Artgonaut

Pixelated Paintings and Other Modifications by André SchulzeMy Modern Met introduces us to André Schulze, a painter based in Berlin who specializes with paint on canvas, often collaborating with artists who are probably unaware of their joint efforts. I gather that he purchases for cheap old paintings composed in Germany decades ago and then adds additional elements. His pixelated paintings are reminiscent of Jimmy Kimmel's unnecessary censorship gags.

The Birth of Impressionism 150 Years AgoA group of young painters in Paris, including Frédéric Bazille, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Camille Pissarro, tried for years to get their art exhibited, but they had neither the cash not the clout of previously-exhibited art to impress the Académie des Beaux-Arts. They finally launched an independent exhibit on April 15, 1874, featuring 30 artists, but not Bazille, who had been killed in the Franco-Prussian War. The collective of artists called themselves the Société Anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs, graveurs, etc. However, one of the most scathing reviews of the exhibit mockingly called them the Impressionists. And the name stuck. Other reviews of that first exhibit were glowing, calling the paintings fresh, gripping, or radical. The Impressionists held eight exhibitions in all, and are now beloved all over the world. The the Musée d’Orsay is hosting an exhibit called Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism until July 14th. Read the history of the movement and what makes Impressionism so different from what had been there before at Christie's. -via Nag on the Lake

Dripping Paintings by Dolaana DavaáDolaana Davaá hails from Milan, the home of Caravaggio. She’s steeped in artistic traditions of old and this is apparent in her work, which makes heavy use of these Old Masters. But she has an original and rather surreal take on them. Davaá recreates iconic paintings, such as the above Ophelia by the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.

The World Nature Photography Awards 2024Tracey Lund snapped the image above of two gannets diving for a fish while on vacation in Shetland. She had a camera with waterproof housing on a stick, and lowered it into the water just as a flock of gannets arrived to find lunch. Lund took 1800 pictures that day, but only two were usable, and this one was named the winner in the Bird Behavior category of the World Nature Photography Awards. Then it won the overall competition, making Lund the World Nature Photographer of the Year. The World Nature Photography Awards received thousands of entries, and awarded gold, silver, and bronze prizes in 14 categories. Some of the winning photographs are being sold in the contest's shop. For every artwork purchased, the organization will plant a tree. They've already planted one for each photograph entered into the contest! See all the stunning winners in each category at the contest site. -via My Modern Met 

Altered Moments: The Second Lives of Precious Moments FigurinesIt's become a hobby, a challenge, and a cottage industry of sorts to take Precious Moments figurines, which were so ubiquitous in the 1980s and '90s, and make them into something else. Many find pleasure in making them into something creepy, bloody, or even sacrilegious in opposition to their cute appearance and innocent poses. Chica & Jo are masters of the art, although they aren't trying to make these figures into the opposite of what they were. Chica uses them as a base for something completely new. Check out this video and see if you can guess where it is going.

Tsukimi Ayano's Village of Dolls(Image credit: hermitvoita)Nagoro is a village on Shikoku Island in japan that has about two dozen human residents, and 300 residents made of fabric stuffed with straw and newspaper. These are called kakashi, which means scarecrow, but these life-size dolls are works of art. They each have a name and a backstory. And they were all hand-crafted by Tsukimi Ayano.