Category Art

Which is one of the greatest Renaissance painters?

Nearly 500 years after his death, Leonardo da Vinci still remains the most well-known Renaissance Man. A jack of all trades, his masterful combination of art with math and science gave birth to plenty of inventions. As an artist, his masterpieces such as the Last Supper, Mona Lisa, and the Vitruvian Man, remain religious and cultural icons to this day. Discover the life and works of The Master, fall in love with his brilliance, and decode his genius with our top picks.

Leonardo da Vinci is probably the best-known Renaissance artist, famous for his masterworks The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. The classic “renaissance man,” da Vinci was not only an artist but also an inventor, scientist, architect, engineer, and more. His innovative techniques included layering of paints, precise attention to light, shadow, and human form, and a detailed eye for expression and gesture — the last of which has led to endless speculation over the impassive face of the Mona Lisa. His famous sketch known as The Vitruvian Man is shown to the right.

In 1472 Leonardo was accepted into the painters’ guild of Florence, but he remained in his teacher’s workshop for five more years, after which time he worked independently in Florence until 1481. There are a great many superb extant pen and pencil drawings from this period, including many technical sketches—for example, pumps, military weapons, mechanical apparatus—that offer evidence of Leonardo’s interest in and knowledge of technical matters even at the outset of his career.

 

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Which is the Mexican artist mixed realism with fantasy and strong autobiographical elements?

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country’s popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist.
Born to a German father and a mestiza mother, Kahlo spent most of her childhood and adult life at La Casa Azul, her family home in Coyoacán—now publicly accessible as the Frida Kahlo Museum. Although she was disabled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until she suffered a bus accident at the age of eighteen, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery she returned to her childhood hobby of art with the idea of becoming an artist.

Kahlo’s work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.

 

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Which is the world’s largest painting on canvas?

How did you spend the COVID-19 lockdown? Making Dalgona coffee, attending Zoom calls endlessly, or simply doing nothing? Well British visual artist Sacha Jafri took a slightly different approach. Jafri spent 18 hours a day painting what is dubbed the world’s largest artwork on canvas, measuring close to 2,000 square metres.

Titled “The Journey of Humanity,” the work is roughly equivalent in size to four basketball courts or two soccer fields combined. It is being painted in the ballroom of the Atlantis The Palm hotel in Dubai, where Jafri has been based for over five months – amid strict COVID-19 restrictions.

Jafri is expected to complete the painting by the end of this month (November), after which it will be displayed on the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The painting will then be cut into 60 square metres each, and will be auctioned off individually in Dubai this December.

The painting in Jafri’s abstract style also incorporates work by children from around the world on the themes of separation and isolation during the pandemic. As part of his “Humanity Inspired” project, Jafri hopes to raise 30 million USD through the painting to support health and education initiatives for children living in poverty worldwide.

 

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Which is the World’s First Martial Art?

The first references of Kalaripayattu can be proved by the mention in Sangam literature era 300 BC. But, Kalari was first officially recognised as a martial art of Kerala in 1362 AD.

Sage Agastya is considered to be the creator of Kalaripayattu. Speculated to have lived sometime around 15,000 BCE, Agastya is one of the ancient saptarshis, a revered Vedic sage. He is considered to have fathered the ancient form of warfare which is speculated to be either a direct translation or parent form of Kalaripayattu. From this account, there seems to be no doubt that Kalaripayattu is the oldest art form of war. The word kalaripayattu is a combination of two words, namely, ‘kalari’ and ‘payattu’ which mean training ground and fight.

During its peak, kalaripayattu was used as a code of combat by Indian dynasties. Kalaripayattu reach its zenith during the years of war between the Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras. The constant fighting between the states helped fighters in refining the art into a martial art form.

Many movements and postures in Kalaripayattu are believed to be inspired by the raw strength of animals and are also named after them. There is a strong belief that this art was developed in the forests when hunters had observed the fighting techniques of different animals.

In 5th century, a Buddhist monk Bodhidharma took Kalaripayattu from India to China, Kalaripayattu is also the predecessor of Chinese martial arts. Once it was brought to China, practitioners of Kalaripayattu merged it with existing forms.

 

Credit : Quora

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What are the lesser known art forms of Theyyam and Puli Kali?

Theyyam is a ritualistic dance form wherein pantheistic deities are summoned to the body of the performer. The performers are generally men and they perform in a kaavu (small rain forest) manifesting varied aspects of nature. The performers are decorated with leaves, garlands, flowers and fruits. The headgear is really big and personifies Chamundi Theyyam who is the goddess invoked. Particularly prevalent in North Malabar, there are several types of Theyyam, and the dance is performed near temples. There are particular communities that follow this custom with strict adherence.

Puli Kali is the play of the leopard or tiger; dancers are attired with masks and are completely made-up like tigers. It is performed by men, women and children during festivals like Onam. Pot-bellied men practically shake their bellies that are painted with the face of the tiger! It has more of recreational value of fun and frolic and is prevalent in many districts of Kerala.

 

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What are the lesser known art forms of Ottam Thullal?

The word ‘Ottam’ mean ‘running’ and ‘Thullal’ means a form of ‘dancing’. In other words Ottam Thullal is a playful dance with entertainment, accompanied by a message and with plenty of puns and satire. Kunjan Nambiar was a great promoter of this art, who also composed the lyrics in Malayalam which can be understood by the common people. For instance “Ottam Thullal thulli Verumbo, Veetil Kanji KudikyanIlla, Ethera Valliye Vanna Thadiyan, Yedenna Kollam, Yendena Kollam, Ullokeya Polay Oru Thannine Kollam” (After the Ottham Thullal, the artiste returns home but has no food to eat, what is the use of being such a big man when he is unable to take care of his basic needs). Known as the ‘poor man’s Kathakali’, the make-up, costume and technique of performance is comparatively quite simple.

Another interesting thing is that the Thullal dancer himself plays the role of both the storyteller and the performer and the way he manages both the role is quite fascinating. And the entire performance provides for thought and entertainment for the audience.

 

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