‘Untitled Colors’ by Joe Rudko @ Von Lintell Gallery

by Joseph A. Hazani November 5, 2021

Mr. Joe Rudko presents us with his archetypical photographic style which might simply be described as a meditation on memory at Von Lintell Gallery with his opening Untitled Colors. While the work lacks that exciting bedazzlement we’d expect to find in the drunken starbursts of Western Fine Arts history, it nevertheless expounds the affirmative shift in High Art towards the cerebral,....

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‘Unseen Picasso’ @ The Norton Simon Museum

by Joseph A. Hazani October 22, 2021

The Norton Simon Museum has recently publicly exhibited etchings from the famed 20th century fine artist master Pablo Picasso. What certifies a genuine artistic spirit is its unquenchable desire for more novelty. To impose higher demands of originality upon itself, which creates a continuum of creativity which is doubtlessly expressed with Mr. Picasso’s anthology. 'Two Nude Women' (1946) by....

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Dead Poets Society Movie Review

by Joseph A. Hazani October 15, 2021

Carpe Diem. What does it mean to seize the day? Are we all destined for greatness? At the very least, the promise of exceeding one’s potential through sheer will is to be celebrated. It pushes an individual beyond his or her limits of possibility, breaking through the carapace that one is housed in socially, towards extending mankind to a destiny which was previously inconceivable. It is this....

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My Written Works

On the Struggling Artist: An Essay

A philosophical....

On the Christian Business Ethic: An Essay

Analysis of the role that Christian morality has played in the development of commerce and....

On the Necessity of Color in the Fine Arts: An essay

A philosophical exploration of color and its use in Renaissance, abstract and modern fine....

Towards an Understanding of Jesus Christ: An Essay

Nietzsche had incredible disdain for Christianity being "Judaized Rome", of the slave morality of Judaism creeping up and....

About

To the dilettante the thing is the end, while to the professional as such it is the means; and only he who is directly interested in a thing, and occupies himself with it from love of it, will pursue it with entire seriousness.
- Arthur Schopenhauer
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@sarahannweber at @anatebgigallery: “In the cont

@sarahannweber at @anatebgigallery: “In the continuation of artistic responses to the world-historical biological phenomenon of COVID-19, Sarah Ann Weber’s call-to-arms at Anat Ebgi Gallery is a return to a blissful natural state. Consistently with her artworks in this exhibition are the positive encouragements of illustrious fantasy which is contained within natural figures. This idea of harmony is one which is so far removed from technological architectonics that it provides an easeful smile in the face of the uncertainty of the current state of human society in all corners of the Earth…This is a platonic thought – that to be natural is to be harmonious. How counter it is to the designations of man and his technological thirst for more; but in more quantity of what? Dominion? His thirst in controlling his destiny obfuscates his primal being, which is forever swaying with placid leaves of a eucalyptus or willow branch, or the staunch rightfulness of a cactus or thorny plant given the right to seed and prosper amidst the perpetual perturbations of the cosmic twilight and its endless starry sea. Such humble representations to center humanity in knowing their place provides a glimpse into the need for knowing their impotence at overpowering natural design…To ultimately consider what is good for man is what is natural is a grand idea worth contemplating.” #knowyourlimits #sarahannweber #contemporaryfineart #losangelesart

More of new works displayed from R. Lichtenstein @

More of new works displayed from R. Lichtenstein @thebroadmuseum: “‘Interior with African Mask’, 1991 is a tour de force of contemporary fine art. Amidst its quotidian setting is an undeniable sense of tranquility. It is a self-reflection on the goal of every member of the human race: peace. How challenging it is to achieve even in one’s own home! How, were people as focused on achieving serenity in their own house before achieving it on the planet, there would be more world peace! To consider, then, that the home painted is in such an angelic stasis that there is no after thought about the danger of injuring the work of art within the work of art. The African Mask rests, as gently as a Pharaoh in his royal tomb, to be admired fearlessly. Fine China, too, is allowed the liberty to be released from cabinet penitentiary, to bring more good thoughts to those residing and occupying the presence of a home which finds itself centered. Mr. Lichtenstein’s prominent choice of his dominant color in the foreground further augments the soothing composition, helping us realize a Kingdom of Heaven, at the tail end of modern history, with a mortgage payment. Let us then wish for a world to come where eternity is capable of being perceived with no debts to be repaid.” Full review in bio link. #roylichtenstein #thebroadmuseum #thebroad #newyorkfineart

