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Hagia Sophia angel uncovered in Turkey Restoration workers have uncovered the mosaic face of an angel in the world-renowned Hagia Sophia Museum in the Turkish city of Istanbul 29 Temmuz 2009 Çarşamba 02:35 The mosaic, believed to be one of a group of six, was found in the pendentive, an arched triangular section supporting the dome of the monument. Some experts believe the six-winged figure dates back to the 14th century, but the Hagia Sofia Science Board is set to determine the relic's true age by comparing it to similar mosaics found in 1935. Built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian,...

Those concerned with cloned and genetically modified animals often ask: Have scientists gone too far? What are the implications of new frontiers in genetics? One horrific answer appeared recently in a widely-circulated story: "Israeli scientists are examining what appears to be a trans-species between a Labrador retriever and human. While genetically considered impossible, humane workers found remains of an earlier trans-species, believed to be the parent of the animal pictured above, shallow buried in the owner's property. he human parent of the animals is believed to be the teen-aged son of the family well known in politics. DNA studies are...

Shepard Fairey is all for free speech and creating a political dialogue. But the man who created the instantly recognizable posters for Barack Obama's presidential campaign has some choice words for the anonymous artist who made the Obama Joker artwork. "I have my doubts about the person's intelligence," Fairey said on the phone from Pittsburgh. "It's not grammatically correct. It would be 'socialist' ... Obama is not Marx. He didn't create socialism." Semantics aside, "I don't agree with the political content of the poster," Fairey said. "They don't realize that Medicaid is a socialist program." The federal Medicaid program, of...

Andy Warhol's portrait of Michael Jackson in his classic style has sold for over a million dollars. The Long Island gallery owners who were auctioning off the iconic work said that the high bidder is a speculator -- not an art or music collector -- but would not reveal the buyers name. They also did not disclose the exact price, saying only that "in a competitive battle, he paid over $1,000,000.00 for the unique work of art." The Jackson portrraid had sold in May for $278,500 at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. Warhol's highest selling portrait to date, "Lemon...

<p>A Florida teenager could face felony vandalism charges for allegedly gluing posters depicting President Obama as the Joker onto public property, FOXNews.com has learned.</p> <p>Clermont, Fla., Police Capt. Eric Jensen said the state attorney will review evidence to determine whether to charge the unidentified teenager with gluing "dozens" of the posters last week to the city's light poles, public and private buildings, bridge overpasses, road signs and a mailbox.</p>

A PLUMBER has turned into an artist after getting a new kidney - which he believes came from a gifted painter. Gary Leighton, 44, discovered his new skill after a life-saving transplant. Transpl-art ... one work He had never painted before and believed he had no artistic talent. But Gary got a sudden urge to pick up a brush and canvas - and is now good enough to start selling paintings for £1,000. Andy Plughole ... Gary as a plumberImages International Limited He is convinced he must have inherited talent from his donor. And he may find out - after...

Obama Joker artist unmasked: A fellow Chicagoan

Sculptor Alex Queral, 51, from Philadelphia, US, has hand crafted some of the world's most famous faces including President Obama, Jack Nicholson, Bob Dylan and Spartan Kirk Douglas. With a deft hand he has even recreated the actor Patrick Swayze and Sharbat Gula, the Afghan woman with amazing eyes who was made famous by National Geographic magazine. And in an admirable green-fingered move, the artist got his idea and started chipping away when he noticed piles of unused phone books just lying around. He said: "Every year when the new phone book comes out you see just piles of the...

MoveOn.org is hosting an event at the Andy Warhol Museum to salute graphic artist Shepard Fairey, who created the Obama "Hope" poster. The artist was busy today working on an installation across the street from the museum.

A Life Of Car Grime: Amazing Artwork Created In Dirty Vehicle Windows By DAILY MAIL REPORTER 12th August 2009 When Scott Wade's car gets covered in dirt, he doesn't just write 'clean me' in the grime - he uses it to create an intricate masterpiece. [Pics in URL] In fact, dirty cars are the perfect canvas for his unusual art and he has built up an impressive collection of pictures of 'grime art' from Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to a portrait of Albert Einstein. The images are so incredible that motorists often stop at traffic lights and jump out...

