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine; and Marc Le Coeur, art historian,Bibliothèque nationale de France, département des Estampes et de la photographie.
With the imminent release of the re-make of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and Carey Mulligan, there has been a resurgence of interest in the book version. The Great Gatsby is available free on Google Play, free (as well as for $.99.) Moreover, there are a number of other sites where the e-book version of The Great Gatsby is also free: freebooks-at.blogspot.com, freeebookonline.org, and myenglishpages.com. The Kindle e-book version is priced at $12.99.
DAISY
Here, we will focus on Daisy. To say that Daisy is an interesting character is, of course, an understatement. In an excellent article in the Boston Globe, “Our great fascination with ‘Gatsby” (May 5, 2013), Ed Symkus perfectly captures the genius of Fitzgerald’s writing: “Fitzgerald’s book is beautifully written, showing off a masterful control of language, and most important, its characters are open to interpretation. Some think of Gatsby as a romantic figure, others see him as a hollow shell of a man; to some Daisy is a tragic heroine, to others she’s a mindless twit.”
Here are some of Fitzgerald’s descriptions of Daisy.
Daisy, Chapter 1:
I looked back at my cousin, who began to ask me questions in her low, thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered “Listen,” a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour.
Daisy, Chapter 6:
Daisy began to sing with the music in a husky, rhythmic whisper, bringing out a meaning in each word that it had never had before and would never have again. When the melody rose, her voice broke up sweetly, following it, in a way contralto voices [the lowest register of the female voice] have, and each change tipped out a little of her warm human magic upon the air.
The origin of Daisy’s line “A beautiful little fool.”
Scott scribbled down Zelda’s first words out of anesthesia … “Isn’t she smart- she has the hiccups. I hope its beautiful and a fool- a beautiful little fool.” … Years later in The Great Gatsby, Daisy would say almost the same thing. “I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. ‘All right,’ I said. I’m glad its a girl. And i hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’”
NOW, LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES
THE MOVIE VERSIONS
The 1949 version with Alan Ladd as Gatsby and Betty Field as Daisy. (You can go to 10:00 for Gatsby’s death scene.)
The 1974 version with Robert Redford as Gatsby and Mia Farrow. This clip is of Daisy and Gatsby at Gatsby’s house.
The 2013 version with Leo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy, the trailer.
NOW, CAST YOUR OWN GATSBY MOVIE
The Great Gatsby Produced and Directed by You:
Gatsby: ________________________
Daisy: _________________________
Further Reading:
The Globe Article by Ed Symkus contains a masterful summary of all of the Gatsby versions- movies, plays, and television.
This post is another our series exploring the use of the New Media by museums throughout the world to fulfill their mission to make art accessible to the public. The Prado Museum joins an impressive and growing number of museums who have seized the challenges of displaying Fine Art in the New Media.* We continue to believe that museums are in the forefront of adapting New Media technology to their mission (see the blog piece, “e- Museums Leave e-Books in the Dust – A View from Two Different Centuries“).
THE PRADO
The Prado Museum (Museo Nacional del Prado) is, of course, one of the world’s finest Art Museums.
The Museo del Prado had more than 4.5 million visits to its website in 2012, which is a higher number than the record for actual visits to the Museum: 3 million in 2012. Within the context of the present economic crisis that has resulted in a decrease in visitor numbers to the Museum, the importance of this new initiative should certainly be assessed in the sense of its effectiveness as a means of promoting the Prado as an embodiment of universal culture profoundly associated with Spain. An additional factor is the enormous potential of the Spanish language (according to the Instituto Cervantes, it is spoken by more than 495 million people worldwide and is the second language by number of speakers in the world and the second for international communication
As described on the Museum’s website, the online Gallery provides
Access online to approximately 1000 works of the Museum’s collection (more than 5000 works available in spanish version). This data base will enlarge until it holds the complete collection. The Advanced Search engine facilitates consultation, using categories such as artist, title of work, subject, chronology and reference number.
THE PRADO IN THE DIGITAL AGE
There is a special kind of cool associated with the modern Spain, a blend of the past and the future, which conveys the sense of the “now.” Art Daily notes that, “In April 2008 the Museum presented the printed edition of The Prado Guide, which s a publication of a type traditionally produced by museums in the English-speaking
world. More than 240,000 copies are now in circulation.”
Now, in April, 2013 The Prado launched the first official app of the Museum: The Prado Guide for iPad.