‘Perfect’ & ‘Imperfect Painting’ (1986) by

‘Perfect’ & ‘Imperfect Painting’ (1986) by R. Lichtenstein @thebroadmuseum: “With the re-opening of the Broad Museum after the world historical COVID-19 pandemic, the vacuum of artistic sunlight and the bitter coldness was rekindled with the beautiful demonstration of new works of art exhibited from the collection’s archive. Most resonant with the unearthing of more of the Broad’s collection were Lichtenstein pieces which provided ample demonstration of the artist’s spiritual progression…Geometry has doubtlessly been used in the fine arts due to its transcendental exactness. So it is coy of Mr. Lichtenstein to play with the concept of perfection with the context of triangular and quadrilateral shapes and an enigmatic abundance of texture. The colors, being muted in each composition, give confidence to the structural poise of the measured space, and that is the artist’s emphasis: that of boundaries. Of limits. Are limits a good thing? Mr. Lichtenstein affirms so, with the demonstration of the variety of flavors of space that can be orchestrated. And no doubt their masculine forms protrude to further give us the positive sensation of extension of autonomous space as a healthy contemplation. This is, in other words, an artist confident of his mastery of autonomy, on display.” Full review in bio link. #thebroad #roylichtenstein #contemporaryfineart #losangelesart

By @robyn_sanford: “In a mild return to normalcy

By @robyn_sanford: “In a mild return to normalcy at the tail-end of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Art Park at La Tierra de la Culebra hosted a festive outdoor gathering which showcased a commitment to a world of always increasing positive opportunities. It showcased, in a word, hope…’The Possibilities of What’s Familiar’ by Robyn Sanford chimes in, as the sweetness of ethereal heaven is wanton to do, with an affirmation in our ability to everlastingly persevere. The intentional construction of a ladder into an arboreal refuge is testimony to the ability for humanity to continually judge its circumstances to be extending in the right direction. This is not an aim, in other words, to demonize the electronic waste and metallic sewage we might otherwise perceive ourselves to be swimming in, with such unrelenting thirst for electrical power towards mindless ends of envy, pride, lust, vanity, and greed – in other words, towards self-inflicted misery. Instead, we are affirmed to view these cords not as encumbrances, but as celestial tethers which permit us the ability to climb to the heights of terrestrial Paradiso.” Full review in the bio link. #robynsanford #latierradelaculebra #fineartsculpture

“In a six-hour long teleplay, ‘Jesus of Nazare

“In a six-hour long teleplay, ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ attempts to portray the spiritual heights of a remarkably idiosyncratic people on the face of the Earth...From which other people would God Almighty exercise once more His sovereign power to move humanity toward its predestined path of the Heavenly Way?...We see, then, in the place of the typical traps which plague every human society – the imbalances of human selfishness – the birth, life, and death of the “promised one”: the Messiah. It must immediately be remarked that the definition is one which is categorically Christian throughout the film. The Sanhedrin’s understanding of the Messiah as the “son of the Living God” is not of Jewish or Hebrew origin. This is, after all, the fundamental schism between the Christian Faith and the Hebrew; between those who remained faithful to the Old Covenant, and the ones with the belief in Kingdom Come through exercising faith in the son of the Living God’s personal trial with his Teacher. To the Hebrew, the Messianic Redemption is one caused by the doubtless self-certainty in this God’s existence within every waking day in the human race forever...utterly dissolving false beliefs which...[require] the need for human death; as opposed to the predestination of immortality and the resurrection of every living soul that has ever been granted the privilege of being seen in God’s sight; of every man, woman, boy, and girl given the chance to smile. Nevertheless...the moral idea of personal sacrifice to save humanity as the ultimate testimony of love...has promulgated mankind toward the heights...Jesus’s willful death to purge the world of darkness, paving the road to the World to Come...appreciates...that every individual possesses within his/her self the possibility to extend perfection into man [and] is the best representation of the better than good end of the Holy Creator and the Love of all His Children - regardless of Ancestry...And that is sufficient reason to enjoy the providential road as its pavement becomes ever more pristinely perceivable in man’s sight.” #onelove

