Craving the Sweets

Delicious cupcakes!!!

I haven't very much to say right now.

It's a muggy, heavy day that is grinding down my energy and enthusiasm. Although I have a dull headache, the main thought dominating my mind is an intense desire for sugar, chocolate, and milk.

And, if I don't get some sweets mighty soon, there's going to be trouble!!! ;-)

Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal (2012)

Well, here's a video that doesn't quite capture my mood, but it has an appropriate title.

"Sweet Tooth" by Marilyn Manson

Enjoy!!!

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here

Gustave Dore's illustration of Dante questioning the damned frozen in Lake Cocytus

Last year, we celebrated the birth date of Gustave Dore by looking at his biblical illustrations. Since today is Spooky Sunday, it seems only proper that we look at some of Dore's most haunting works, the images created for Dante's Inferno.

There are plenty of gruesome scenes to select, but my favorites are with Francesca and the Lustful being carrying aloft forever upon a tireless, swirling wind, and with Farinata who pridefully argues among the Heretical in their smoldering sarcophagi, and, of course, upon seeing the frozen bottom layer with the Treacherous trapped in the ice of Lake Cocytus, formed from the endless tears of Satan himself!!! Yeah, there are other horrific situations, loathsome and insidious. But these are my three iconic vistas of Perdition.

Other artists have tried their hand at drawing nightmarish visions from Dante's text, sometimes with great success. However, in terms of breadth and consistency, nobody beats Dore in envisioning the words. He makes Hell take shape.

Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta, tossed endlessly by the gusts of Lust

Personally, I've never been a Dante enthusiast, but looking at Dore's work makes me want to give the Divine Comedy another read, especially Paradiso, which I have only read once, back in my college years, when I thought it was so boring as to make my eyes blur with tedium. Yeah, I hate rereading works, but sometimes our perspectives become so changed as to make the text relate to us anew.

Loteria!!!

Detail of Death by Tupperware (2005) by Daniela Edburg

Although I love going to the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, sometimes their way of presenting the permanent collection baffles me. The curation seems a bit arbitrary or disconnected to the actual premise of the artwork on view. Since their collection is really impressive, this seems to be a lost opportunity to educate museum visitors as to the actual context or intent of the works displayed.

For instance, their current exhibition is LOTERIA: An Interpretation of MOLAA's Permanent Collection, in which various artworks have been selected to represent certain cards from the game, Loteria, a Mexican game of chance, like Bingo. This is an interesting approach; after all, if one can build a show around landscapes, still life, portraiture, or era, then why not organize based on game iconography? The problem is that the works have no inherent connection to gaming or game symbolism.

Nevertheless, the art in this exhibit is really good. Yeah, the curatorial approach seems scattershot, but the end result is enjoyable. Although organized as representing Loteria cards, this conceptual framework doesn't detract from appreciation of the pieces themselves. And, to be honest, this arrangement is no more arbitrary than setting them up on the wall in accordance with date of production or the letter of the artist's last name.

Detail of Citzij (2006) by Veronica Riedel

So, if there's no harm, then there's no foul. It doesn't really matter if a work is arranged as representative of The Crown or The Drunk or The Moon. As long as the art is accessible, then the curation has done its job.

Kurenai Considerations

Crimson tints in light and shadow

Well, I've been promising a period in which my blogging will mainly consist of "Image of the Day" type posts. As the past few updates indicate, that time is now!!!

But that doesn't mean I won't be posting my random thoughts, birth date celebrations, or art show reports. It just means that the daily churn of posting will be photographs, a couple words, and, occasionally, a few music vids after the jump. But when I have the time and energy, you can count on my traditional style of blogging, for better or worse. ;-)

Anyways, I'm glad to be back at the keyboard, in good health, and of a disposition quite optimistic.

Now, let's listen to some music.

Needs a Hit of Something Strong

Powerpuff Girls: Bubbles punches Fuzzy Lumpkins

Wow!!! I've been busy, but the past few days have brought with them a total energy crash. At first, I thought it was just the consequence of getting some exercise back into my daily routine. But I think there's something going unwell with my health.

I've had low-grade headaches for the past week. I'm constantly tired. My joints hurt, especially my elbows. Consequently, I've been in a sour mood, very irritable. Certainly, I try to keep a friendly demeanor, but recently it's been slipping a whole lot.

As regards blogging, I'm embarrassed by the lack of new material here at Paideia. I keep on hoping to visit some art galleries or celebrate some notable birth date. It's not like there hasn't been a whole lot of interesting things about which to write. I just haven't had the energy.

A detail of Bill Willingham's cover illustration for The Secret of Bone Hill (1981)

Oh well, maybe next week, after the Memorial Day Weekend, when I'm rested and recovered, or so I hope. ;-)

Save Versus Enchantment/Charm

"Vantastic Voyage" featuring new works by "Dirty" Donny Gillies, on view at CoproGallery

Unfortunately, while I've been away, many excellent shows have opened and/or closed. One of my favorites is closing tomorrow, March 17, "Dirty" Donny Gillies' "Vantastic Voyage" at CoproGallery.

Being a long-time gamer, I can't help but love this show. These works capture that late '70s fantasty feel of wizards and spaceships and giant d20s. And the frames feature "old school" lettering alongside silhouettes of classic spaceships, like the Millennium Falcon or Imperial tie fighters from Star Wars.

In short, Dirty Donny captures everything awesome from the genre. It's a critical hit!!! ;-)

A giant blue d20 in front of Stargasm by "Dirty" Donny Gillies

With only one day left, if you have even a drop of gamer geekitude in your soul, this is a "must see" exhibit.

