'Guernica' by Pablo Picasso

This blog is about the painting 'Guernica', painted by Pablo Picasso. He painted this oil on canvas painting  in 1937. Picasso was born on the 25th of October, 1881, and died on April 8th 1973 age 91.

This painting is abstract, which means it douse not follow any specific guidelines. There seem to be a lot of screaming, possibly decapitated heads. One of them slightly resembles a dog. There is also an eye with an up-side-down light bulb in it, hanging above everything else.

There are also some spots in this painting that if you look at it differently it becomes something else. Which is something that is amazing to incorporate into a painting. Again, there are not just decapitated heads. There also seem to be some detached limbs struin across the floor and scattered about the painting. As well as a few broken swords, a gas lamp, and a small plume of smoke.

Personally, I like this painting. I like how it has different layers and how you could look at it for hours and still find new things. I like the complexity, it is a work of art.

Nature Haikus

Laying in the grass,

staring at the sky, bright blue.

A great place to think.

Running through the woods,

jumping over rocks and streams,

the sun shining bright.

Clouds hang in the sky,

a fierce wind blows through the fields,

gray, and black, and wind. 

'The Great Wave Off Kanagawa' by Katsushika Hokusai

This blog is about 'The Great Wave Off Kanagawa' by Katsushika Hokusai. He was born supposedly on October 31, 1760. He died on May 10, 1849, age 88.

At first glance this painting simply depicts a huge wave over taking a boat. But look closer, an you'll see much more. You will see a mountain with snowy peaks in the back round. You will also see another boat a little farther back.

There is also the sky. Which looks like the clouds are glowing with sunlight. But the sky under the clouds is dark and gray, and it gets darker the closer it gets to the ground the darker it gets. I think that this represents that the sky or nature, started out clean and pure. But that humanity has polluted and taken it for granted. That humanity has filled this world with violence and weapons of destruction.

I think that this painting is a work of art. The water looks so real I could reach out and touch it. The boats are detailed and well made. Most of all, the sky is simply magnificent, the blending of colors is just perfect, I also love the contrast. 

LOL Front Yard Poem

Birds, chirping and singing in the trees,
the sound of cars driving by,
the rustle of the leaves in the soft wind.
The feeling of the grass,
the trees,
the wind blowing.
The smell of tiny new flowers,
the smell of the cars,
he smell of the large lilac bush blooming.
The hot sun finally dips behind a crowd,
the short moment of coolness is short lived,
the sun is out from behind the clouds,
the heat and brightness soon returns.

Nothing Gold can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf is a flower,
but only so an hour,
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
so Eden sank to grief,
so dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

The Creation of birds by Remedios Varo

This blog is about 'The Creation of birds', which was painted by Remedios Varo. It was painted in1957. She was born on the 16th of December, 1908, and died in October, 1963, age 54.

In this painting you can see some kind of a bird person sitting at a desk. They have a violin hung around their neck.  They also are holding both a paintbrush, and a triangle magnifying glass. I think that the  magnifying glass is shining beams of light and creating an illusion of a bird. The bird person is then painting the bird to make it real.

There is also a tube going out the window, which is attached to what looks sort of like an hour glass. There are another three tubes coming out of the hour glass and dripping the colors, blur, yellow, and red on to a pallet. The primary colors, represent that everything is some form of something else. Because atoms (so far) can not be destroyed, but rather they decompose and re-grow as something new. I think that the hour glass represents that everything is made, and destroyed by time. But that the paints coming out of the hour glass represents that time does not just destroy things, it also creates them.

I think that this painter is very inspirational. She also shares some similarities with the painter Hieronymus Bosch. Such as their layered paintings. You could look at their work for hours and still notice new things. Her work is fun to look at and explore, it is also inspirational and creative. I think that they have made a valuable contribution to the world of art. 

(1957)

(1957)

(1957. He was born on the 16th of December, 1908, and died on 8 October 1963, at age 54. 

	(1957)

Weekend poem

Laying on the soft bed,
staring at the little screen,
laughing,
smiling,
getting angry at the internet,
the wifi connection's terrible.
And I just got comfortable...
Oh well;
clicking through videos,
scrolling through pointless posts,
staying up way past late,
watching and re-watching my favorite shows,
maybe forget to sleep...
once or twice...
Just one more episode!...
Oh no...
The sun is up already?!
Oh?
Tomorrow's Tuesday?
I hadn't noticed.

The Dust Bowl Blues

This blog is about Woody Gurthrie's Dust Bowl Blues. It is a song about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s'.
It is a country song and has grammar that is cringe worthy, such as "I just blowed in." or "I seen the wind so high, that it blowed my fences down." Although I don't like country music, it is a sort of okay song, just not my favorite.

Bad grammar and genre aside, there were some lyrics that described the dust bowl. Such as "But when the dust gets high, you can't even see the sky." Which is describing when the dust clouds would be so big that you couldn't see the sky.