"The Thriller Lithograph" honors the great performing artist, Michael Jackson. This magnificent lithograph is the only Michael Jackson collectible authorized by the American Historic Society and imprinted with the official AHS insignia complete with an individually numbered certificate of authenticity. Order early to receive the coveted lowest printed numbers. Secure your special collectible Thriller Lithograph today for the unbelievable price of just $10 plus $6.99 shipping and handling. As a special thanks for honoring Michael we will also include as a bonus "The Commemorative Lithograph" with The legendary Michael Jackson shown in his regal attire, just pay separate$6.99 shipping and...

For over 14 years, I've been professionally involved in the street-art community, hosting events where artists paint live installations, and producing and promoting national art tours. I've personally known the key players behind the Barack Obama "Hope" posters for many years—one being a former employee of mine, another a former colleague. I'm excited for their accomplishment and sense of pride for participating in Obama's historic presidential campaign. When asked by my former employee to be involved with the Hope poster distribution, I declined on philosophical grounds, but fully appreciated and understood their passions. But that said, it feels to me,...

Artist Shepard Fairey, whose iconic HOPE campaign poster of Barack Obama was a global sensation, is back with a new image that both questions and deifies the President. Appearing on the cover of the Aug. 20 Rolling Stone, the portrait depicts Obama with a brow knit in determination, surrounded by a halo of stars. "Will he take bold action or compromise too easily?" asks a headline enshrining the President's head. Fairey said it wasn't meant to be a halo. Rather, the picture he worked from showed Obama standing in front of the presidential seal, he said. "It's one thing to...

Bamboo-wielding guards at the royal palace in Stockholm have damaged a portrait of the first Bernadotte king while in hot pursuit of a renegade jackdaw, TV4 reports. The jackdaw snuck into the royal cabinet meeting room via an open chimney. Royal guards, who were armed with bamboo sticks, chased the bird into the room as it flew directly at the painting. In their attempts to apprehend the flying fugitive, the guards ripped a hole in Fredric Westin's 1838 portrait of Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, who reigned as King Karl XIV of Sweden February 5, 1818 until his death on March 8, 1844....

In 1987, Andres Serrano submerged a small plastic crucifix in a glass jar of his own urine and called it Piss Christ. Not to be outdone, Chris Ofili daubed elephant dung on a painting of the Virgin Mary. While some narrow-minded philistines complained, the artistic establishment heaped praise (and money) on these and works like them. The National Endowment for the Arts was so impressed with Serrano’s work they granted him $15,000 courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. For his effort, Ofili was awarded the Turner Prize, Britain’s most prestigious art award...[snip]... Shocking the middle classes is one thing. Shocking the...

I didn't make this. But I do find the parallels...interesting.

Artist Shepard Fairey, whose iconic HOPE campaign poster of Barack Obama was a global sensation, is back with a new image that both questions and deifies the President. Appearing on the cover of the Aug. 20 Rolling Stone, the portrait depicts Obama with a brow knit in determination, surrounded by a halo of stars. "Will he take bold action or compromise too easily?" asks a headline enshrining the President's head. Fairey said it wasn't meant to be a halo. Rather, the picture he worked from showed Obama standing in front of the presidential seal, he said. "It's one thing to...

This poster started appearing in Los Angeles. I heard rumors about it showing up in Atlanta, too.

The celebrity portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz is being sued by an art finance company which lent her $24 million against the value of her entire collection and her two homes. In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in the New York State Supreme Court, Art Capital Group claimed Leibovitz had violated the terms of their agreement, engaging in "boldly deceptive conduct" to avoid paying hundreds of thousands of dollars. The company asked a judge to force Leibovitz to co-operate with the person assigned to selling her copyrights and organising the sale of her properties in Manhattan and upstate New York, so...

Watch video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzXbERDLCws We enjoyed our visit to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and recommend it to others. This video gives a preview of some of the marble statues. Music from OnClassical.

Broad, Geffen make Forbes' list of top billionaire collectors July 24, 2009 When it comes to wealth-porn lists of billionaires and their possessions, no one does it with more enthusiasm -- and regularity -- than Forbes. The publication today released its list of the world's top billionaire art collectors and the ranking contains many of the international art world's usual suspects: Eli Broad, David Geffen, François Pinault and more. Unlike the more comprehensive ARTnews 200 list that was published a few weeks ago, the Forbes list concentrates on billionaires and excludes gallery owners and other art trade notables. Topping the...