‘Red’ and ‘Green’ (both ink on paper) by @

‘Red’ and ‘Green’ (both ink on paper) by @stacysolodkin at @brittanydavisgallery: “Ms. Solodkin...[is] fastidious in her acrylic canvasing of Green and Red. Each, almost lionized by the portraitures, of what in the artist’s mind is the barest uncloaking of each color, with Amphibious Rorschach tests harkening us to enjoy the minute inkage. It is satisfying to see the stark gradient of color in each composition, to represent the fullest form of these primaries in our celebration of vividness.” #icanseeclearlynow #finearts #stacysolodkin #brittanydavisgallery

‘Visible Light 1’ by @richardschow at @brittan

‘Visible Light 1’ by @richardschow at @brittanydavisgallery: “Richard Chow’s ‘Visible Light 1’ is a wonderful aim at melding a mastery of technique with idea. The cosmic blending, which occurs organically from the Cyanolumen photo-chemical processing to give us Mr. Chow’s own rendition of a ‘The Starry Night’...is veritably a natural formation, of the artist’s playfulness with light, but also confidence with the uncontrollable reactions which occur chemically. Perhaps this is where fine art photography continues to pave its way – diverging from the amateur toward demanding in the artist’s mind’s eye more and more danger and adventure in representing what can be gleaned from natural light.” Full review at the link. #lettherebelight #richardchow #brittanydavisgallery

Hopefully the last of #coronavirusfilmclub: ‘Mr.

Hopefully the last of #coronavirusfilmclub: ‘Mr. Terry Gilliam offers us a haunting yet plausible interpretation of scientific dystopia in his pre-pandemic ‘12 Monkeys’... Namely, it is the critical indictment of common people’s blind faith in man-made authorities and the folly of technological admixture within... It is inescapable to comment on this motif of dystopia found with Mr. Gilliam’s staunch humanistic commentary on the democratic materialist society and its dogmatic principle of lionizing the majority rule, which is often times mob rule...Though the film does not pause too intimately on this thesis, it is nevertheless pervasive in the film, most prominently in the tiresome committees which are quintessentially the formations of bygone “organization men”. Mr. Gilliam loathes the organization of human cultivation through chairs of busybodies, of so called “experts”, who are simply unchecked in their false pretenses of authority over human knowledge – indeed the film itself testifies to the absurdity of a civilized society which investigates viruses for causing death rather than eradicating malarial protozoans, for instance.” Full review at the link. #12monkeys #terrygilliam

“For the citizens of that divided state, and whe

“For the citizens of that divided state, and whether there are honest men among them, and for what reasons we are torn by hate.” And he then: “After many words given and taken back it shall come to blood; White shall rise over Black and rout the dark lord’s force, battered and shaken.” #dantesinferno #gluttony #LastJudgment

If this is a moral universe, how do we explain tha

If this is a moral universe, how do we explain that fact? 🤔

#wheatoncollege #alfredholmes

‘Cromwell’ (1970) now on @YouTube: “[The Fil

‘Cromwell’ (1970) now on @YouTube: “[The Film] is a superb theatrical work which appropriately aims to reflect a transcendental moment in English history...and rightly so, the efforts in staging the story of England’s Civil War cannot help but be constantly appreciated...The film, then, definitively succeeds in achieving an imitation of nature - the goal of art, according to Aristotle... The film invites us into the ripeness of English feudalism at a time when there is national crisis in the mid 17th century. Oliver Cromwell is set to leave to America to escape the King and his supporters who he believes are corrupt, but instead is drawn into Parliament to attempt to move the nation to higher ground. And it is at this juncture which world history was recorded...The men in all facets of the film demonstrate passionate disagreement but are ever so resolved to cease the dispute and return to peace – truly the accords of higher civilization... And it is at this point where the film shows Cromwell, played impeccably by Richard Harris, as an extraordinary historical figure. He is one who recognizes weakness in men at all orders of society and is simply resolved to institute a higher moral order within his nationhood...‘Cromwell’ is beyond a historical piece. It is a magnificent effort at extending the Western fine arts tradition into cinema. Of breathing life into the parchment records of world history.” #coronavirusfilmclub