The selection of the 400 principal works in the Permanent Collection encompasses the core of the Museum’s holdings. They are presented chronologically and grouped according to the most important international schools: Spanish, Italian, Flemish, Dutch, French, German and British, plus two sections on the collection of works on paper and on sculpture and the decorative arts.The selection of works reflects the striking differences between the schools and artists represented in the Prado, within which Velázquez occupies a key role, followed by Goya, El Greco, Titian, Bosch and Rubens.
The App also includes a selection of 50 masterpieces that can be viewed as large images, as well as numerous details of these works. The result allows the user to come much closer to the work than is possible in the Museum and to see the backs of triptychs and diptychs that are not visible in the galleries, including Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Adoration of the Magi and The Haywain. These backs of paintings were recently the subject of an exhibition at the Museum entitled Closed Triptychs in the Museo del Prado. From Grisaille to Colour.
Another important extra feature is the 5 suggested thematic routes around the Museum: 50 Masterpieces, Velázquez, Venetian Painting, Princesses and Animals in the Prado. These routes allow visitors to locate works in the Museum, prepare a visit beforehand, further their knowledge of the collection with a thematic route or discover an enjoyable way of introducing the Museum to children through themes such as animals or princesses.
THE PRADO EXCELS IN THE USE OF THE NEW MEDIA
In past posts we have used the ideas of two experts to evaluate the effectiveness of a museum’s use of New Media technology.
Sandy Goldberg, of sgscripts, creates audio and multimedia experiences for a wide variety of platforms and for cross-platform use for museums in the US, UK and Europe. Her impressive list of clients include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and The Van Gogh Museum, among others. In the chapter she authored, “Content for all Kinds: Creating Content that Works On- and Off-Site Visitors,” from the book, Mobile Apps for Museums: The AAM Guide to Planning and Strategy (Ed. Nancy Proctor, The American Alliance of Museum Press, 2012), she advises, that museuems “use large ideas and themes as threads that can tie your content together no matter what the user’s path through it. Think about ideas that are seminal to your museum’s mission or collection. Take another step outwards and think about how those ideas can resonate in the larger intellectual and cultural spheres.”
Cliff Kaung, is design editor at Fast Company and the founding editor of Co.Design, winner of the 2011 National Magazine Award for best online department. He draws over 2 million readers a month. In his article in Fast Company, he points out that, “The most basic failing of so many design projects: Even as the designers go wild with the technology, they never stop to consider what anyone who doesn’t care about that technology would stand to gain. “
The Prado’s new app has met and exceeded these standards.
You can probably imagine being able to create an architectural 3D digital model, make a digital drawing, or edit a digital photograph without the use of the mouse. The process can be arguably easier or more difficult. Still, touch screen technology allows for wonders. But had you ever imagined doing these things without the touch of a surface, by just moving your hands?
Leap Motion has developed a motion sensor technology that will allow for wonders in art, music, video, robotics, medicine, science and gaming. Leap detects movements in front of a screen and translates them into commands for your computer. This new program is being sold to app developers for $70. According to an article by Daniel Terdiman in CNET: “At launch, the company said it will build an Apple-style app store…to sell their work through such a store.”
Context
Context, currently a desktop application for Mac computers, is the brain child of designer Joshua Distler. This app facilitates the work of designers by allowing them to view their designs in realistic settings without having to go through photographing settings to Photoshop. They can also edit the designs as they view them in these settings. It makes the job easier and quicker by not only allowing easy handling of images, but also allowing early testing of the design in context.
To quote an article by Shonquis Moreno in Co. Design:
“Flat is history,” as the Context website declares: These may be “surfaces,” but they’re deep surfaces. The structure of each contains a 3-D surface and multiple layers that control lighting, masking, shadows, and reflections. One specification dedicated to surface “softness” controls how deep a foil stamp will be imprinted.
Check out how easy the program allows for a design to be viewed on a building:
Think apps are becoming too complicated to use? Or that some are too easy to use? What if they adapted to your skills?
User experience can affect the success of any tool or app. If an app is too easy or to difficult to use, chances are you will not like it. Philip Battin makes an interesting suggestion in his article in Co.Design, “The Next Big UI Idea: Gadgets That Adapt To Your Skill“: since user experience is subjective, why not make apps that adapt to the skills of the users?
His suggestion is based on a the theory of “flow,” developed in 1995 by Hungarian psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. “Flow” is defined as what humans feel while they are completely involved. The theory has proven positive to create a good learning experience: it has shown that a balance between skill and challenge can help us feel more involved and interested. He also explains how video games have used the theory by creating different experience levels for players.
