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The paranoid aesthetic? - Page 8

post #106 of 111
9/21/06 at 5:08pm
Oddly, this is the only art I've ever seen that evokes any noticeable emotion in me. I like it a lot, but it bothers me. My only contribution to this thread, other than to second Bauhaus (Bela Lugosi's Dead scares the shit out of me when it comes up randomly on my iPod in the car, even during the day), is the game System Shock 2.
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post #107 of 111
9/22/06 at 12:42am
Thread Starter 
The Ron Mueck stuff is fairly disturbing.

Couple additions, one musical and one literary.

Quote:
Now, who shall I marry the junky or the jailer?
Your choices are few when you know you're a failure
But there's one thing that everyone in the bar agrees
That misery loves company
And that's why everyone loves me

Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves is pervasively paranoid. Highly recommended.

A page from the novel:


I lied. I have a third addition. One of my favorite paintings, Holbein's "The Ambassadors." The ambassadors themselves, with their machinations and intrigue, inspire a good deal of paranoia, but moreover is the absurd, almost profane distorted skull through the middle which the rest of the image totally fails to acknowledge, so to speak. Am I imagining it? What the fuck is it doing? Does everyone else see it? It inspires those sorts of paranoid questions.


Re seanchai, I believe that earlier in the thread I mentioned Deus Ex, which was of course created by essentially the same team (most notably Warren Spector) as SS2. Great games.
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post #108 of 111
9/23/06 at 3:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward Appleby
I lied. I have a third addition. One of my favorite paintings, Holbein's "The Ambassadors." The ambassadors themselves, with their machinations and intrigue, inspire a good deal of paranoia, but moreover is the absurd, almost profane distorted skull through the middle which the rest of the image totally fails to acknowledge, so to speak. Am I imagining it? What the fuck is it doing? Does everyone else see it? It inspires those sorts of paranoid questions.

haha, yeah, I love this painting

if you look at the painting from the correct angle the skull appears to be undistorted

i was taught it was artistic showboating
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post #109 of 111
9/23/06 at 4:14am
The Holbein painting uses anamorphosis to place the skull, which is a memento mori in contrast to the riches displayed.
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post #110 of 111
9/23/06 at 11:13am
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amb..._%28Holbein%29
Quote:
While the skull is evidently intended as a vanitas or memento mori, it is unclear why Holbein gave it such prominence in this painting. One possibility is that this painting represents three levels: the heavens (as portrayed by the astrolabe and other objects on the upper shelf), the living world (as evidenced by books and a musical instrument on the lower shelf), and death (signified by the skull). It has also been hypothesized that the painting is meant to hang in a stairwell, so that a person walking up the stairs from the painting's right would be startled by the appearance of the skull. A further possibility is that Holbein simply wished to show off his ability with the technique in order to secure future comissions.
Seems logical.
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post #111 of 111
9/24/06 at 10:11pm
This is my favorite thread. Surprised Jandek has not been mentioned yet. Lyrics (from the album "Glad to Get Away" [Corwood Industries, 1994]) Hey Mister Can You Tell Me (2) Hey mister can you tell me Is there a knife stuck in your face Have matchbook covers been your mirrors Do you feel your hand in your own pocket Hey mister do you count the shadows that fall before you Hey mister can you tell me Is there a knife stuck in your face Do you have the shivers underneath your skin Hey mister can you tell me Where it is you're going Hey mister you got the blues written over your face Looks like you're never going to be in your place The way you've been carrying on is a disgrace But you know it's the only way to be, yeah Now you can go and look in any corner And you can buy a ticket to a movie And you can walk out at night And you can buy your own groceries Hey mister can you tell me Is there a knife stuck in your face
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