volzifa

[volzifa]

I wish I had more time to draw from life. I think my progress would be faster and more obvious. I hope things will get better in the future.

#traditional artist #art #beginner artist #still life #from life #graphite #pencil drawing

[volzifa]

Music For A While by Henry Purcell

Performed by Brandon Acker (therobo) and Reginald Mobley (countertenor).

#music #baroque music #Youtube

[volzifa]

La Mort Parfumee/The Perfumed Death (1921)

by Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh

𓆸 watercolour

𓆸 one of Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh's last works

𓆸 influenced by Egyptian art and burial rituals

𓆸 characterised by abstraction of composition

𓆸 characterised by mannerist representation of the human form

𓆸 harmoniously combines sinuous and straight lines

𓆸 large dark areas are balanced by greys and pastel shades, giving the painting a delicate yet bold appearance

𓆸 the painting has a dreamlike quality to it; death is not depicted as completely terrifying, but rather akin to a slow descent into sleep or as a resignation, somewhat alluring, though not devoid of gloom

❉ Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh was a leading exponent of the "Glasgow style", the Scottish manifestation of Art Nouveau¹

❉ She worked in collaboration with Frances MacDonald McNair (her sister), Charles Rennie Mankintosh (her husband) and James Herbert McNair (her brother-in-law). They were known as "The Four".

❉ Part of the "Glasgow Girls"²

❉ Her mediums of choice were watercolours, beaten metal, textiles and gesso³

❉ Her work is stylised and decorative

❉ She did not use sketchbooks very often, which probably means that her art is made from imagination rather than from direct observation

❉ Some of her influences are folklore, poetry, the Bible, symbolism, Celtic myths and the work of Aubrey Beardsley

❉ Though overshadowed by her husband, her art is no less innovative and remarkable

¹Art Nouveau is a period of Art History between 1890 and 1914 which tried to bridge the gap between the fine arts and the decorative arts. It was influenced by William Morris's Arts and Crafts Movement and is connected to the scientific advancements of the era and to the bourgeois desire for modernisation.

²The "Glasgow Girls" were a group of young women artists and designers active during late XIXth and early XXth centuries. Though they pursued diferrent styles, these women were connected by their shared experiences and by the support they gave one another.

³Gesso = Gesso, pronounced 'jesso', was traditionally used to prepare or prime a surface so Oil paint would adhere to it. Gesso is the same as a primer, as in 'pre-primed canvas'. It is made from a combination of paint pigment, chalk and binder.

Sources

https://www.mackintosh-architecture.gla.ac.uk/catalogue/name/?nid=MMM

https://www.willowtearoomstrust.org/margaret-macdonald-mackintosh-life

http://museu.ms/collection/object/151316/la-mort-parfumee-1921?pUnitId=6677

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/glossary-terms/glasgow-girls

https://willkempartschool.com/how-to-prime-a-canvas-with-gesso-for-an-acrylic-painting/

Dark/Masculine—Light/Feminine: How Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret MacDonald Changed Glasgow School of Art, María Teresa González Mínguez

Image source - Wikipedia

#margaret macdonald #margaret macdonald mackintosh #art #art history #art nouveau

[volzifa]

"Her hair was astonishing, silver-white, an albino's, sparkling like moonlight, like moonlit venetian glass. I treated her like a glass girl..."

Ice - Anna Kavan (1967)

#books and reading #books #modern classics #anna kavan #ice #anna kavan ice #fragile #delicate #girl #book quote #quotes #book quotes #currently reading #reading

[volzifa]

Află dacă te vei mântui - Pr. Nicolaos Ludovikos - O Chilie Athonită: Bucurii din Sfântul Munte

#orthodox christianity #mount athos

[volzifa]

I love her photography. She is a great inspiration to me.

[volzifa]

For me, this blog is kind of like a personal diary, an amalgamation of all the things that I love. Here I post about the visual, literary and sometimes about the performing arts, about my reading experiences, about my artistic journey (in drawing, writing and photography, under the tag #volzifaartdiary), about my faith ☦ and about other things that happen to pique my interest.

* Please note that I am not a native English speaker. I apologize in advance for all the mistakes that I will make regarding spelling, syntax etc.

#introductory post #introduction #orthodox christianity #traditional artist #art #artistic journey #literature #reading #books and reading

[volzifa]

I recently bought a Fujifilm Instax Mini 12, because I wanted to try instant photography and this was the most affordable option for me.

I like that this type of photography pushes me to be mindful. The pictures don't always turn out well and I am often a bit nervous when pressing the shutter and waiting for the photograph to appear. However, the satisfaction that I feel when I see that I've taken a good picture is greater than the one that I experience when shooting with my digital camera. It makes me really excited for film photography - I hope to delve into it in the future and I also hope to buy myself a Polaroid someday.

#beginner artist #art #photography #instant photography #fujifilm #fujifilm instax #volzifaartdiary

[volzifa]

One day in Athens, Saint Porphryios was with a nun and needed to take a taxi. The taxi driver they found was an uncouth, blasphemous character. So the nun said to Saint Porphryios: "Maybe we should find another taxi." But he replied: "No, let's go with this one, but let me do all the talking."

When they got in the taxi, the taxi driver started saying all kinds of things to them about how selfish priests are, how corrupt bishops are, etc. Saint Porphyrios didn't say a word, and so neither did the nun. After going on and on for quite some time, the taxi driver started wondering why the priest and nun weren't responding. So he looked back at them and said: "So, priest, what do you have to say about all this I've said?"

Saint Porphyrios replied: "Well, let me tell you a story. There was once a very good priest in Crete whose wife had died and was living alone with his young son. But then the Nazis came and killed this priest. His son couldn't understand how God would let this happen to such a good person, and so he became very embittered and angry with God."

At this point, the taxi driver stopped the car and in tears said to Saint Porphyrios: "But, Father, that is my story." After this, the taxi driver confessed to St. Porphyrios and began to live a spiritual life.

+ From the journal of Hieromonk Ephraim

[volzifa]

Gold and macle ring, Champa (Vietnam), 7th-12th century AD

from Sothebys

[volzifa]

In the words of John Scotus Eriugena, 'Every visible or invisible creature is a theophany or appearance of God.' The Christian is the one who, wherever he looks, sees God everywhere and rejoices in Him. Not without reason did the early Christians attribute to Christ this saying: 'Lift the stone and you will find me; cut the wood in two and there am I.'

-- Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox way --

[volzifa]

For me personally, the most difficult thing when making art (whether it's drawing or writing or photography) is staying focused on the task at hand. My mind tends to wander aimlessly, which is irritating and sometimes disheartening. The amount of effort I put in decreases, therefore the quality of my art declines and I hinder my growth as an artist by my own lack of will. It's a constant struggle, but this is the nature of all things in life; we are warriors, who have to toil and suffer to achieve our goals.

(Also, I found out the correct way to grip a pencil when drawing only the past summer, from YouTube. I am yet to master it, obviously.)

#art #drawing #academic drawing #my work #still life #beginner artist #graphite drawing #faber castell #artists on tumblr #traditional art #traditional drawing #traditional artist #struggle #volzifaartdiary