Anne Leibovitz and Marc Newson TASCHEN Project

Before we dive into London Fashion Week beautiful mess, I think it is more than necessary to see what’s going on in the other side of fashion world. Well, the only one that I can think of right now is Anne Leibovitz’s new Taschen book. A book filled with her (again) extraordinary works selected and curated carefully, including some of her iconic works (John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Scarlet Johansson, Richard Nixon etc.)

A must buy for fashion photographer wannabe or/and fashion students.

Not only we can study Leibovitz changing style from the days she reported for Rolling Stones into one of the most dramatic fashion photographers for Vogue, we also get a chance to admire Marc Newson’s special tripod for the book. Even though I have to admit, some people may find the tripod not as luxurious as the book.

Anyway, you can buy Anne Leibovitz Taschen book around US$ 2500 or US$ 5000 dollars for Art Edition. Hmm, a gigantic investment for the brain or another rich people luxuries? I think you already know the answer.

Images taken from Selectism

Michiel Tersteege

#ArtSunday

Yeah… I am making up new segments like it’s a game of something, but whatever this is one of many reasons why people want to have a blog. Anyway, I apologize for letting your thirst for art unfulfilled in the last few days. You know… usual stuffs. Couture, fashion, blah blah blah. Seriously, who wants to talk about canvas types when we have a whole collection of expensive clothes out there?

But to fulfill my responsibility as ‘lifestyle’ blogger, I am going to talk about it little by little. Sorry man, need time to fully access my inner art skills. So this week we are going to appreciate Michiel Tersteege’s work called Strawberry Splash, which looks like… well, a strawberry with a little bit splash.

Very simple, colorful, tempting and high-definition. It’s actually an example of how to use tripods or something. Don’t really get the article because you know… art channeling stuff. You can read it for yourself in The Phoblographer (link below) and happy #ArtSunday!

Images taken from The Phoblographer 

Jean Philippe-Delhomme

Jean Philippe-Delhomme, also known as Unknown Hipster, has painting style that looks a bit quirky, messy, and surreal. At the end of the day though, you will definitely come back for more just like his overwhelming numbers of followers. 

Image taken from Garance Dore. Edited by Gimme Good Style.

Geek of the Day: Martin Hill

Circle. Seems so usual, nothing special about a circle.

Unless you are still in school and your teachers still like to ask you how many circles you can put inside a triangle. My answer: I don’t give a single shit, sir. No wonder I am not the most favorite student (or the smartest).

My point of view about circles has been forever changed by Martin Hill’s works (in collaboration with Philipa Jones). Martin has captured (and made) circles made of natural elements, like stones, or block of ice, or sticks made of woods (let’s call them Circles of Nature). It’s very strange to see art installment in nature. You know, I usually see something artsy yet strange like that inside a museum, where everything has been placed carefully and arranged to accommodate the best viewing experiences. But Martin’s art looks (or feels) (I hate mixed feelings like this!) bare, pure, fragile, and moving.

There’s a peaceful melody that comes from my heart whenever I see his art.

I can’t really explain with words. Maybe it’s because I know how hard it is to make a circle like that (yes, that’s handmade not nature-made). Or maybe because the view is just as breathtaking as the circles. Or maybe it’s my allergic (this one’s a lie. I am not allergic to anything at all. Well, except antibiotics) (and expensive price tags!)

I am starting to feel emotional (why why WHYYYY????) Seriously, time to stop. One thing for sure: I love Martin Hill’s Circle of Nature work. The peaceful, calm, Zen, natural, pure feelings it gives… that’s just too much to handle yet you need to feel it sometimes. Am I right? 

Images taken from My Modern Met. Edited by Gimme Good Style.

David Laferriere

Remember when we were still young and innocent and liked to bring super tiny lunch boxes? I remember those times very well and I hate it with all my heart. Lunch time was the time when I opened my lunch box and stared straight into disappointment. Same foods over and over again. I was so bored until I decided to play ‘change the lunch boxes’ with my friends, which resulted in something close enough to food fight.

Yes, lunch boxes fight (I was really persuasive back then). 

I blame my miserable childhood lunch moment to my parents because they’re not as creative as David Laferriere. David painted his kids lunch boxes (or plastics) with sharpie EVERY SINGLE DAY. The result is an amazing amount of crazy cute pictures (including monsters, cartoons, patterns, basically everything), which really help the appetites. Hey, it’s just a sandwich, but I am sure his kids will never get involved in lunch box fight.

P.S: Truth to be told, I really miss lunch box fight. So much fun. At least, for me. 

Image taken from My Modern Met.

Jessica Sanders

People say that painters reflect their hearts on their canvases. If it’s true, then Jessica Sanders has the purest heart I’ve ever seen. On canvas. 