Cowabunga, Fries, and a Strawberry Pie

"Veggies" Card illustration from Lord of the Fries (Cheapass Games, 1999) by Brian Snoddy


Whenever I become significantly ill, the wanderings and incoherent flights of fantasy that twist through my mind like dust devils, churning up the detritus of memories, disrupting my regularly planned activities, be it at work or play, with images of absurdity and logical non sequiturs, these fevered whims knock me silly!!!

Over the past few days, I have been unwell. My apologies for neglecting duties here at Paideia. Although it didn't seem to disrupt readership in the slightest, I feel bad that I didn't even pop in with a vid or photo. I'm not at full health, but I'm not going to let another day slip by without a post or two. Since I'll not be hitting our ten post minimum, we'll be shifting our Weekly Wrap to Thursday night this week.

So, what's up with that zombie up above? Well, that's just an example of something lost in the caverns of memory that illness draws back to the surface. Monday morning, I commented that I felt like a zombie. It was pointed out that zombies are fashionable at the moment. I replied that I didn't feel like a scary undead killing machine, but a moldering corpse toiling at endless banality. The image of "fast food" zombies came to mind.

I spent an anguished eternity trying to remember from where the vivid image originated. Yesterday, the memory clicked. It was from a card game, Lord of the Fries, designed by James Ernest and illustrated by Brian Snoddy, published by Cheapass Games in 1998, with a "de-lux" edition released in 1999.

"Sauce" card from Lord of the Fries (Art: Brian Snoddy)

The game was nominated for an Origins Award. It's a general hand management game in which a player receives a set of cards and needs to work on building "order" combinations that yield points. The game ends when one of the players empties their hand, at which time point tallies are compared. The deck with the highest point yield wins. That may sound a bit complicated, but it's actually easy and fun in actual play.

Epic Adventures in Imaginal Realms of the Self

Bad News Bat (2011) by David Jien

The Richard Heller Gallery is currently exhibiting "The Plight of the Who" works by David Jien. These drawings depict a fantastic world in which humanity and their free-spirited anthropomorphic allies, the Who, are in an epic struggle against the immoral and homogenized forces of the lizardmen and their blue egg-headed allies. Set within a weird realm that seems drawn from a role-playing game, the warring sides contend to determine the fate of an important child.

As a life-long gamer, these works caught my enthusiasm at first sight. They portray scenes from the fantastic narrative of the Who's epic adventure, although this show is focused only on "Chapter One" of the story. There are moments of discovery, as when the Who Riders come across the Statue. There are moments of decadence, as depicted at the unsettling interspecies orgy between the lizard men and the human women. And then there are moments of heroism, as when the Who Riders faces overwhelming odds against the hordes of their reptilian foes. Even the pictures of the Collector viewing his collection has an implied narrative significance.

The Who Riders (2010) by David Jien

But it isn't just the narrative or fantastic imagery that makes this show so compelling. Jien's attention to detail is superb! Minute elements of texture or pattern are delivered with precision and with cohesion to the overall composition. Each subject of each picture is designed with meticulous consideration. Even the uniform figures of the lizardmen and the blue egg-heads are given focused articulation. It's an awesome display of craftsmanship.

Curiouser and Curiouser

"Golden Afternoon" scene from Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Today we're celebrating Alice in Wonderland. I would have done so on the publication date earlier this month, July 4, but I was on vacation. So the 1951 Disney movie release date is the next best thing. ;-)

To be honest, my first exposure to Alice in Wonderland was through the Disney movie. It caught my imagination and I read the book shortly thereafter. As a child, I was never big on fairy tales like Snow White or Cinderella. But Alice isn't a fairy tale. It's literary nonsense, a weird fantasy adventure. I was enthralled by this bizarre world of insane characters and illogical happenings.

Even after all these years, I still have to list Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as one of my favorite books. It had a lasting influence in my love for the fantastic and personal aesthetic of the strange. Alice has shaped my own approach to fantasy writing to an even greater degree than such classics of the genre as the Lord of the Rings or the various adventures of Conan the Barbarian.



Alice's Adventure in Wonderland (1866), illustrated by John Tenniel


My enthusiasm for Alice extends to the various remakes, sequels, and parodies that have been made. Alice is even my favorite Disney theme park ride!

Korobeiniki

On this date in 1984, Tetris was released!!!

In my youth, countless hours were spent watching these four-block shapes descending down the screen. Sometimes, I would dream that I was playing the game and wake up in frustration with the "Game Over" sign. Tetris was always on my mind, a sick obsession. This symptom is common among Tetris players and has been named the Tetris effect.

Years later, it's hard to see why this game was so engrossing. It's a good game, but why the passion? I think there are three elements that capture player enthusiasm. First, it is an easy access game with simple rules and quick play. Second, players can improve their level of success by dedicated play, which serves as a reward system.

And finally, there is the music.

Buck the Bunny and the Perilous Platforms

Buck the GameStop Bunny

Just a quick hit. I was watching the Penn Relays on ESPN and saw one of my favorite ad characters of recent years, Buck the GameStop Bunny. This character is a spoof off of the old Mario Brothers-style platform games. If you're a gamer of the right age, these commercials tap into some core youthful emotions.

Here's a collection of some of these ads:

And here's my favorite Buck vid:

LOL!!!!!

GameStop's Wikipedia page is here.

And here is the official GameStop website.

Enjoy!!!