Tuesday, July 26, 2011

(Design) Modular Architecture, Pt. 1

Because I like thinking about architecture and cities of "the future" I thought it would be cool to show some stuff that seems underutilized in scifi art.  Modularity!

No, I'm not thinking about prefab, just prefab PIECES that can be assembled creatively.  (My dream of making my lego house big enough to live in may come true in some form or another.0  The modular movement is gaining ground, especially in environmentalist circles.  Not only is it more efficient to manufacture, but it can also be disassembled and redistributed instead of torn down.  Not to mention easier, cheaper renovations.  But it's also pretty cool-looking when done well.

These examples tend to go on the utopian side, but we're just looking for artistic inspiration, right?

NOTE:  Most of the headers are links!

HOMB:
A classmate of mine found this during our Solar Decathlon Feasability class.  It's a little too high-end and not so known right now, but looks sweet.










CORAL VILLAGE:
Brainchild of Vincent Callbaut (I might do a blog post on him because some of his stuff is just that cool), Coral Village is a proposal village for Haiti, to be held off the coast in seismic piers.  Each passive unit would also include a patch of land for the family as well.
looks pretty utopian as of now, as I don't know who would pay for it, and how isolated people would be from the mainland.  Again though, it's a good idea in theory, and has the potential for some unique solutions for the illustrator of fantasy cities.







THE VENUS PROJECT:
OK, OK... Maybe later, I'll go into my dubiousness regarding the Venus Project as a whole.  But they have some cool concept images, like this modular concept.  They've got a cool page on construction here.



WETROPOLIS:
Here are plans from a Bangkok-based architecture firm, in effort to help the city combat its flooding and marshy foundation.  This self-sustaining city would ebb and flow with the tide, conforming to floods instead of fighting them.  It would use mangroves to help detoxify the water.  Link in header.



HUMMER HOUSE:
OK, I don't think this is a super-serious proposition, but still, it's a cool idea and has some neat sci-fi/fantasy implications.  How about a city made mostly of old, retired spaceships or something?  (But this isn't just 4 Hummers photoshopped together, this is a working house for a prefab competition, with working electricity, heating, everything.)



hmmm...




KODOMO NO KUNI CLIMBING BOXES:
No info on this designer.  And it's just a playground, but hey, at least the design is functioning!  It looks pretty sturdy too.
I recommend checking out the rest of the blog too.  Playground design is awesome and seems like it's kind of overlooked.  Some of it is fine art sculpture without the pretentiousness of keeping kids off.  Maybe I'll do a post on playground design too...



UNKNOWN DUTCH PLAYGROUND:
I would still customize this as modular, and it inspired an idea of mine for a couple new kinds of city, based on hooking parts of architecture to a main "scaffold mesh".  Wish i had more info on this designer.



So yeah, there are some cool ideas already out there.  Hope they were inspiring!

(Painting) Obscure 19th Century Collection - Part 1

One of my goals for this summer (and this blog) was to find new artists to look at, specifically from the late 19th century (a golden age of fine art painting in my opinion).  Between TAD and visiting the Met, I started to realize the wealth of great artists out there I'd never even heard of.  These artists are apparently invisible to art students not actively seeking them.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover the wealth of Russian painters from that era, especially.

So here's a sample of regular updates I plan to add, many of them Russian.  I apologize in advance for low resolution on some of them.  It's the price one pays for lesser known artists.  I obtained most of these images from this collection.
I will usually post collections based on subject matter, theme, or individual artist.


John Collier - The Confession
Wow, what a piece!  Cinematic in the way it focuses.


Alexei Savrasov - The Rooks Have Come Back 1871
I like this scene because it's haunting and, well, odd...

Alfred Guillou - The Arrival of the Procession of St Anne from Fouesnant to Concarneau. 1887
This is a good example of making a multiple figure composition simple!

Anna Archer

Arkhip Kuinji
What an awesome painting, eastern in its powerful simplicity.
I'll do a spotlight on this guy later on.

Arseny Meschersky
Alien landscape, anyone?

Asta Norregaard Portrait of Elisabeth Fearnley in the Studio of the Artist
Is the window representative of his canvas maybe?  Cool scene anyhow.

