Heorhiy Narbut was a Ukrainian self taught painter. Besides illustrating many books and magazines, he also designed the Ukrainian coat of arms, banknotes and even stamps. His work is very thorough with detail. Check his work from the famous Joseph Knebel's : Toys.
Vintage French Cinema Posters
A few old French cinema posters from the past. Artwork is mesmerizing. Check it out below.
Vintage Soviet Timepieces
Found a collection of a bunch of vintage soviet watches, clocks and even pinky ring watches. Soviet made with strong military influences as seen on a lot of the graphics. I love everything from the colors to the font, seriously cant get enough. Some of the most famous brands during that time were Slava ( translated : Glory ), Vostok ( translated : East ), Raketa ( translated : Rocket ) Chaika ( translated : Seagull) and Pobeda ( translated : Victory ). I found most of them on Etsy, so if you are interested in any of them there are some stores on the site that sell them.
Grand Théâtre Nouveau
Paper theaters were widely popular in the 19th century. The selected few in this post are by Jean Charles Pellerin. Crazy detail using a very tedious and time consuming lithographic process. Appreciate the detail below!
Artuš Scheiner : Colorful Trip
Artuš Scheiner is an artist from Prague that was very active during the 1920's. Interestingly enough Scheiner started out with doodling and sketching, later deciding to push his hobby to illustration he became very well known for his Bohemian style. The colors are so vivid and the subject is sometimes very trippy. He can be found in multiple story books, most of which were published in Austria and the Czech Republic. Fairy Tales and all check out these captivating images.
Ivan the Terrible through Cinema
Ivan IV was the Grand Prince of Moscow and later became the Tsar of all Russia. He was actually the first to become the Tsar of all Russia, mainly because he expanded Russia: spanning about one billion acres ( he took over Siberia and many other territories ). Historians claim he was straight up crazy due to his rages and extreme paranoia. He also had a few wives; 8 throughout his life to be exact and with his bare hands killed the dude that he would leave his throne to. He sparked fear which is where the terrible comes from. He was a huge supported of the arts though and anyone who is a lover of art is okay with me. There have been many movies created about him and his reign and all are very artfully captured to signify his terror. When I saw the movie, all I wanted to hear was Wu Tang Clan's "Bring Da Ruckus". I gathered some screen shots and movie covers to show you what this guy was depicted as.
Waterhouse Gals
John William Waterhouse is a British painter who was actively producing art from the 1870's to the end of the 1910. His painting style fit in the Pre-Raphaelite category although when he started painting, that style started decreasing in popularity; with artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt being the pioneers of the the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the early 1800's. The colors depicted in his paintings create a magical aura with a lot of speculation that he was very much inspired by Roman mythology. With his main focus painting mostly women, he used the paint brush to depict them as goddesses. Every painting creates a mood and it becomes possible to read the subjects feelings in each painting. I love his work, please enjoy just a few of his pieces below:
Snow Maiden
Winter besides being hella cold is truly magical and is usually depicted very snowy, white and beautiful. Russian winters are depicted like that too, in folk tales at least. There's even a Snow Maiden character better know as Snegurochka (снегурочка) who had different meanings all throughout Russian folk tales and fairy tales. She was first depicted as a girl taking a walk to the woods with other gals. After starting a big bonfire they decided to take turns leaping over, Snegurochka of course takes a leap and disappears into thin air, becoming just a snowflake (I guess it be like that when you are a Snow Maiden). The other version of her existence is that she is the daughter of Ded Moroz (aka Santa Clauses or better translated Father Frost) and Spring of Beauty. She becomes the mascot for New Years, which is when Father Frost gives away presents. Whatever her purpose, you best believe she is one fly lady. She has a very magical headpiece and usually rocks a braid or two down the floor. Her coat is usually a very detailed pattern of some tapestry and she also rocks a silky gown that drapes down to the floor. She is also equiped with a furry muff to withstand the harsh winter cold. I am totally feeling this steelo, if this is something that was do able in terms of getting around in the streets of NYC: i would totally rock this. Check out a few of her looks below and get inspired.
Russian Nobles: Stay Fly post
Before the rise of the Soviet Union, there were kings and queens better known as Tsars and Tsaritsas (think cartoon Anastasia). There were many of them throughout history passed on by blood or marriage. The history of it all is quite interesting but that's not what I'm here to blog about. I would like to focus on the richness and the art of their attire. Not only was it an everyday thing to be this fly but when it came down to balls at the Winter Palace, you couldn't ignore the straight gold and gems on their outfits (sorry Rihanna but this is how they ball out). Cloaks, coats and fur all embroidered to the last detail, grand headwear for head bitches in charge were set in diamonds, pearls and precious stones. Lets just say things were fancy beyond belief. On of the most luxurious and the most grand of them all was the 1903 ball at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg during the reign of emperor Nicholas II of Russia. Unexplainably Bourgeoisie. See the richness below, its beyond inspiring.
Greatest Samurai in the Empire
When I was little, my father was famous
He was the greatest samurai in the empire
And he was the Shogun's decapitator
He cut off the heads of a hundred and thirty-one lords
It was a bad time for the empire
The Shogun just stayed inside his castle and he never came out
People said his brain was infected by devils
My father would come home, he would forget about the killings
He wasn't scared of the Shogun, but the Shogun was scared of him
Maybe that was the problem
Then, one night, the Shogun sent his ninja spies to our house
They were supposed to kill my father but they didn't
That was the night everything changed...
GZA's Liquid Swords beginning (I quote this ALWAYS!) is the best way for me start my blog. I am taking it back to the Shaolin with this one. The empire, the dynasties and a robe for every occasion exuded richness and knowledge. Back when you legit had to protect your neck. Check out some of my favorite Ancient Chinese art that is mind blowing. My clan in the front want it!!
