Curio Cabinet

Title: Aspiration
Artist: Paul Jordan-Smith "Pavel Jerdanowitch" (1885-1971)
Created: 1924
Current location: University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
 

Oh, we're picking up serious hints of Gauguin from this piece—just kidding! American literary scholar Paul Jordan-Smith, aka Pavel Jerdanowitch, created this piece of—ahem—art in 1924, after modern art critics lambasted his wife for her realist landscapes and portraits. Jordan-Smith, in an effort to prove the art world had totally lost its bearings, and without ever painting seriously in his life, created a series of clumsy works that caught the eye of critic Parisian critic, Le Comte Chabrier, who excitedly reached out to Jordan-Smith's avant-garde Russian persona, Pavel Jerdanowitch. These garish paintings, like Aspiration and the jarringly-named Exaltation (Yes We Have No Bananas), obliged early 20th-century critics' exotic fetishization of non-Western cultures. For over two years, Jordan-Smith paraded as Jerdanowitch, touting the nonsensical and substanceless Disumbrationism movement, until he grew weary of the charade and outed himself to the Los Angeles Times in 1927. But, in an ironic manner, Jordan-Smith showed himself anti-art in the vein of Marcel Duchamp—creating something captivating out of disgust for the commercial art world, proving yet again that the definition of "art" remains an inexhaustible source of migraines.
 

Below: Exaltation (Yes We Have No Bananas), the offensive painting that launched Pavel Jerdanowitch's career as an artist in 1924.
 

Image credit & copyright: Paul Jordan-Smith II. Courtesy of the Paul Jordan-Smith papers, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
 

Red Bull didn't give Felix Baumgartner wings, but it sure came close. On the morning of October 14, 2012, the energy drink manufacturer had Baumgartner enter a helium-filled air balloon and ascend 128,100 feet into the sky, in an attempt to make him the first person to shatter the speed of sound in freefall. Millions watched as the daredevil leapt from the balloon's platform in a pressurized suit, and accelerated to 834.4 miles per hour, breaking the sound barrier in the process (767 miles per hour). But not everything went as planned. In the course of free falling for 4:22 minutes, Baumgartner grew dizzy and began spinning, slowly at first, before spiraling out of control. "I didn't feel [the] sonic boom because I was so busy just trying to stabilize myself," the skydiver said, "I was so fast I could have overtaken certain bullets!" Luckily, he managed to regain his bearings in the knick of time and pulled the cord for his parachute, which floated him safely down to earth and gave new meaning to taking the bull by the horns!
 

Image credit & copyright: Brian Nevins/Red Bull Content Pool
 

It's Flashback Friday and World Egg Day! Enjoy this eggcellent favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

You may know Fabergé eggs as things criminals steal in movies like James Bond and Ocean's Twelve. But it's their place in Russian history, not Hollywood, that makes them so valuable. The first Fabergé egg was commissioned in 1885 by Tsar Alexander III as an Easter gift for his wife. Easter was the most important holiday in the Russian Orthodox Church. Traditionally, eggs were hand-dyed, blessed by a priest, and then given to family and friends. Over the centuries, these gift eggs had become more ornate and, for the higher classes, were fabricated by artists with precious metals or jewels. Alexander, intent on coming up with the finest gift egg, enlisted the jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. Fabergé's first egg was so exquisite that Alexander made the gift an annual tradition. His only rule was that each egg should contain a "surprise"—otherwise Fabergé controlled the design completely. One egg doubled as a wind-up toy; another twisted to reveal three family portraits; yet another held a life-size rosebud which opened to reveal jewels. After Alexander's death, his son Nicholas II doubled down on the tradition by presenting his mother and his wife with separate eggs. Fabergé produced 50 eggs for the tsars before Nicholas was overthrown during the bloody Bolshevik Revolution. History buffs will know that the Bolsheviks were not exactly into displays of material wealth, let alone jewel-encrusted eggs. Fabergé made a few eggs for other wealthy clientele, but none would ever come close to the value of the emperors' eggs, 43 of which remain. One lucky American stumbled upon a genuine Alexander Fabergé egg at a rummage sale, eventually selling it for $33 million. The tsar must be egg-rolling over in his grave!

It's Flashback Friday and World Egg Day! Enjoy this eggcellent favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

In springtime, bird eggs are a sign of the season. Photographer Sharon Beals celebrates the delicate beauty of eggs and nests in exquisite photos like Hoary Redpoll—named after the tiny Arctic bird that wove grass, caribou hair, vole fur, feathers, and sheep's wool to make its home. It turns out that scientists look to birds' eggs—along with bird migration, flower blooms, leaf growth, and other factors—to calculate the arrival of spring. According to these calculations, the season is consistently arriving earlier because of rising global temperatures caused by climate change; in fact, 2017 was one of the hottest years ever recorded. Many of us welcome early spring, but scientists worry about the consequences, like accelerated pest and pollen seasons, and the disruption of animals' food sources and migration patterns; birds could be at particular risk. For her next project, Sharon Beals is visiting natural history collections to photograph nests built by birds that are endangered or already extinct—perhaps due to these environmental changes. Her quiet, powerful images remind us how much we stand to lose.  