‘Remember My Child, Nowhere is Safe’ (2020) Ac

‘Remember My Child, Nowhere is Safe’ (2020) Acrylic on canvas. @amirhfallah at @shulamitnazarian:

“[This] is a further challenging work which exclaims a Zarathustrian cosmic warning of the two destinies. The stark polarity of the two hands centered gives us an artful representation of ‘betrayal’. That being, a perception can be received as an extension of knowledge or as an extension of the lie, irrespective of its Belvedere...Self-knowledge, then, is irrevocably true, and this inner-confidence - truly the well spring of all originality - is what the artist is cryptically celebrating.” Full review in the bio link.

#amirhfallah #shulamitnazarian #losangelescontemporaryart

“Man is not granted his full perfection right fr

“Man is not granted his full perfection right from the start, but that perfection exists only potentially...When can one, therefore, achieve full perfection and sufficient leisure for training so as to bring out one’s potentialities?” When there’s Internet available 😅🤷‍♂️ #guideoftheperplexed

‘Vastness’ by @margaretlazzari at @gbgla: “I

‘Vastness’ by @margaretlazzari at @gbgla: “In the presence of a world-historical phenomenon, Ms. Lazzari testifies to the naturally beautiful...With wisps of color to symbolize the eternal recurrence of harmonic motion which is beyond ourselves, Ms. Lazzari cleverly titles her artworks with an affinity toward what Aristotle described Nature to be: universal and necessary...The abstract representation of this motion is what is stellar to contemplate. As it takes our visual concept of the natural world and its everlasting sensations and moves us to explore its forms minimally and efficaciously...this is the true experience of the fine arts – as an effort at authenticity with a world beyond man, one which is permanently perceivable. Yet the timeliness, with the universal and necessary movement of our selves towards quarantine containment, is poetical.” Full review in the bio link #esseestpercipi #covidart #georgebillisgalleryla #margaretlazzari

@isaacpelayo at @bruceluriegallery: “Mr. Pelayo

@isaacpelayo at @bruceluriegallery: “Mr. Pelayo contributes to the American Experiment with a Latino verve to compound the multiplicitous layers of human history that have arrived onto this expansive and rich parcel of North American continental soil...It is best represented in the playful iconography and its intersection in the exercise of joy in life. The Roman Catholic tradition breathes a flavor of spiritedness, of elevated sense of self, separated from the temporal world and its earthly motivations which can become subversive if the task of daily upkeep is treated too seriously. ‘Burro’ typifies this serious humor. The piñata and its vivid color is treated with sanctity. Its otherwise crude achievement of childish happiness is concentrated and ignores the Nordic anxieties of Election and its fervid attention to material well-being; but which also leads to a catastrophic bonfire of the vanities...It is this humility in the effort presented by Mr. Pelayo which is the transcendental kernel which continuously propagates the American Spirit...Thus, it is righteous that Mr. Pelayo focuses on humble beginnings. For that is where dreams always start – from the ground floor. It is in this perseverance of dreaming which sustains America and its exalted placement in world history, magnetically attracting those who think they can to act, one sliced and spiced mango at a time.” Full review in the bio link (good to be back 😊) #contemporaryfinearts #westernfineart #losangelesart

Man’s need to cultivate is distinguished. #gadam

Man’s need to cultivate is distinguished. #gadamer #culture #continentalphilosophy

