38 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(10/02/08 6:15am)
“Imagine a moment when artists are asked to invent a new language of Art to convey a new way of being in this modern world.”This challenge is posed by the press release for the new El Lissitzky exhibit at U.Va’s Art Museum. Located on Rugby Road, an art museum might not be the first thing you’d expect to find on that infamous stretch of asphalt, nor an exhibit from one of the progenitors of a style of art combining the geometry of space with movement. Until Dec. 28, however, that’s exactly what you’ll find there. Lissitzky’s exhibit will be hosted on the first floor of the museum and will house two complete portfolios of his art, Proun and Victory Over the Sun.Lissitzky, born in Russia in 1890, was rejected from the Russian Art Academy (despite his qualifications) because of restrictions against Jews. As a result, he received architecture and engineering training in Germany, where he graduated from the Technische Hochschule in Darmstadt (now known by the less exciting name Darmstadt University of Technology). His journey as a Russian artist began in 1917, when the fall of the czar coincided with the lifting of restrictions against Jews. Lissitzky returned to Russia and worked as a designer of books and in an art academy before he joined the Suprematism art movement.“He was so far above any other artist of his time,” co-curator Beth Turner said, “because he had solved the question that all modern artists had wanted to do, and that was this idea of creating this space that incorporated movement, and not just one movement but several different kinds of movement ... A kind of movement that could defy gravity, visual gravity.”Using the basic geometric figures and squares that characterize the Suprematism art form, Lissitzky combined simple shapes to great effect. Circles and squares have been used to create representations of human forms and characters in the colorful form of mechanical puppets from the play Victory Over the Sun and dizzying dimensions that seem to move on the paper in his monotone Proun portfolio.The exhibit, however, is more than just Lissitzky’s art on the walls. According to Turner, it is a dialogue — one that got its start in Washington, D.C.“The show originated at The Phillips Collection,” Turner said. “And it originated with the happy circumstance that a board member of the Phillips owned both portfolios that El Lissitzky had made in 1923 for the Kestner Society in Hanover, Germany.”Standing outside the room, only the outlines of the rectangular prints are visible. More visually prominent are the painted walls, mirroring Lissitzky’s style, that dominate the space so the portraits look small in comparison. Once inside the room, however, the painted walls do not hinder the dramatic effect of Lissitky’s art. Rather, they heighten it.This wall art was crafted by artist Hideyo Okamura, who strove to create a “dialogue” between the past (Lissitzky) and the present (himself). The exhibit room was painted white in preparation for this dialogue, which has been hosted three times before in three vastly different spaces, including at The Phillips Collection. A dialogue like this engages the whole body of the viewer — not just his gaze or mind. To Turner, this is the chief aim of all art.“In addressing the whole person like that,” she said, “that’s what the arts are meant to do.”
(11/29/07 5:00am)
Gods of the Mountain
(11/15/07 5:00am)
Christian Finnegan took some time earlier in the week to talk with tableau about the Laugher Arts Festival at the Paramount, Chappelle's Show and Katie Couric.
(11/01/07 4:00am)
Film Symposium
(11/01/07 4:00am)
Each year the Virginia Film Festival showcases talented actors, writers and directors in various venues around Charlottesville. This year, the theme of the festival is "Kin Flicks." In keeping with this theme, festival director Richard Herskowitz and friends have brought back an alumnus of the U.Va. family, Sean Patrick Thomas.
(10/25/07 4:00am)
'Hedda Gabler'
(10/18/07 4:00am)
Not just the name of Lebanon's capital, Beirut is also the name of a band known for its Eastern-bloc brass and gypsy-like rhythms. And amid all of these cross-cultural references is Beirut's august creator, Zach Condon. Only 21 years old, Condon is an Albuquerque native and recently released his second LP The Flying Club Cup.
(10/04/07 4:00am)
Fall Break -- Washington, D.C.
(09/27/07 4:00am)
Where admissions essays go to die
(04/12/07 4:00am)
Named the University of Virginia's number one organization on Grounds last year by Student Council, the Organization of Young Filipino Americans (OYFA) will be hosting its annual Barrio festival this Saturday.
(03/22/07 4:00am)
Since its inception 13 years ago, Virginia Festival of the Book has brought to Charlottesville many high-profile writers. This year, they add another to their prestigious list. While she may not be a high-profile writer you recognize, she is quite popular among the kids.
(03/22/07 4:00am)
tableau: What inspired you to begin writing books, specifically children's books?
(03/01/07 5:00am)
Many view student films with more than a little trepidation. They have the reputation of being ill conceived with sub par scripts and even worse acting. Below the Beltway, however, circumnavigates several of these pitfalls.
(01/25/07 5:00am)
Most people have heard of the term "existentialist crisis." Even more people have had one or know someone who has. Those lucky enough to have avoided the questions that signify an onset of an existentialist crisis are usually on the cusp of their very own. That's why Live Arts' production of Thom Pain (based on nothing) is so appealing -- it's the story of every one of our so-called lives.
(11/02/06 5:00am)
My Chemical Romance is a band possessed. Within the 14 songs on their sophomore record, The Black Parade, they channel the essence of several different bands and a multitude of styles.
(10/26/06 4:00am)
Despite constant media attention, Iraq appears to be a faceless nation where the lives of the people are misunderstood. American director James Longley dispels this notion and gives a face to this overexposed nation with his documentary "Iraq in Fragments."
(09/28/06 4:00am)
Everyone knows the saying, "You can't go home again." Fortunately, it's a phrase that is notoriously ignored. Dave Matthews Band did just that, and what a homecoming it was.
(09/21/06 4:00am)
On Tuesday, Sept. 12, Charlottesville experienced an indie-rock invasion of novel proportions. Indie-rock sensation The Flaming Lips played for the first time in Charlottesville at the Pavilion to a very large, very excited crowd.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
One of the many reasons people choose to live in New York is because you can get things there you wouldn't normally find in your average city. One of these things is great cinema.
(04/27/06 4:00am)
What can you say about Indian films? American films live in that fantastical sphere called Hollywood, while Indian films find their home in Bollywood. Actually, that's a misconception; Bollywood is a term that describes the Hindi language film industry, but there are many other cinema hubs that produce movies for the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding area.