Breitner, George Hendirk (1857-1923) 1894 Girl in a White Kimono

Brouwer, Adriaen (1605-1638) - 1635-38 The Bitter Drought
OK, maybe not the greatest painting, but what a face!

Carlo Cressini - La Stiratrici
This painting is a great lesson on painting white.

 Frank Duveneck_The_Florentine_Girl
Love the composition and palette in this.
A solid piece.

Frank Duveneck - The Music Master
I think this looks like a digital painting for some reason...
 like something Craig Mullins or Jaime Jones would do.

Flavitskiy
I'm curious to know the story behind this piece.
I don't think I've ever seen an indoor flood painting...

Franciszek Zmurko
I thougt this was interesting because of its visual portrayal of magic.
If this was painted today, it would probably be all glowy and colorful.

Gottfrid Kallstenius
Some great rim lighting going on here!

Henry  Gervex - The Operation

John White Alexander
Wow!

Ivan Shishkin - In the North wild
Nothing extremely special about this Painting.
Just unique for landscape painting of that time.

Ivan Shishkin - Morning in piny wood (study)
I think this study came out better than the final.

Ivan Shishkin - Oaks, evening (study for picture Oak-wood)
While this piece is a little flat, it has some great rhythm going on!

Ivan Shiskin - Rain in an oak forest

Jacek Malczewski - Faith
Very interesting painter, I highly recommend looking up.
Will probably spotlight.

Jacques Barcat (French, 1877-1955)
just a good example of green in skin.

James Cadenhead

Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch - Autumn L. Landscape. 41x67cm Oil on canvas



John White Alexander - Onteora
The value simplicity makes me think of N. C. Wyeth

John White Alexander - Repose. 1895. Oil on canvas 133x162cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
One top-notch composition.  Can't believe this guy wasn't mentioned once at art school.

Joseph-Fortune Layraud - Saint-Chamonds Iron and Steelfactory. 1889. Oil on canvas
I'm a big fan of paintings depicting early industry.  Must be the steampunker in me.

Lance Calkin (1859 – 1936, English)  - The Young Shepherdess
I love how warm he made the shadows.
Also her personality.  Reminds me of someone I knew back in middle school.

Marceli Harasimowicz - Prey of Ravens
Look at how much her shape mimics those ravens!

Metcalf - Thawing Brook

Nikolai Yaroshenko
Ok, maybe not the most interesting compositionally.
But i just love the way it captured her personality.
There's something so spontaneous and "modern" about it.

Nikolai Yaroshenko

Onda Blocklin
Can't find anything on him/her.  

Paul Peel
That warm light reminds me of Anders Zorn.

Paul-Albert Besnard - Portrait of Mme Roger Jourdain. 1886. Oil on canvas 200x155cm
Strange painting, flawed in some ways but something I like about it.

Ilya Repin
Would you want to hand out with this guy at a party?


Nicolai Fechin
What awesome palette and markmaking!


Richard Bergh
I love the shape massing going on here.

Ridgway Knight - Hailing the Ferryman. 1888. Oil on canvas. 164x211cm
Solid painting, wonderful atmosphere.

Robert Frederick Blum - Venetian Lace Workers. 1887. 77x105cm. Oil on canvas

Saint-Germier Joseph (1860-1925)

Sargent - Madame Erraruriz
Yeah, yeah, we all know Sargent so this might not belong here.
Too bad.

Sargent - Spanish Woman
What beautiful lighting and bone structure!
And androgyny FTW.  

Sir William Orpen
Wow, what a bold move.

Stanhope Forbes

Tanner, Henry Ossawa (1859-1937) - 1893 The Banjo Lesson

Tanner, Henry Ossawa (1859-1937) - Anunciation
Always interesting seeing how magic is portrayed then compared to now.

Theodore Clement Steele - Pleasant Run
This makes me want to be bolder in my environments, value-wise.

Wilhelm Leibl - Reims Cathedral

Winter Landscape at Kaivopuisto
Monet-like colors, but less vague.  Good combo.

Unknown artist :-(
What a great portrait.

Unknown artist :-(

Unknown artist :-(
Masterful painting though, love the light.

(you can see his signature on the painting)
What an awesome portrait!
The most heroic-looking peasant girl I've ever seen.
Great brushwork too.

Unknown artist :-(

Unknown artist :-(