Donald Baechler, Mint, 2007

Because today, it is super hot in London…

Donald Baechler, Mint, 2007 © McClain Gallery, Houston

Highly influenced by the naïve vocabulary of Jean Dubuffet, Donald Baechler’s art is full of childhood imagery, nostalgia and purposely cliché motifs. However, his ‘paintings-collages-drawings’ are not always innocent as it may seems.

Sometimes a real critique of the loss of innocence, he builds with accumulated layers, what he calls an “illusion of history”. He therefore implies that his works are about our perception of childhood as adults, more than our ‘original’ childhood itself.

Nevertheless, this is beautifully made.

Donald Baechler, Western expansion, 1996 © Cardi gallery

Donald Baechler, Colorful Ball, 2010 © Cheim & Read gallery, New York

Donald Baechler, Walking Figure, 2008 © Cheim & Read gallery, New York

Donald Baechler, The Blue Rose, 2015 © michael lisi/contemporary art

Donald Baechler, Virtues of obesity, 1990 © Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm

#DonaldBaechler #because #nostalgia #weatherpost #naif

the stunning waterscapes of MaryBeth Thielhelm

I terribly miss the sea, its quiet rhythm, its sound, its horizon and its ever changing colour in accordance with the light…

The artist MaryBeth Thielhelm is one of the best to depict this unique and hypnotic atmosphere. Unlike the also talented Louise Lebourgeois who creates similar landscapes, her oil on panel are very large and less figurative which makes your mind wander even more and ready to meditate.

Plus, she also developed the technique of solarplate etchings: she takes first a photograph that she burns onto a light-sensitive plate using only water and sunlight. Therefore in addition to use a nontoxic and eco-friendly method, she is in total symbioses with the element that she depicts.

Inspiring!

Images © 2016 Sears-Peyton Gallery

Mary Beth Thielhelm, White 0111, 2011 oil on panel

Mary Beth Thielhelm, Black Sea, 2014 oil on panel

Mary Beth Thielhelm, Blue Sea, 2016 oil on panel

Mary Beth Thielhelm, Deep Forest Sea, 2012 solar etching

Mary Beth Thielhelm, Salmon Rose, 2014 oil on panel

Mary Beth Thielhelm, Solar Etching Installation, 2015

#holidaysblues #waterscape #sea #solaretching #LouiseLebourgeois #MaryBethThielhelm

The ‘Undressed’ series of Antonio Sannino

After spending a week in Barcelona and absolutely loved every single moment of it (the atmosphere, seeing friends who live there, the food, but especially the light (!!!), the sun (!!!), the heat (!!!), and the sea (!!!), in few words: the quality of life), coming back to grey London with its long and expensive commute, the cold, the rain, flat-sharing being a necessity… is harsh.

London is a crazy bitch: insatiable, expensive, but always renewing herself at a speedy pace, and gosh! I love her for it. However for me today, she is similar to one of the city landscapes of Antonio Sannino. Still beautiful, but so grey and tired by its energy accumulated over the years, anonymous, cold and without much horizon…

Argh, damned you holiday blues… !

Images: © Antonio Sannino and Liquid Art System

Antonio Sannino, Undressed 79, 2016

Antonio Sannino, Undressed 11

Antonio Sannino, Undressed 6

Antonio Sannino, Undressed 18, 2016

Antonio Sannino, Undressed 10

Antonio Sannino, Undressed 63, 2014

#holidaysblues #city #London #BlueMonday #cityscape #AntonioSannino #LiquidArtSystem