David Lassman / The Post-StandardThis sculpture of Virgin Mary by artist Geri Keil and displayed at the Marcellus Free Library has drawn controversy. A sculpture that meshes religion and pop culture is at the root of a controversy at the Marcellus Free Library. Trumansburg artist Geri Keil created the piece -- "Bebe Coca" -- as part of a library exhibit on Mexican culture, but a group from a Syracuse church signed a petition demanding the library remove it. The group says the papier-mache sculpture, which depicts the Virgin of Guadalupe (a Mexican version of the Virgin Mary) with a...

The Associated Press reports a German artist named Juergen Christ has made a wood carving illustrating Barack Obama's Berlin speech last year, engravings of which will be sold as art.Christ is quoted as saying of Obama, "He's young, good looking, can orate amazingly and has power, lots of power."Christ also calls Obama "an honest soul."Christ wears a bow tie. Who knew?AP photo by Roberto Pfeil

The National Review cruise around the Mediterranean these last ten days included Rome, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Ephesus, Athens, all places where our civilization took shape. Ruins from the classical period, mosaics and painted rooms, medieval fortresses, churches and cloisters, sculpture, pictures, variously amount to a statement of what mankind at its best can create, and what these works tell us about ourselves and why they are worth visiting and preserving. And then almost the first thing I encounter back on shore is the obituary in the Daily Telegraph of one Dashiell Snow. This told a sad story, but more than that,...

The Cult of Ugliness in America Written by Fr. Anthony J. Brankin    Tuesday, 14 July 2009 11:42 The topic on which I have been asked to speak today is “The Cult of Ugliness in America.” I do not intend to speak of every possible example of ugliness in our society. That would be exhausting if not thoroughly discouraging. We already live cheek-by-jowl in an incredibly ugly culture; we cannot escape it. So if there is any purpose to this talk, it is to keep you aware of the very real danger that you might miss the ugliness entirely...

This weekend's popular Santa Fe International Folk Art Market on Museum Hill does more than keep traditional skills alive. "We are helping Palestinian women who live in refugee camps in the Gaza Strip increase their income to ... Sulafa provides materials and training to 500 refugee women in Gaza... Ghulam Sarwar of Pakistan began decorating a white Santa Fe municipal truck with flamboyantly painted birds and symbols, part of the truck artistry ... Rana, Sarwar and the other truck artists were awarded a UNESCO seal of excellence award for handicrafts ... organizers had an easier time getting people from Palestine...

St. Peter's crucifixion is portrayed in a mural by Michelangelo in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to inaugurate the chapel July 4 after a five-year, $4.6 million renovation. (CNS/courtesy of the Vatican Museums) VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Work on the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace was not so much a restoration as a restitution of the pope's prayer space, said the director of the Vatican Museums. Containing the last two murals Michelangelo ever painted, the private papal chapel had been under scaffolding for more than five years; it was...

Symbols of communism and marijuana and a prediction that "capitalism will fail" aren't exactly the sort of end-of-year messages you'd expect from an eighth grader. But that's precisely what some students at the Black Pine Circle School, a private school in Berkeley, Calif., chose to include in their "Class of 2007" mosaic. The symbols, which are prominently displayed outside the school, have prompted questions about the appropriateness of images like a hammer and sickle and a marijuana leaf on school grounds — and have led critics to say they are blatant proof of political indoctrination of young children. Black Pine...

These fantastic drawings are from our friend, artist Larry Freeborn. Please don't use these without his permission. If you would like to get a hold of him, contact me for his e-mail address. There are many more pictures on site.

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2009 – As it gears up for its 7th Annual Children’s Freedom Art Contest, a North Carolina-based troop-support group is looking for patriotic drawings or paintings that signify the unyielding spirit of America after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “We initially started as a group that put up exhibits of patriotic photos sent to us,” said Eileen A. Schwartz, founder of Flags Across the Nation. “About a year after the 9/11 attacks, we decided to launch a Freedom Art Contest for children. Throughout the year, we still do art-related exhibits and activities honoring our flag...