Imagine applying this idea to a museum digital guide. You could rent out an iPad or a portable device provided by the musuem and choose your level of experience based on the knowledge you have in both Art and in technology. As you move through the personalized digital tour and learn more about the museum and the app, the app would get more challenging, but at your pace, creating an engaging learning experience.
Note: This Post will stay up for 1 more week, with the addition below of a new article from the April 17, 2013 New York Times on David Mamet’s plan to self-publish his new work.
A TIME FOR CHANGE
Scott Turow, author, lawyer, and president of the Authors Guild has written and spoken extensively on the subject of Publishers vs. Authors in the e-book age. Most recently, he wrote a piece in the April 7, 2013 edition of the New York Times titled, “The Slow Death of the American Author.” There, he says,
Take e-books. They are much less expensive for publishers to produce: there are no printing, warehousing or transportation costs, and unlike physical books, there is no risk that the retailer will return the book for full credit.
But instead of using the savings to be more generous to authors, the six major publishing houses — five of which were sued last year by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division for fixing e-book prices — all rigidly insist on clauses limiting e-book royalties to 25 percent of net receipts. That is roughly half of a traditional hardcover royalty.
THE ROAD TO SERFDOM ON THE SUPERHIWAY
Turow also says, “Many people would say such changes [for authors] are simply in the nature of markets, and see no problem if authors are left to write purely for the love of the game.”
These same people should try applying that maxim to Wall Street. The hypocrisy and absurdity of such a position becomes readily apparent. Publishers are trying to sell this to the public. Yet, increasingly in our system, those who produce the works which produce the profits are portrayed as the problem. Indeed, just look at how the idea of copyright is attacked in the popular media.
The system of Feudalism during the Middle Ages allowed the lords and owners of the land to tax the towns people and their trades. As trade increased during the Middle Ages the taxes became excessive. In Medieval England which was run to the feudal system it was impossible for just one man to make objections to the rate and amount of tax that the lord demanded. The idea of forming a Guild was born.
THEY SHOOT AUTHORS, DON’T THEY?
See Scott Turow answer the question about the future of authors in the e-book era in his address to the 125th Anniversary: Celebrating Study Conference (begin at 1:16:00).
WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
The solution is not simple, but a few things must be kept in mind. First, in the digital age, the phrase “content is king” means that without content, there is nothing to advertise. Second, advertising revenue is still the lifeblood of profit on the internet. Third, realizing this, publishers now are starting to charge for content, emphasizing the probability that the advertising revenue model for the internet (Google, for example) is not sustainable. Fourth, authors produce content. Organizations such as the Authors Guild can become a web publisher and distributor with its own e-book web site with open access technology for e-readers, or, because they control the content, put authors in a stronger bargaining position with e-publishers. This is what SAG (Screen Actors Guild) does for actors.
In the age of mega-billion dollar companies such as Amazon, it makes no sense for an individual author to try to bargain for a “deal.” In this game, the individual author has no power. Indeed, as Turow noted in the NYT, the traditional functions of the “publisher” –printing, binding, warehousing, distributing, and dealing with remainders– are no longer necessary. To continue to price e-book the same way hardcover books are priced is neither fair to the consumer or the author.
When the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author David Mamet released his last book, “The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture,” with the Sentinel publishing house in 2011, it sold well enough to make the New York Times best-seller list.
This year, when Mr. Mamet set out to publish his next one, a novella and two short stories about war, he decided to take a very different path: he will self-publish.
Mr. Mamet is taking advantage of a new service being offered by his literary agency, ICM Partners, as a way to assume more control over the way his book is promoted.
THE FUTURE
However, there are even bigger changes on the horizon due to the technology of the New Media, which can spur the creation of a new revenue model giving authors a fair deal.
THE FUTURE OF THE BOOK. ARE INTERACTIVE E-BOOKS ,”E+,” A NEW GENRE?
The present e-reader is a device, not a genre. An e-reader is just a way of conveniently displaying current printed books. As stated in a previous post, we believe that The Book, both p and e, are already near artifacts. Book publishing is in the death throes of the last century, bound up in static, linear publications. Just as the iPod changed the entire music industry, the book publishing industry is on the brink of a paradigm change. That change is the enhanced or interactive e-book, “e+.” In a prior post we wrote about the enhanced e-book, “e +,” as a new genre which requires the incorporation of many disciplines and technologies. Below are two examples.
ON THE ROAD E-BOOKS: WHAT CAN AN ENHANCED E-BOOK, “E +,” DO FOR JACK KEROUAC’S ON THE ROAD?
