Russian Sport

Chikanobu's Woodblock Prints (1838-1912)

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I've been meaning to blog about the artist Yoshu Chikanobu (a.k.a.Toyohara Chikanobu or Hashimoto Naoyoshi or Yoshu Naoyoshi) for some time. I currently have a calendar with his work on my wall from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (Pomegranate). During the Meiji Era (1868-1912), Chikanobu depicted the changing fashions of the day with his colorful woodblock prints. He drew beautiful, complex scenes  featuring patterned clothing (plaids!) and exquisite color combinations. His work documented changing seasons, times of day, events, family life and fashions (showing western influence) with a clean, elegant, simple line.

CHIKANOBU

The Art of Amy Crehore

Photo of the Day - Ukulele Girl 1918

 (click to enlarge)

This photo reminds me of the imaginary girls that I have painted, but it's the first time that I have ever seen it. The image is of a beautiful nude girl in an arm chair with her ukulele - taken by Albert Arthur Allen taken in 1918. 

(Thanks,Vintage Ukulele Bangkok facebook)

Read about this California photographer on Retrorambling 

and here's a link to more photos.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Bob Dylan's "Opium" Painting

Top photograph (an autochrome) was taken by Leon Busy around 1915 in French Indochina. Bottom image is a painting called "Opium" by Bob Dylan (2010) from the Gagosian Gallery website. 

Looks like Bob Dylan used the Leon Busy photo as a reference for his painting.

 From Sept. 20, 2011 - Oct. 22, 2011, Bob Dylan will be showing his paintings, "The Asia Series", at Gagosian Gallery's Madison Ave. location. 

Bob Dylan had a show of 40 paintings just last year at the National Gallery of Denmark called "The Brazil Series".

You can see more photos like the one above on Steven Martin's Opium Museum website. Steven has a book out called the Art of Opium Antiques. He is also working on a memoir about collecting opium-smoking paraphernalia, to be published in 2012 by Villard, an imprint of Random House. Thanks go to Steven for finding the Leon Busy photo posted above.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Gweek 015 features Craig Yoe + another Hokum Scorchers' song

Check out the interview with Craig Yoe, designer and comic historian, on a brand new episode of Boingboing's Gweek podcast (015). Also, my band, The Hokum Scorchers, plays a version of Luke Jordan's 1927 song "Pick Poor Robin Clean" at the end of the podcast. Luke Jordan was a blues guitarist and singer from Lynchburg, VA. We recorded this song in 1990.

Lou Reimuller - National guitar/kazoo/vocals, Amy Crehore- on the washboard/kazoo/vocals.

GWEEK 015

The Art of Amy Crehore

Our recording of "Pick Poor Robin Clean" is also found here.

Ode to Marihuana 1934

The song, "Sweet Marihuana", was performed in the movie "Murder at the Vanities" by Gertrude Michaels. This was made in Pre-Code Hollywood right before the Hays Code was strictly enforced in 1934. What is pre-code Hollywood? READ HERE . The Hays Code was a set of film industry moral censorship guidelines.

Thanks, Internet Weekly

"Bumber By Number" Art Show, Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle

Bumber by Number is an interactive art exhibit curated by Jo David and Marlo Harris for the 2011 Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, WA. There will be a preview on Thursday from 3pm -9pm and the exhibit will be open 11 am- 8pm, 9/3/11 - 9/5/11. The theme of this special art show is paint-by-numbers. It will be located in the Seattle Center Pavillion at the Bumbershoot Festival.

For a slide show preview of altered paint-by-numbers by an impressive list of featured artists please follow this link (scroll down):

BUMBER BY NUMBER

If you are going to the festival, don't miss this art show! My band,The Hokum Scorchers, played music in Seattle at Bumbershoot and Folklife festival in the past and we always had a ton of fun.