Sparkly Pumpkins—Why Not?

Hah! I love this blinged-out pumpkin riff on Damien Hirst's pretentious (though compelling in its sparkly excess) bejeweled skull, entitled "For the Love of God." Project!

Incidentally, this Hirst skull–related prank was awesome. I was positive I'd already blogged about it ages ago, but apparently I forgot.

The Ferocious Femmes of Joshua Petker

There's something gorgeous and feral about the paintings of Joshua Petker. I want one—or more—but I'm pretty sure they're out of my price range. (Via NOTCOT.)

It Would Have Been Selfish to Ask for More

I love everything about this painting by Edwin Ushiro: It's striking, soulful, vaguely sad, and has a fantastically evocative title (It Would Have Been Selfish to Ask for More). It's probably for the best then that it's already been sold. 'Cause I would have been seriously tempted, yet I don't really have a spare $450. Maybe he'll sell prints—I live in hope.

Three Pictures

There's no theme to today's post, except that all the things I considered posting about were images. So you're gettin' 'em all.

First, the horrible and depressing.
Second, the sublime.
Third, one that bridges the gap: a little bit awesome, a little bit morbid.

Lovely Legos

This guy's Lego art is awesome. It's sort of astonishing how gripping some of his monochromatic people are. (The link is in the fourth paragraph.)

Apples Are Art, Bananas Are Beauty

Oh, I like the idea behind this still life fruit bowl...but I could make one myself and it wouldn't cost 100 smackers. (I smell a dollar store project!) And, even though it's a really nifty concept, the frame portion isn't terribly functional. Still, I am in need of a fruit bowl, and this is a clever idea.

Luke, I am Your Art Project

Check out these photos from The Vader Project, an exhibit designed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope. The Vader Project entails a variety of replicas of Darth Vader's iconic mask, as reimagined by artists. Some of the results are funny, some are so-so, and some are just amazing. It's like The Pony Project, but less girly. And man did I love The Pony Project. (Via NOTCOT.)

Not Just Pulp Fiction, But Pulp Art

Such an awesome collection of pop-up/cut-out pulp novel art. I know that's a strange description, but I really can't think of a better one. Trust me, though, it's neato. Now I want to dig up some cheap old books and mutilate their covers for the sake of art. All you'd need is a steady hand and a sharp scalpel. (Via Boing Boing.)

Sol LeWitt, Plus Overheard at the Whitney

Oh, Sol LeWitt died. That's too bad. I saw the 2000 LeWitt show at the Whitney and the 2005 exhibit on the roof of the Met; both were great fun. Very vibrant, both expressive and painstaking. As a bonus, I overheard one of the best conversations ever while at the Whitney exhibit. A middle-aged Waspy couple was staring at one of the massive tinker-toyish sculptures. The wife whispered to her husband, "Maybe we could put that next to the fountain."

Riiiight.

(Mis)Information

A few weekends ago I saw an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum entitled I Wanna Be Loved By You: Photographs of Marilyn Monroe. While there were some undoubtedly beautiful photos in it, something bothered me about it, and I think I just figured out what the problem was: The exhibit gave plenty of little snippets of information, but too often focused on only what was shown in the photograph. For example, there were photos of Marilyn entertaining the troops in Korea, but not enough background information, such as the fact that she caught pneumonia because she insisted upon performing in a skimpy dress because she didn't want to disappoint the soldiers by appearing swathed in a parka. (Even though it began snowing.)Also, some of the information was just plain wrong, such as one comment about how Marilyn seductively removed her gloves during the "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, when her gloves remained in place throughout the entire routine. (It's perfectly obvious that she couldn't possibly have removed them with the number of bracelets she was wearing.) Not to mention that some of the info was confusing, such as when the caption for either this picture or this one (I don't remember which) mentioned something about Marilyn's lying down on red velvet, when she wasn't actually lying down in either, but in this photo. I know it seems nitpicky, but if you're going to go through the trouble of amassing a slew of gorgeous photos and mounting what is supposed to be an extensive exhibition, it should be pretty damn thorough and error-free.

Note: The last three images are technically NSFW, but they're nudes of Marilyn, so it's art, for heaven's sake. Your boss will understand.