Penguin Books has published an enhanced e-book by Jack Kerouac’s novel: On the Road. Both Penguin editors and the Kerouac estate curated this digital edition of On the Road. The book includes valuable features that show what can be done with the enhanced e-book novel, and is an excellent example of the use of New Media digital technology to enhance the value of the e-book, and the reader’s experience.
THE ENHANCED E- BOOK, ANNA KARENINA / Анна Каренина.
Anna Karenina can be enhanced in many areas, including but not limiting to: History, Politics, Art, Music, Film, Fashion, Graphic Arts, The Position of Women at the Time, Translations, and Audio Pronunciations of foreign names, such as “Anna Karenina” in Russian. Moreover, as demonstrated by the superb syllabus to such a course by Prof. Peter Holquist of the University of Pennsylvania, Anna Karenina can be the basis for a complete, multi-disciplinary course.
E+ = EXCELLENCE
The e+ book will meet all of the criteria of The Book in the New Media from the Purpose Page of this blog:
1. The e+ book will be accessible, that is able to be read in any format and by any device (Amazon offers a Kindle Reader app for iOS and Android devices, allowing you to read books on either an iPad or an Android tablet).
2. It will be interactive.
3. It will be viewer directed.
4. It will be able to be manipulated, enabling the reader to use their creativity to examine, adapt, and experiment with the content.
5. It will be be comparative , enabling the viewer to array the work of different writers side to compare and contrast literary styles.
6. Lastly, the e+ book will be able to be viewed as a continuum of man’s effort for expression.
Mars has long captivated astronomers and space scientists. There are certain aspects about the planet that make it both suitable and at the same time lethal for the growth of any kind of life on it. During the late 60s, NASA detected traces of water on the Red Planet. A detailed analysis showed that Mars had indeed been home to various lakes and soils in the past. Mars, despite its relatively high temperature, is ecologically very similar to Earth. It contains all the necessary elements and atmosphere required for life forms to develop and flourish.*
Mars has also long captivated artists, but it is not until now has it been possible for artists and art lovers to find art on Mars via a stunning interactive Mars Panorama which allows the viewer the closest view of Mars, ever. By looking at the formations, designs, the light and shadows, it is possible for you to create your own artistic images from Mars itself.
A stunning 4-gigapixel panorama of Mars, compiled from images captured by two mast cameras aboard NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, could be one of the most detailed views of our distant neighbor yet.
The panoramic picture of Gale Crater derives from 295 images that were digitally stitched together by Estonian photographer Andrew Bodrov. In its final form, the mosaic stretches out to an astounding 90,000 by 45,000-pixel resolution.
A STARTER – MARS IN THE ABSTRACT
To help you get started, here are some images from Mars that could grace the walls of any Fine Art Museum in the World. Gullies in the Russell crater dune field (Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
“At the center of this image from NASA’s Curiosity rover is the hole in a rock called “John Klein” where the rover conducted its first sample drilling on Mars.” (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSImage)
“NASA’s rover Opportunity visits Victoria Crater, viewed from orbit by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in october of 2006. Opportunity is a small dot on the crater’s lip, at top right. Opportunity first reached the crater’s rim on September 27, 2006.” (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)
MORE MARS ART
Click here for more stunning images of Mars as Art. This NASA exhibition in 2007 showcased images from all the Mars missions. The images were selected for their aesthetic rather than scientific value. Scientists nominated 5,000 images, and a panel of professional artists, photographers, and photo editors narrowed the selection down to less than 50.
NOW, MARS ART BY YOU
Try these:
1. Chose a Mars image (Google) and see if you can create your own art from Mars. Use the shapes, geometry, light, shadows, colors, and scale of the planet itself and any enhancements (photoshop) you wish.
2. Look again, closely, at the Mars Panaroma and see if you can create your own art from Mars. Here, the objective is not to look for the “little green men” (or “gray” as Mulder claimed in the X Files), but to use the shapes, geometry, light, shadows, colors, and scale of the planet itself and any enhancements (Photoshop) you wish, to create your own art from Mars.
System Requirements: Human brain, creativity, curiosity, patience, observation, and attention span of 10.0 or above.
Warning: Can take hours or, as with all art, even a lifetime.
where you can 315 of his images from the book, courtesy of Burri and Magnum, and Phaidon for free.
Gullies in the Russell crater dune field (Image Credit: 
“NASA’s rover Opportunity visits Victoria Crater, viewed from orbit by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in october of 2006. Opportunity is a small dot on the crater’s lip, at top right. Opportunity first reached the crater’s rim on September 27, 2006.” (Image Credit: 