The Politics of Nihilism at the Denver Art Museum: ... Garcia’s "not thinking about revolution or war" statement is a clear indication of a rift between the R. G. Davis Marxists and the Timothy Leary Drug Utopians. Although the Communist Party (CPUSA) had made a great effort to formulate the 60’s "youth revolution" the drugs and hip philosophy was diverting their efforts in an unforeseen way. CPUSA had used folk music as a tool to attract followers to their labor movement in the 30’s 40’s and 50’s. Now they were continuing that strategy in the 60’s by attracting talented musicians...

El Marco's new photo essay exposes how the Denver Art Museum is promoting LSD and radical revolution to today's generation of children. This in-depth study uncovers how a public institution is undermining the city it is supposed to serve. The shocking history of the Psychedelic Movement in San Francisco is juxtaposed with real tragedy in today's recovery community in Denver. http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2009/06/drugs-and-revolution-to-children-at-dam/

In March 2007, members of the Berwyn, Illinois Police Department entered the home of a recently deceased man at the request of his son. What they found in that small house in a Chicago suburb eventually reverberated nearly 5,000 miles away: the late owner of the home—John Sisto—had been haphazardly storing more than 3,500 suspected antiquities from Italy in boxes, in piles on the floor, and on bookshelves. On Monday, some of those items were on public display for the first time in years during a press conference with our partners—when Special Agent in Charge Robert Grant of our Chicago...

We’ve seen some of the crazier creations of fashion like butt-less tights and umbrellas for shoes, and we’re not sure that we liked them. But we love this line of artistic sunglasses by Stevie Boi. They are crazy, they are freaky, but they are kind of funny. Click the button, and tell us, would you wear Stevie Boi’s crazy shades?

Start from the outside, then work your way in. That's the artistic lesson Kathryn Stats learned the first time she attempted to paint Zion National Park more than 30 years ago. "Painting from within the park is just mind-boggling," Stats said. "Everything's so big, and you're so little." She moved her easel to just outside Rockville, Utah, where she could look into Zion from a distance. Even then she found the light moving so quickly -- sparking fiery reds, stark yellows and vivid oranges as it traveled across formations -- that her subject changed almost completely with every half-hour. And...

Yale University's acquisition of a Vincent Van Gogh painting that Russia once claimed as its own amounted to acceptance of stolen property and "art laundering," a descendant of an earlier owner alleges. Pierre Konowaloff of France argues in recent court papers that Russian authorities in the 1917 revolution unlawfully confiscated the painting owned by Konowaloff's ancestor and that the United States deemed the theft a violation of international law. "Yale's continued and wrongful detention of the unlawfully confiscated 'The Night Cafe' is prohibited by customary and international treaty law," Konowaloff's attorneys wrote in the filings. "Yale should be held accountable...

Paper art can be traced back to Japan, where it originated over a thousand years ago. From complex paper cutting to book carving, this is an ever expanding area of design that is hardly talked about. These intricate paper designs grace museums and exhibitions throughout the world and is becoming yet another exciting medium of expression for many designers. Some of the artists featured here use simple materials, such as A4 printing paper, while others resort to unexpected materials, such as actual books, as their prime materials. In this article, we’ll take a look at 13 remarkable artists and showcase...

ABOUT THE SHOW: The artist that electrified audiences in A&E's hit series Inked is in a new tattoo series that takes us beyond the shop. Tattoo Highway follows artist Thomas Pendelton as he travels the country in a mobile tattoo parlor of his own design, a converted 1970s Silver Eagle Tour Bus. On the outside, it's a moving metal canvas of Thomas' art; on the inside, it's a fully functional tattoo parlor. Whether he's tattooing a Crown Dancer for an Apache Elder in New Mexico or a bat-winged heart on a mortician's chest in Sacramento, Thomas is on the road...

Hi all I thought you might enjoy this new painting of Christ. I am an illustrator and just did it on spec hoping to get royalties later. You can use the small version on your websites if you leave the copyright info intact and give me a link back. For anything else contact me and we can work something out.

