Observearts - "The Elysian"

Take a look at the NRK movie about Bjørn Ransve. (Norwegian language only - lot of artworks). 

Or take a closer look at “The Elysian” and artist Craig La Rotondas reflection on the motive.

   

"The Elysian":  this painting was created last summer for a show in New Orleans.  I have a series of primate paintings and this is an ongoing part of that series.  The figure pictured is a bonobo ape and a beautiful creature.  They have captured my imagination recently as very peaceful primates unlike their cousins the chimpanzees.  I was thinking about a Utopian world where this bonobo would live- Elysium.  He is a shaman of sorts. The design illustrated above his head functions as both a halo and a mysterious mathematical diagram.  His hypnotic gaze lures you into his world. It is now owned by a NY collector".

Observearts - unique beat art collection made available to the public

The University of Agder is in possession of one of the most extensive collections of beat art outside the US. List of artists is extensive and include Michael Bowen, Georg Herms, Arthur Richter, David Freeman, Jack Carrig, Joan Savo and Susan Sellers. It was donated by collector Reidar Wennesland. Read more about the collection, artists and works at UiAs homepages or at the University Facebook pages. This impressive art collection is hopefully about to be taken more care of. One step is to make it available to a broader audience. Latest news is that the collection has been made available to an international audience at https://www.artsy.net/university-of-agder Read more about the event at University of Agder, home pages.

All that comes to light

“My paintings explore the unspeakable nature of consciousness. I think reality is much more than what we perceive with the five senses. I’m captivated by the spaces in between, like the passage between life and death, which seems to play continuously in my work.”

Craig LaRotonda to Traffic East Magazine

All That Comes to Light
16 x 20"
Acrylic and Collage on Wood

His paintings has found an international audience and are hanging in the homes of actors Kirstin Dunst and Johnny Depp, as well as director Michael Lindsey-Hogg

Observearts: Malgaard+Munch

What relevance does Edvard Munch have today? 

And how can Munch's art be viewed in new ways via a contemporary artist like Bjarne Melgaard?  The response has been quite massive from both outside and inside Norway. 

The Munch Museum have set out to explore these questions in the exhibition Melgaard+Munch. 

There are few answers, but the exhibition is definitively an open invitation for a discussion.The relevance seems undisputable.