Image taken from Blogaart. Edited by Gimme Good Style. 

Geek of the Day: Jee Young Lee

 

Okay so #selfie has been on fire since mankind found Instagram. And I truly hate #selfies. Posing with duck-mouth, wide eyes, super wrong angle is one thing, but posting it online for narcism purposes is just a whole other level.

I won’t take my oversentimental judgement to Jee Young Lee’s works though.

This young South Korean photographer has made some amazing portraits of herself. And guess what? She doesn’t even do the duck-mouth. Or showing off her underwear. To be fair, her #selfie is a little bit too… hard to follow. Jee turns her studio into real magic-land-setting inspired by her own life stories and Korean fables. The setting looks more like Alice in Wonderland goes mystically fabulous for me (ignore this sentence because the most magical world I have ever seen is… well, Alice). An army of white mouses, misty Lotus garden, and vision playing room of patterns? That’s my kinda #selfie. What’s more magnificent is she doesn’t use Photoshop or other photo-editing apps. Pure hand skills, imaginations, and artistic visions.

Without hashtag or duck-mouth (duh).

Happy Holiday fellas.

Images taken from Booooooo. Collage by Gimme Good Style.

A Card For Ya

It’s holiday season already! How fast! It feels just like yesterday I sent my friends and family holiday cards… well, okay, more like digital holiday cards (Yahoo has something that looks like a card?) But it happened because no one wanted to go out of their homes and do me a favor by putting it to the post office, assuming that the post office was willing to send my cards.

Okay, maybe I was a little bit late last season.

This time, I won’t make the same mistake again. Never. Partly because I have found my perfect holiday cards. Yes! A bunch of super-simple, cool, quirky, artsy cards from Card-Ya, a Japanese (!) postcards and design company that I found out on Instagram. Ahh, the life of 21st century teenagers (ignoring the fact that I still like to send cards to people….)

It’s a bit unclear what kind of cards they have because their website is written in… uh, pretty much bunch of odd lines, circles, and copyright signs (my laptop has been acting out these past few hours. Jeez.) But, I figured that as long as you have your Visa, complete address, patience, and good Asian attitude (means no shouting or calling anyone ‘bastard’ or well, you know the rest of the words), you will be able to order one.

Well, good luck and Happy Holiday!! Hip Hip Hooray!

Images are taken from Card-Ya

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Valentina Liernur

Valentina Liernur’s work feels more like digital art than abstract painting. Still love it so much though.

Image taken from Blogaart

Not So Far Away

I remember when I was 13 or 14, my father was trying to explain to me what happened in Iraq. A war flamed by United States and cost a lot of innocent civilians lives. Some might call it a tragedy, others prefer the term ‘freedom from terrorism’, but for me Iraq seemed so far away that day.

I didn’t care about who started the feud whatsoever, as long as it didn’t happen here, it’s fine.

Such ignorance followed my steps to my first senior high school years. Freshman. We were all wrapped up in our uniforms when the teacher came in and told us a story or two about, once again, the Iraq War.

I bravely admit that I slept through that class smoothly. Back then, I was focusing all my strength to join the highly qualified science class. Trivia here: I am in my final year in high school, and regret being a science student (aka Indonesian science class means…you are a smart student. That simple.)

Years later and I am 17, I was looking for some materials for my two years old blog (this blog), when suddenly the name Michael Kamber showed up. It was all of a sudden and I couldn’t resist the jolt of curiosity, which was happening inside my head.

Hell, I was looking at that day.

Photos of his travel to Iraq (Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq) have opened my naive eyes to the real reality. It didn’t happen right outside my home or my school or any place that I call ‘home’, but nevertheless, it happened.

This is the first time art teaches me something valuable right on the face. Now, I feel a little bit left out, shaken, and couldn’t believe the harsh reality which happening around the world (which shows me how naive I was.)

You know what? It’s funny when people think war cannot be described with just photos. Taking a few photos during a war may sound annoying and unnecessary; why don’t we just use all the money for medics? Or more weapons? Everything, but  silly stupid photographers with no combat experience INSIDE the war zone.

But those photographers are actually making relics of what we have done to the world. The soldiers may not know the real value of the photographs, because they already know how it feels to be in a war, but those photos speak a lot to others who live miles and miles away from the war.

Those photos are tiny little pieces of a sad memoir that opens our eyes… sooner or later.

Images taken from Vanity Fair (ALL the images belong to Michael Kamber’s Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq.)

Edited by Gimme Good Style.

Samar Hassan, five, screams moments after her parents were killed by U.S. soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division. The troops fired on the Hassan-family car when it unwittingly approached during a dusk patrol in the tense northern town.

Rena was nine months pregnant and walking with her youngest sister in Sadr City one day in 2008, when a U.S. air strike tore off her leg, killing her unborn infant and her sister.