President Hussein and Mrs. Hussein are reportedly removing portraits of presidents past from the White House and replacing them with abstract art. Remember, in Cambodia, when the Khumer Rouge took over, they declared it to be "year one," and removed all references to the past. Abstract art rather than pictures of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln? Yes, those oppressors, in Obama's mind, represent the stale US past

Barack Obama is taking on health care, financial regulation, torture and environmental policy. He’s also revamping the White House art collection. The Obamas are sending ripples through the art world as they put the call out to museums, galleries and private collectors that they’d like to borrow modern art by African-American, Asian, Hispanic and female artists for the White House. In a sharp departure from the 19th-century still lifes, pastorals and portraits that dominate the White House’s public rooms, they are choosing bold, abstract art works.

The painter who created the controversial "Obama as Christ" painting is back. Artist Michael D'Antuono, who apologized for offending people and withdrew his original painting, titled "The Truth," from a scheduled NYC showing on President Obama's 100th day in office, has just unveiled a new Obama painting (larger version below the fold). However, D'Antuono was a bit disingenuous in the explanation of his surprise that people were offended by his first Obama painting as you can see in this press release: Artist Michael D'Antuono Responds To 'Truth' Critics With Second Obama PaintingNEW YORK, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael D'Antuono, the...

No one would mistake the Stone Age ivory carving for a Venus de Milo. The voluptuous woman depicted is, to say the least, earthier, with huge, projecting breasts and sexually explicit genitals. Nicholas J. Conard, an archaeologist at the University of Tübingen, in Germany, who found the small carving in a cave last year, said it was at least 35,000 years old, “one of the oldest known examples of figurative art” in the world. It is about 5,000 years older than some other so-called Venus artifacts made by early populations of Homo sapiens in Europe. Another archaeologist, Paul Mellars of...

A 40,000-year-old figurine of a voluptuous woman carved from mammoth ivory and excavated from a cave in southwestern Germany is the oldest known example of three-dimensional or figurative representation of humans and sheds new light on the origins of art, researchers reported today. The intricately carved headless figure is at least 5,000 years older than previous examples and dates from shortly after modern humans arrived in Europe. But it already exhibits many of the characteristics of fertility figurines carved millenniums later. The figurine "radically changes our views of the context and meaning of the earliest Paleolithic art," its discoverer, archaeologist...

(VIDEO) Expressing Van Gogh's inspiration for the painting. However, one line says : "Look out on a summer's day." which is a false statement as Van Gogh was in an asylum at Saint-Remy, and was not able to paint picture from an actual view point, it is strictly from his mind.

Baltimore artist Robert McClintock, who has painted more than 100 dog portraits, will unveil his latest works on Thursday at a show to benefit Recycled Love, a local animal rescue organization. The reception for "DOGS THAT I KNOW, Part 3," will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at McClintock's Fells Point gallery, 1809 Thames St. The event is free, but a portion of the proceeds from any works sold will benefit the charity. The approximately 40 new portraits feature local dogs that have inspired the artist -- dogs of all sorts of breeds that have charmed him on the street,...

Vincent van Gogh's fame may owe as much to a legendary act of self-harm, as it does to his self-portraits. But, 119 years after his death, the tortured post-Impressionist's bloody ear is at the centre of a new controversy, after two historians suggested that the painter did not hack off his own lobe but was attacked by his friend, the French artist Paul Gauguin. According to official versions, the disturbed Dutch painter cut off his ear with a razor after a row with Gauguin in 1888. Bleeding heavily, Van Gogh then walked to a brothel and presented the severed ear...

NYC's Guggenheim celebrates Frank Lloyd Wright By ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press Writer Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press Writer – 47 mins ago NEW YORK – For Frank Lloyd Wright, the slow rise of the spiral ramp at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum allowed paintings to be displayed as if on an artist's easel. When the museum opened 50 years ago, the groundbreaking design embodied the architect's guiding ethos that form and function are indistinguishable. That philosophy was expressed in projects large and small but perhaps best realized in his then-controversial, now-revered design for the art museum on Manhattan's Upper East Side....

$80 Million? Try a Tenth of That. Art’s New Numbers. By CAROL VOGEL TWO Madoff victims and a hedge fund manager are among the sellers at this spring’s important auctions of Impressionist, modern and contemporary art. You could say a faint whiff of desperation is in the air: the catalogs are a shadow of what they were six months ago, as are the values and — for the most part — quality of the paintings, drawings and sculptures on offer. When the season kicks off at Sotheby’s on Tuesday night, the two most expensive works of the evening — and...