Below: Golden-Cheeked Warbler by Sharon Beals.
 

 
Image credit & copyright: Sharon Beals
 

It's Flashback Friday and World Egg Day! Enjoy this eggcellent favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Title: The Forerunners of Christ With Saints and Martyrs: Inner Right Predella Panel
Artist: Fra Angelico (1395-1455)
Created: 1423-24
Medium: egg tempera on wood
Dimensions: 12.6 x 25 in (31.9 x 63.5 cm)
Current location: National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
 

Hand over those eggs, chefs. Turns out artists may need some of them! Renaissance-era virtuosos often used paint made of yolks mixed with pigments, called egg tempera. Churches throughout Europe are full of egg tempera works by Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and 15th-century painter Fra Angelico, who created the painting above for the Church of San Domenico in Italy. Before he began giving shape to three rows of martyrs and saints, Angelico cracked open some eggs, fished out the yolks, and mixed them with either vinegar or white wine. The acidic ingredient was added to make the tempera less greasy. He then swirled in color pigments made of finely ground insects, plants, and stones. Take the female saint wearing bright red garments in the middle of the bottom row; Angelico likely used vermilion—derived from a stone called cinnabar—to create that hue. Some painters also added pleasant-smelling myrrh to cover a distinct egg-y odor. Egg tempera isn't as resistant to dirt as oil-based paintings, which became more common starting in the 1500s. But many egg tempera works have endured, some dating as far back as the first century C.E. Next time we're in a European cathedral, we may have to sniff the walls!
 

Below: Sandro Botticelli's The Birth Of Venus; Saint Jerome In His Study by Antonio da Fabriano II, another 15th-century artist.

 

Image credit & copyright: Fra Angelico / National Gallery
 

Letting it all out never looked so good. Canadian photographer Wendy D's collection Scream is a 10-year project which began with artistic frustration. In 2005, a fellow artist told her he was so upset he felt like screaming, to which D replied "That would be fun to photograph." After practicing with him, D began to take black-and-white portraits of others caterwauling for the camera. In each session, subjects are given three opportunities to scream, with D noting the second wail usually loosens people up. For her exhibit, D usually pairs the scream with a photo of the immediate reaction: from massive giggle fits, to quiet reflection, and sometimes emotionally vulnerable tears. Knowing she'd struck a chord with viewers, Wendy D took to social media in 2016 with the hashtag #myscreamphoto to have a world-wide participatory selfie-scream on her behalf. We bet the replies felt really exhilarating to capture, but we hope at least a few gave their nearby friends some earplugs!

 

Below: two closer views of Wendy D's Scream subjects.
 

Image credit & copyright: Wendy D
 

Title: Your Screams Will Be Heard (Tus gritos oirán)
Artist: Rafael Canogar (b. 1935)
Created: 1969
Medium: lithograph
Dimensions: 22.6 x 30.1 in (56 x 76.5 cm)
Current location: Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York
 

Sometimes we have to get loud to stop remaining silent. Spanish artist Rafael Canogar Your Screams Will Be Heard was created in 1969 as part of a lithograph series called The Earth, which reflects political struggles against ruling classes. Canogar was born amid the Spanish Civil War, where the Nationalists, with aid from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, took over the country and defeated the Republican party in a military coup that killed at least 500,000 people. Canogar applied his skills with abstract expressionism art—sometimes called informalism—to these political themes, resulting in the somewhat faceless masses represented in Your Screams. Canogar's canvases are often painted in monochrome , with the above work playing up intensities of light and shadow between the brown bodies and their surroundings. The fact that he created this work and others from the same series while traveling to the U.S. at the height of the counterculture and Civil Rights movements shows Canogar could tap into the zeitgeist of social upheaval—and the resistance ordinary citizens would face from some of the most powerful figures in their own country.

 

Below: more from Canogar's series The Earth: I Am In The Town (Entre el pueblo estoy), Long Wait (Larga espera), and The Embrace (El Abrazo).
 

