Pulgares oponibles

iluvsouthernafrica: Lesotho: The Basotho women’s art of house...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:26:26 -0400

Lesotho:

The Basotho women’s art of house decoration: Litema

“The word Litema (pronounced as “di-the-ma”) is derived from the word “ho lema” which means to cultivate, and “tema”, which denotes a ploughed field. The geometric patterns appeared initially on the inside of dwellings and it was only in the 19th century that it appeared on the outside of homes. In contemporary times the practice of Litema appears to be a seasonal phenomenon associated with special events such as celebrations and religious ceremonies. It not only announces births, deaths, weddings or the arrival of Christmas and Easter, but also serves as a reminder of the passage of time.

It is a tradition where women decorate a house after the men have finished building the house. These highly decorative designs are soft and flowing geometric patterns that are applied with fingers, forks and sticks on the walls of houses.The patterns are sometimes coloured with natural pigments or commercial paint and stains. Stones, embedded in mud and relief designs are sometimes used as a more permanent effect.

Before important events, an entire village might be decorated. Traditionally a chief artist or advisor was called upon to direct and advise the women of the village on the types of design or methods of application. The special occasion became a social event in itself. Whilst squatting and drinking tea, the most skilled Litema artist would sketch her intentions in the dust. Once consensus on a design had been reached, women set out to work. Nowadays, it appears, each woman (possibly joined by members of her household and daughters) prefers her individual design and house decoration. The start of decorating times are greeted with much excitement from friends and neighbours who generously participate in terms of giving advice and moral support. Thus it is still an opportunity for a social get-together. The tradition of mural art in Southern Africa, and in particular the tradition of Litema, is not of recent origins.

Like flowers, Litema blooms with the arrival of spring and wilts with the approach of winter. It dies with the temporary surface of mud it adorns. As the suns dries and cracks the design, the rains come to wash away the ‘dead’ design, making way for new decorative opportunities.”

Author: Rudi de Lange; Photos by Carina Mylene Beyer & unknown photographer

thosearthk: The other side of Liu Ye that I didn’t know of -...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:25:15 -0400

thosearthk:

The other side of Liu Ye that I didn’t know of - interesting portrayal of women - his subjects are intrigued to his personal life.

esoteric-surgery: I fucking love these comics.

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:25:25 -0400

esoteric-surgery:

I fucking love these comics.

weheartkanye: i need one of those

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:25:14 -0400

weheartkanye:

i need one of those

machoturbo: - i’d like to drink from a different glass

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:25:05 -0400

machoturbo:

- i’d like to drink from a different glass

Photo

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:39:12 -0400

johneggbutt: have-a-plate-of-fuck-you-too: mousaka: YOU CAME...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:37:51 -0400

johneggbutt:

have-a-plate-of-fuck-you-too:

mousaka:

YOU CAME TO THE WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD, MOTHERFUCKER

THAT IS THE ANGRIEST ZEBRA I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE

IT GETS FUNNIER THE MORE I WATCH IT

museumuesum: Michael Wolf pictures from the series Street...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:42:17 -0500

museumuesum:

Michael Wolf

pictures from the series Street View: Fuck You, 2009

digital c-prints, 48 x 60 inches

amare-habeo: René Magritte (1898-1967) The Fanatics, N/D

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:42:13 -0500

amare-habeo:

René Magritte (1898-1967)

The Fanatics, N/D

sishirbommakanti: Figure drawing/ Photo reference/ Life...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:31:05 -0500

sishirbommakanti:

Figure drawing/ Photo reference/ Life drawing

Photo

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:30:43 -0500

“Lip Reading” (1982) - Edward F. Walther

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:29:26 -0500

“Lip Reading” (1982) - Edward F. Walther

sosuperawesome: Mattias Adolfsson On Tumblr

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:29:03 -0500

sosuperawesome:

Mattias Adolfsson

On Tumblr

Photo

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:28:50 -0500

Louis Wain could have seriously been a Batman villain. A...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:28:33 -0500

Louis Wain could have seriously been a Batman villain. A successful English artist he began to paint exclusively cats after extensively painting his dying wife’s cat. He then made a living on children’s books and illustrations of anthropomorphic cats often parodying everyday life. After about 30 years he began to suffer from schizophrenia, theorized to be precipitated by toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be contracted from cats. After he became too paranoid and violent for his sisters to care for, he was institutionalized at the relatively pleasant Napsbury Hospital , with a garden and colony of cats. Over the next 15 years, he continued to paint cats in increasingly psychedelic depictions.

centuriespast: The Fall of Troy; Helen Takes Refuge in the...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:28:09 -0500

centuriespast:

The Fall of Troy; Helen Takes Refuge in the Sanctuary of Vesta; Venus Counsels Aeneas; Juno Encourages the Greeks

Master of the Aeneid (active ca. 1530–40)

Date: ca. 1530–35

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

fuckyeahbehindthescenes: Leonardo DiCaprio spent a day with...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:27:54 -0500

fuckyeahbehindthescenes:

Leonardo DiCaprio spent a day with Jane Russell to hear her memories and impressions of Howard Hughes.

The Aviator (2004)

The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine (detail) by Agostino...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:27:22 -0500

The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine (detail) by Agostino Carracci

dawnawakened: New Gravity Philippe Ramette does an amazing job...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:05:20 -0500

dawnawakened:

New Gravity

Philippe Ramette does an amazing job with this set of gravity defying images. The French artist believes that nothing should be faked, which makes for a thought-provoking questions to these strange compositions. Philippe sets out with photographer Marc Domage and makes his sculpture life like; making the compositions all that believable. The first image really sets the bar high, this image is really a brain teaser, the way he has the subject on the opposite surface of the water is just unbelievable. I really love the brilliance of this Philippe. Be sure to check out more of his work after the jump.

whitneymuseum: Here’s hoping that the groundhog won’t see his...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:04:46 -0500

whitneymuseum:

Here’s hoping that the groundhog won’t see his shadow tomorrow morning like this fellow in Edward Hopper’s drawing.

Edward Hopper, Night Shadows, 1921. Etching: plate, 6 7/8 × 8 1/4 in. (17.5 × 21 cm); sheet, 13 5/16 × 14 1/2 in. (33.8 × 36.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1048. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York