Ht: Philosophy Overdose on YouTube

‘Juice’ on @netflix: “The world where opport

‘Juice’ on @netflix: “The world where opportunity and dreams are non-existent creates a pressure cooker from the natural vitality of humanity to promote themselves in society. ‘Juice’ tragically realizes the reality of a society which lacks the promotion of the general welfare... No, ‘Juice’ does not show an agitation of the party of four who dominate the screen time, on their lack of cooperation with the Big Apple. It shows, quite justly, the blindness almost everyone has towards the future and its permanent uncertainty. All they know is what they are and what they don’t want to be, which is stuck in the projects...For what skills do they have being cultivated to permit them the ability to touch the sun?... Truly, the all-too-common tragedy realized by the friends whose innocence is warped towards short-sighted riskiness must be the result of a non-aristocratic society. A society whose population finds no inner call to take ownership of the moral well-being of those most vulnerable to misfortune... one which does not inculcate the strenuousness needed for cultivating human spirits and instead raises day laborers. For the failure to live for others as a necessity for bringing the world to come cannot come from a culture celebrating riches over virtue.” #wordsofwisdom #coronavirusfilmclub

‘Jerry Bear’ by @chicojefferson @zevitasmarcus

‘Jerry Bear’ by @chicojefferson @zevitasmarcus from ‘Jabberwocky’ (2018): “This could be considered the exhibit’s ‘magnum opus’, as the effort - which succeeds – is the most challenging. It is a genuine and worthy representation of contemporary art. Beautiful, yes, but playfully challenging at our concept of what does it mean for a thing to beautiful?...The density of moving pieces in this delicious clockwork, upon meditation, almost leads one to a sense of anxiety before arriving at awe with how majestic the order is. It is but a newfound portraiture of nature; testimony to some semblance of advancement of the human race past fawning over pastoral landscapes; that our demands now for wonder require such a talent as Mr. Jefferson to privilege us with a peephole into the transcendent.” #iseeskiesofblue #joshjefferson #contemporaryfinearts

‘Interpolators’ by @robbputnam @waltermacielga

‘Interpolators’ by @robbputnam @waltermacielgallery from 2018: “ Walter Maciel Gallery [housed] simply a haunting mausoleum of ostensibly mummified animals and darkly inspired cartoonish heads... It is not the feeling of cobwebs which drapes each creatures’ death pose and hang-up, but a sense that these animals were recovered from a bog graveyard. And it is that sense of preservation against decay which is central to the pieces...It is not encouraging necrosis...I typically discourage against artworks which do not affirm life, yet is this such the case here? Do we have a moribund statement, a lamentable shriek that all is vanity? Or do we have a gentle gaze into the abyss, a prick of the cognizance of our mortality and its preciousness? I do not see a desecration of life, despite the deathly meditation. I see an affirmation of living life, but more, living an authentic one. One that is not draped in synthetic pink, but one that aims at living nakedly awesome – because life is too precious to live under the rubric crafted by someone else.” #livefreeordie #robbputnam #waltermacielgallery #contemporaryfineart

Another #coronavirusfilmclub candidate, this time

Another #coronavirusfilmclub candidate, this time ‘The Road to Perdition’ (2002): “‘The Road to Perdition’ is the examination of the unfortunate circumstances of determining a damnable fate which is short-sighted. It is to make aims at prosperity with short-cuts in mind. And, typical of organized crime, it is accepted that such a fate is a certainty...This is clear with the recurring Roman Catholic religiosity depicted. Indeed, this is a recurring melody in the organized crime anthropology: that of a fork in the road, of light and dark, and the decision by the gangster to accept the road to perdition...Or, more properly, the tenants of embracing sin in order to achieve a common objective of a loving family of four in a nice home. Not that acquisition of wealth is reprehensible per se despite the condemnation of the rich man entering into the kingdom of God - for this acquisition may not be equivalent to that of the rich man’s pursuit of riches for its very sake. Ends in themselves are naturally reserved for the paragons of human imagination - love and beauty – versus the temporal decay of the daily life of the marketplace. The price is surely not worth the deal with the Devil.” #tomhanks #paulnewman #danielcraig #judelaw #theroadtoperdition #saintorsinner

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