Image credit & copyright: Rafael Canogar, Museum of Modern Art
 

Num, num, num. September the 24th witnessed this year's Moon Festival, a tradition celebrated by East Asian cultures on the 15th day of every eighth moon—and humans weren't the only ones getting in on the fun. The furry guys shown above, semi-aquatic rodents called coypu, are nibbling on special mooncakes gifted to them by their handlers at China's Nanning Zoo. While typical mooncakes consist of baked or steamed pastries loaded with fillings like lotus paste, salted egg yolk, fruits, nuts, and seeds, these rascals' treats contained a medley of fish and fruit suitable for their restricted diets. The Moon Festival is defined by family gatherings, lighted lanterns, and hearty meals. Celebrated since the Tang Dynasty (618–907 C.E.), the tradition honors the moon goddess Chang'e, who guzzled a potent elixir that tragically whisked her off to the moon before her husband's very eyes. It's certainly a tale that makes you cherish those closest to the heart—with and without fur!
 

Below: ring-tailed lemurs munch on mooncakes; yummy mooncakes baked for human consumption, with lotus seed and egg yolk filling; and a Moon festival lantern decoration in Macau, China.
 

Image credit & copyright: Yu Jing/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images:
MyKitchen101en/Youtube: Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka
 

Title: Imperial Russian court dress
Artist: Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895)
Created: ca. 1888
Medium: silk velvet, silver lamé moiré, embroidered with clear glass crystals, silver sequins, silver foil, silver strips
Dimensions: bodice: 14 x 27 in (35.6 x 68.6 cm), skirt: 47.5 in (120.7 cm), train: 130 x 60 in. (330.2 x 152.4 cm)
Current location: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana
 

There's no chance of being underdressed for a night out with this ensemble. This elaborate silk emerald dress was made by "The Father of Haute Couture" Charles Frederick Worth. Born in England on October 13, 1825, Worth became the premiere haute couture (tailor-made "high fashion") dressmaker in Europe during the 19th century. His fashion house, called the House of Worth, even gained the patronage of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III of France. Many features of the above dress would have been signature ornamentation in a Worth piece, including the 12-foot train trimmed with silk fringe, velvet ruffles, and delicate floral embroidery. Though he served princesses, Worth also crafted accessible clothing for the burgeoning middle class in France: his made-to-measure dresses were worn by live models at his shop, and those who wanted one of the garments could have the dresses altered to fit their frame. We might say that Worth's work was a project runaway with the hearts and hemlines of Europe's most fashionable women!
 

Below: closer details of Worth's dress, including the signature on the inside front panels. And we thought brand labels on clothing were a 20th century fad.
 

Image credit & copyright: Indianapolis Museum of Art
 

Rhinos of a feather flock together—wait, what? This trick-of-the-eye Rhino Peacock image was taken by Kallol Mukherjee, and was recently announced as a finalist for the 2018 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Now in its fourth year, the Comedy Wildlife "conservation through competition" highlights the silly hijinx of animals and the work of Born Free, a conservation organization dedicated to the survival and well-being of wild animals around the world. Though it's unlikely this rhino would ever don a peafowl's plumage, the two do live together at Gorumara National Park in West-Bengal, India. Mukherjee was actually leading a photography workshop when he came across the two curious creatures appearing as if they've merged into one new species. "I am a wildlife photographer who works mostly on wild birds and butterflies and always [try] to catch the actions and emotions of nature," Mukherjee has said. We have to say, with Mukherjee's eye for detail, this photo is horned-heads and feathered-tails above the rest!

 

Below: more finalists for the 2018 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
 

Image credit & copyright: Kallol Mukherjee, Shane Keena, Mary McGowan, Sergey Savvi, Barcroft Images

 

Title: Leiv Eriksson oppdager Amerika (Leif Erikson discovers America)
Artist: Christian Krohg (1852-1925)
Created: 1893
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 123.2 x 185 in (313 x 470 cm)
Current location: National Gallery of Norway, Oslo, Norway
 

As Spongebob Squarepants would say, Happy Leif Erikson Day! Depicted here by Scandinavian artist Christian Krohg, the Icelandic Erikson converted to Christianity and was meant to sail to Greenland to spread the faith when he accidentally traveled off-course. In 1000 C.E., he is said to have become the first European to set foot on American soil. Though Krohg was an exceptional artist and could have employed a number of styles to depict Erikson's journey, he opted for a naturalist one: free of any ornamentation and unrealistic stylization. Erikson, in yellow, stands proud and stout as he points to the New World, called "Vinland" at the time. Erikson's epic tales in the Sagas of the Icelanders would have been a source of pride in Krohg's culture; but over in the Americas, Erikson's discovery was sometimes promoted over Columbus Day as a means of anti-Italian sentiment. These days, there are those who think we should settle the matter with an Indigenous People's Day, which is probably the best solution—even if we, like Spongebob, do enjoy a tale or two of vikings sailing the ocean blue.