There is also the lyrics "I've seen the dust so black, that you couldn't see a thing." Which describes when the bust would be so thick that it blocked the sun out. It would be so thick that you could barely open your eyes. There is also "Well it turned my farm into a pile of sand."I had to hit that road with a bottle in my hand." Which describes how many people had to just pack up and leave when the dust bowl hit.

I think that this song has some lyrics that are good, and some that just aren't. I also just don't like country music, the rhythm just sounds wrong. But that's just my opinion....I think a song should be written about the dust bowl, just maybe not a country song.  

The Dust Bowl Pictures

This blog is about 'The Dust Bowl Pictures' taken by Dorothea Lange. The Dust Bowl was a raging dust storm that took place in the 1930s'. It sometimes engulfed buildings, and even whole towns.The raging winds combined with the loose, dry soil, caused by the drought, created a terrible dust storm. These pictures show just how bad it really was.  


Most of the crops were ruined because of the drought. The dry soil was swept up by the wind, that's how the Dust Bowl started. It just kept picking up more soil and getting bigger. People lines the cracks under doors, and the window sills with damp cloth in an attempt to keep some of the dust out.



There was dust everywhere. In the houses, in the schools, in the clothes, and even in the food. Nothing could keep the dust out, it always found some way to sink into everything. Some people  moved far away to escape the dust, but those who couldn't afford it had to stay.


I think it is very important that Dorothea Lange took these pictures. We can learn from them and maybe help provent another dust bowl from happening in the future. She is also a great photographer, her pictures really capture the destruction that the dust bowl left behind. 

Old Photo Poem

I've been standing here for about 5 minutes,
staring blankly,
my corset cutting into my stomach,
I can hardly breathe,
my feet hurt,
when will this end?
I can't wait for this to be over.

Don Mclean's 'Vincent'

This is a blog about Don Mclean's song 'Vincent'.  His song was inspired by Vincent van Gogh's painting Starry Night. It was recorded in May, 1971.

This song has lyrics about how Vincent was thought of as crazy,  such as
 "And how you suffered for your sanity," 
Also about how he was an outcast most of his life, and that no one understood him, 
"And how you tried to set them free. They would not listen, because they did not know how. Perhaps they'll listen now."   or  "For they could not love you, but still your love was true."  and finally
"But I could have told you Vincent, This world was never meant for someone as beautiful as you"

Their were also lyrics about the painting, such as
"Starry, starry night. Paint your palette blue and gray." or "Shadows on the hills, sketch the trees and the daffodils. Catch the breeze and the winter chills, in colors on the snowy linen land." Also "Starry, starry night. Flaming flowers that brightly blaze" (the stars) "Swirling clouds in Violet haze. Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue. Colors changing hue." 

This song is a little sad at some points but is also very beautiful. It can be interpreted in different ways and is a work of musical art. I think that this musician did a wonderful job of putting the beauty and complexity of the painting,  into the song. 

Angry poem

Cool and collected on the outside,

white, hot rage on the inside,

burning in the pit of your stomach,

wanting to break,

to let it all out,

To eliminate the problem.

But you don't.

No, you keep a blank face,

you don't do anything,

except stare.

Stare,
burning holes in whatever you look at,
because you don't want to let your anger show,
because if you do that,
people will ask you what's wrong,
and it's easier if you just calm yourself down,
rather than having to explain it to someone else.
That's why you just keep walking,
with an expressionless face,
staring straight ahead.
Because that's just what you do. 
 
 

Van Gogh's Starry Night

Image provided by Google Image 

This is a blog about Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night. It was painted in June 1889, at the time he was at an asylum called Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He stayed at the asylum for about a year, while he was there, he painted almost 100 paintings.                                        

The painting is the view out of an east window of the asylum, just before dawn.

The stars and moon shining brightly, the night sky swirling and dancing. This painting is an oil on canvas and the unique brush strokes give it a look specific to Van Gogh.  

This painting makes me feel calm yet free. The beautiful, dark blue sky swirling, dotted with little gleaming specks of light. The twisting dark spiral rising up, the little town, the crescent moon with beams of light  surrounding it. This painting is amazing and inspiring.

          Today Van Gogh’s Starry Night is one of the most recognized paintings in western history, but sadly, he was ahead of his time. Today his work is well known and this painting is displayed in the New York Museum of Modern Arts. It is considered one of his best works. His paintings have spirit and are true masterpieces.
          

( Fun Fact / Theory:
The painting may be blurry because Van Gogh suffered from terrible migraines and the night sky probably appeared blurry to him, he just painted what he saw. If people with vision problems go their today,if they look out the east window they will see what Van Gogh saw.)

Star Gazing

 Star Gazing

Laying awake.

the cool night air,

crystal clear,

a gust of wind,

a rustle in the leaves,

just laying their.

  

Gazing up,

up in to an endless abyss, 

thousands of twinkling stars,

shining brightly.

The silver moon,

glowing coldly,

beautiful and far away,

yet feeling so close.

Completely relaxed,

at peace,

just looking,

looking at the calm night sky.