One of the places on our “must visit” list has long been the famous Lascaux Cave in the Dordogne Valley of southern France. If you studied art history, you probably spent time learning about Lascaux, Magdalina and other notable European sites containing Paleolithic cave art. Of these, Lascaux is perhaps the most renowned.

Lascaux Cave is truly one of the world’s great treasures. Discovered in the early fall of 1940 by four teenage boys exploring the hills near the town of Montignac in south central France, the cave contains tall frescos of cattle, deer, aurochs and horses painted in masterful strokes and vivid colors some 15,000-17,000 years ago. Exploration of its vast interior has revealed about six hundred paintings and almost 1,500 engravings. Subject matter of the cave paintings and engravings are mostly animals, birds, rhinoceros and bison as well as cattle, deer and horses, along with hundreds of “signs”, quadrilateral shapes and dots and other patterns we’ll probably never decipher.

Sadly, or perhaps inevitably, the beauty of Lascaux attracted large numbers of tourists by the late 1950s and the heavy traffic endangered the paintings. The cave was closed to the public in 1963 and, in 1983, a replica of the Hall of the Bulls was opened so that tourists would still be able to view the magnificent drawings, albeit reproductions. Paintings in the original cave have since received extensive restoration but still face environmental challenges brought on by visitors and maintenance personnel entering the cave.

One of the Internet’s first websites was that of the Lascaux Cave, a marvel of graphics-enhanced information and still one of my favorites. It includes numerous photos taken in each of the rooms along with extensive history and archaeological information. The discussion of the deterioration of Lascaux in 1963 and what the French government did to create the replica is particularly interesting. A time-line illustrates Lascaux’s place in time within the collection of known Paleolithic cave art sites, and active links along the line take you to Cosquer, Chauvet, La Ferassie, Cap Blanc and other caves in the Dordogne Valley.

The multi-language website and “faux cave” represent wonderful innovations on the part of the French government. Together they preserve one of the world’s most treasured art galleries and allow untold numbers of visitors to experience and enjoy the work of the true masters of Paleolithic cave art.

                 Still Life with EquinopsisRoberto Azank is a painter with a unique and unforgettable style. His renderings of common objects such as flowers, fruits and vessels, set against backgrounds of bold color planes, demonstrate superb draftsmanship and a great eye for detail. He  creates portraits of non-living objects that are seemingly transformed to another level of reality.

Now at mid-career, Roberto describes himself as a metaclassical artist whose interests lie in the abstract qualities of realism as opposed to the photographic copying of nature. With this extraordinary style, the artist has returned the long, historic tradition of realistic painting to its rightful place in contemporary art.

Represented by the Eleonore Austerer Gallery for many years, he is one of their most popular and successful artists. The gallery’s currently featured contemporary exhibit, Objects of Desire,  features works by Roberto Azank and sculptor Brian Russell. 

I got this image from Scott. We certainly live in a different time than the one during which I grew up.  I doubt young girls thought much about this sort of thing back then. Oh sure, boys did; that certainly hasn’t changed.

But we evolve, sometimes for the better and sometimes into something that’s, well,  just different. I’ll admit that I long at times for the simpler life we enjoyed in “the old days.” We did all the same sorts of things but with less intensity, less abandon. We pushed boundaries but not as aggressively. And I think we actually enjoyed people and our lives more.

Today it seems as though we’re seldom satisfied unless we’re breaking down walls, challenging everything, pushing more limits and wildly reaching for whatever lies beyond. We call it progress and I suppose it is. Sometimes, though,  I yearn for the simpler life. (Click image for popup.)

I’m always interested in unique art forms, so when Shannan brought “sandwich art” to my attention, I wasn’t surprised. Someone is always at the ready to make things out of unusual objects. Some will call it art, others will see it more as playing with food. Either way, here are 27 examples; let me know what you think.

This Flash drawing comes from Dave who says, “I could not help but be mesmerized by this ‘show’.” Makes me wish I’d continued those art classes…

The Quilts of Gee’s Bend exhibition at San Francisco’s de Young Museum ended December 31 after being held over for an additional couple months due to popularity. Dawn and I were fortunate enough to see it during our visit to the museum in October. Those of you that were able to catch the exhibit saw a piece of our not so distant history and a unique American art form.

Gee’s Bend became an important part of the Freedom Quilting Bee during  the mid-1960s, an offshoot of the Civil Rights movement designed to boost family income and foster community development by selling handcrafts to outsiders. The women of Gee’s Bend had for generations made quilts, mostly to keep warm during the long, cold winters, out of old work clothes and seed sacks. Today they’re considered works of art.

Purlbee brought to our attention an interesting footnote in the January issue of Vogue Magazine: “[Diane] Von Furstenberg loved the Gee’s Bend Quilts she saw in the De Young Museum.”

Why is this notable? Because Von Furstenberg, an elemental designer of feminist fashion in the 1970’s, inventor of the wrap dress, champion of the working woman, is now the president of the Council of Fashion Designer’s of America and continues to adapt colorful ideas into fashion and call attention to the artists that inspire her.  On the left (click for larger view) are a few of her “crazy-quilt” creations for Spring 2007.

Joelle & Jennifer have a good eye for fabrics and design. They looked through some other Spring 2007 collections and found plenty of patchwork-inspired finery, including (at right  from left to right) these pieces from Chloe, Stella McCartney, and Anna Sui. (Click for larger view)

I’m no fashion aficionado, but I am a follower and collector of art, especially modern, and its influence is clearly reflected in the world of fashion.

You may also be interested to know that the USPS has recently issued postage stamps commemorating the Quilts of Gee’s Bend. If you’ve received letters or notes from Dawn, or purchased stamps at the Post Office, you’ve probably already seen them. Art is everywhere!

Our family gathered last Saturday night for some holiday cheer. The party was delightful, but the highlight was when we took a walk to see neighborhood holiday decorations. My daughter and son-in-law’s neighbor, Maria, goes all out decorating her yard and the surprise was seeing how she incorporates photos of  neighborhood children into her creation. She graciously invited our entire clan into her home and allowed me to photograph her work. She’s truly a gifted artist! I’ve posted some of the images; click here or on the image below to view them.