Miroslav Tichý
Saturday | |
These blurred worn photographs are the works of Miroslav Tichý, who was somewhat of a troubled genius.
Viroslav Tichý was born in 1926 in Brno, Czech Republic, where he still lives. In the mid 1940s Miroslav Tichý attends the Academy of Arts in Prague, where he concentrates on drawing and painting. His early works are distinctively influenced by Expressionism.
After the communist overthrow in 1948 the young and promising world of the artist begins to tremble. Not willing to subordinate himself to the political system and follow the dicdates of Socialist Realism, he soon becomes an outsider. Noticeably he fails to cope with the repression under the communist system – his resistance however never ceases. In opposition to the total integration of the individual into the ideologically tightly structured society he reponds with the negation of their social values. In the 1960s Miroslav Tichý, who is the son of a gentlemen’s tailor, begins to neglect his appearance to such an extent, that his clothes fall from his body in rags. In his small home town he is increasingly being avoided as a derelict critic of the system. During this period he begins his photographic expeditions.
His homemade cameras were made of metal plates, rubber bands, scotch tape, cardboard as well as old, discarded cameras, 
Tichý incorporated the practice of photography into his daily life, following no particular plan or rule other than to take a number of photographs within a given period of time. He wandered the streets of Kyjov, snapping the beautiful and banal. He particularly enjoyed capturing on film the women he encountered: in the shops, at bus stops, sitting in the town square, walking down the street. In the summer, like a voyeur, he shot women and girls at the swimming pool or sunbathing in their yards in bikinis or in the nude.
Tichý took most of his photos secretly, with the camera hidden under his long coat or by an oversized sweater. They are all distinguishable by their lack of professional composition and the blurriness of the image. Nevertheless, they capture a state of naturalness, a complete unawareness of the camera.
Tichý's pictures were only known to a few until July 2004, when he 78 years old.
OUR FIRST OFFICIAL TOY
Tuesday | |
Aloha Terrorist was invited to join Pocket Full of Monsters in designing a toy this year. We had painted on a Qee before, but this will be our first attempt making our very own "official" toy. The masterminds behind it all are Super Rad Toys, who promote unique characters of toys and the artist who create them.
Jiddu Krishnamurti is a great mind that blessed the earth from 1895 to 1986. If you don't know him, look him up. He's worth the search. We were inspired by him with our toy design. He's just fucking amazing.
This is what a blank Ningyo Gosho looks like. The Gosho dolls were given as gifts during the Tokugawa shogunate period (1603-1868). And made to provoke, invoke, fear, revere and inspire. The doll is carrying a rope which symbolized good luck. The figure would use the rope to pull in ships carrying treasure and other fortunes. Our Gosho will bring a peace of mind.
This is our final design compilation. Many sketches were first made on paper, scanned in and worked on. It was challenging fitting Krishnamurti's narrow face on a chubby child's head, but I feel like we captured his essence. He often spoke of the human brain so we chose to have his exposed.
STILL LIFE PAINTINGS BY CONAN
| |
I did this piece back when I lived in Hawaii around 2002. The plastic pink teddy bear is a vintage piggy bank but he sits peacefully in my home to this day. The silk orchid flowers have the most delicate features and I love em because orchids are so hard to grow. I hung my red skirt behind them and set them on my mother's black enamel Korean cabinet. This painting was in my first art show at Hesham's Photography Loft.
This still life was painted a few years later in Seattle. Arcade did a painting too (photo coming soon). The background is a sheet of pale green sketch paper with part of some red furniture peaking in. I set up my windup beetle and cowboy. A bottle of Polish Vodka becomes a platform suspending them in a moment. They have encountered each other and a battle is in the air. There only spectator is a vacuum attachment waiting to see what happens next.
GOOD THINGS ARE YET TO COME
Sunday | |
BOGUS PHILOSOPHY
This is a great example of how we approach painting. Kind of a free for all. We sit on it and see where this piece takes us. Bogus Philosophy was inspired by Basquiat.
ROMANTIC MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Romantic Misunderstandings began with just a head floating in outerspace. We researched beheadings and found many legends about St. Valentine. On February 14 around the year 278 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed.
Under the rule of Claudius II (photo above), marriage was outlawed in Rome to make it easy for soldiers to join the army. A lottery of names gave the men a new lover each year. Valentine, a leader in the underground Christian movement, performed marriages in secret. When Claudius II discovered this he had Valentine beaten, beheaded, and his head served to Valentines' blind lover.
Nothing is certain, but it's a great story.
Jason of Flying Coffin used this design to print tees and crews. They are all sold out from his line, but we have a collection ready to be sold for a later date.
EXODUS
| |
This is our second painting after our Brainstorm piece. Here are some idea sketches that Arcade worked on.
Arcade's sketches are already drawn out in his mind and it's only a matter of how well he can illustrate them on paper.
We picked key words to help us focused. A certain emotion of danger was created. A snake in the water creeps behind the boat.
Once we start painting, ideas move from one direction to another.
Arcade painted the left half of the water. Conan painted the right.
These guys are canon ball traders. Canon Ball island is back there on the horizon.
