Post by Samantha Perlman

December 3rd was the Artfully Unforgotten auction to raise funds for voices of Afghanistan.  Artfully Unforgotten, a non-profit organization that focuses on advocacy through the arts focuses on many different areas, this time it’s women in Afghanistan. A portion of the funds raised  will be donated to the Business Council of Peace (which supports women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan) and the Mashale Noor School . Afghan women are rebuilding their country as the Taliban are working to ruin it, and they greatly appreciate our efforts to help. The event was held at the Best Buy Loft in Soho, the space is owned by Best Buy, who is a sponsor. The loft was large and the artwork hung along an exposed brick wall with corresponding bidding papers below.

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(Above) Pieces being bid on, far Right Heather Metcalf and family (photo taken by Wendy Popp)

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(Above) left art up for auction by Allison Mehner, Right art by Lyejm Kallas-Lewis

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(Above) Tryptich by Evan Goodman

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Immediately when my mother and I walked in, we were ushered over to the check-in table where we were checked off the guest list and then pointed in the direction of the raffle table, we filled out tickets and moved towards the snack table, there was wine and cheese, and RED VELVET CUPCAKES!
The auction featured the artwork of teachers, students, and group projects from the Parsons School of Design Illustration department. We slowly walked along the wall of art and quickly realized that if you wanted to bid on a piece, you wrote your name and contact information on the pieces of paper below. Of course my mother bid on mine artwork. The pieces ranged from $15 minimum all the way to $80 min. for a set of three paintings.

(Above) Piece by Deborah Mouloudji being (photo by Sam Perlman),  Right art  by Sam Perlman

There was a big turn out of guests and most of the pieces of art sold. I saw some fellow students and teachers, also friends and family of event planners, everyone was there to support this good cause, for instance the guest list-checkers were two young boys, who must have been the sons of one of the staff.
There was time for schmoozing, bidding, and roaming the refreshment table, the head of the event spoke about the Afghan women the auction was benefiting, (a trailer of the video we watched in class was played).  Heather thanked everyone for coming and donating, Immediately after that was the drawing for the raffle, I didn’t win but there were gift baskets and CDs and women’s clothing as prizes, following that was another period of bidding and schmoozing. Another thank you from the head of events which concluded the bidding. Winning bidders were directed to pay for their pieces at the end of the evening.

(Above) left art by Nadilyn Beato, Right art by Masuko Jo

I don’t have a lot of  info on this, (okay none) it’s in Russian but I came across this on the web and it was too clever for me to pass up.  Modern movies re-interpreted as old wood cuts.    at : http://ziza.ru/2006/06/16/rastamanskie-narodnye-skazki.html

If anyone can shed some light on where this is from or who did it please let me know.

Follow up:

Bibliodyssey which is a wonderful, wonderful  site displaying “eclectic and rare book illustrations derived from many digital repositories, accompanied by some background commentary”,  has an older post for these prints (Sunday, June 18, 2006)  They identify this style/genre of print as “Russian lubok” here is a copy of their link to an explanation by Alexander Boguslawski.

From http://tars.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang/Russian/Lubok/lubintro.html  (Copyright Alexander Boguslawski 1999)

“The lubki (sing. lubok), simple printed pictures colored by hand and often called broadsides, popular prints, folk prints…”

Since the advent of photography there has been a cross fertilization between the camera and the canvas. Early silent filmmakers were inspired by Gustave Dorés book illustrations (L’inferno 1911 by Francesco Bertolini). Film pioneer George Melies was influenced by illustrator Henri de Montaut’s work for Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon, inspiration has see-sawed back and forth many times. Film noir influenced pulp images and early comics. Presently we’re seeing the trend of graphic novels being adapted to film. it makes perfect sense, The mediums are closely related and share a common visual vocabulary. Animation has long bridged (and blurred) the line between film and drawing.

Any one  interested in visual story telling; Comic books, graphic novels, story boards should include in their education a critical eye on film and a reading of  books that describe the visual narrative tools of film.  How to compose shots, visual sequence and how it affects a narrative, point of view, this is all the common vocabulary of telling a story visually whether it be in print or film.

Below are a few film books that I think bear looking at for your narrative education. Especially for those of you interested in storyboards. It then becomes extremely important to understand and speak in the language of film photography.

Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know By Jeremy Vineyard

This is a basic book that describes different shots in film with an accompanying illustration and a suggestion of a film that employs an example of the shot. It’s written by a non-professional which has  strengths and weaknesses.

 I like the book because it is so basic and written for someone who knows nothing about film. It will get you thinking along film lines very quickly. I have read criticism of the book that the names of shots in some cases is inaccurate and some of the examples of where you can see the shot are general which can be frustrating. 

(Above) Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen:  by Stephen Katz

(Above) Master Shots: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get an Expensive Look on Your Low-Budget Movie by Christopher Kenworthy.  Master Shots has an example of the shot in a film and different views of the shot using poser figures.

(Above) Storyboard Design Course: Principles, Practice, and Techniques by Giuseppe Cristiano

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The above is by no means all the books out there just a couple to start you thinking from the film side vs. the graphic novel/comic book side.

(Above) Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner is a fantastic book my a master story teller. One of the things that impresses me about this book is that Eisner addresses the concept of time in the narrative. How to depict a finite amount of time passing which i think is very much akin to film.

A mask…got your attention…that’s what they do.

(above) a carved wooden Greenman or Wild Man  mask from  Germany(Austria?) . For “Fasnacht” a carnival held in Bavaria, Switzerland and Austria similar to Mardi-gras.
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A great gallery collection of masks  amassed by someone over the last 20 years.
  The Maskatorium,

Last year, Parsons Illustration students collaborated with Artfully Unforgotten , a non-profit that stresses  social advocacy through the arts. Parsons illustration students donated their art and raised $5000 for an orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda. This semester, we are collaborating again,  now to  raise funds for women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and generate awareness of the realities and  possibilities in aiding this region and people in crisis. To start our  partnering  a short film, “Voices of Afghanistan“  was presented in Kellen auditorium  (66 5th ave.) today by Heather Metcalfe, founder and Executive Director of Artfully Unforgotten, and Kirsten Larvick the film’s editor and assoc. producer.

(Above) left Heather Metcalfe Founder/Executive Director of Artfully Unforgotten), middle Kirsten Larvick the film’s editor and assoc. producer,  right Assoc. Prof. Nora Krug from the illustration dept.

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The film was followed by a panel discussion on the situation in Afghanistan with Heather, Nora and Adrianne Dicker Kadzinski, an army reserve officer who served in Afghanistan in 2002 and who is now involved in humanitarian  projects  for Afghanistan as a civilian.

(Above) Heather and Adrianne Dicker Kadzinski taking audience questions.

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A number of aspects of the situation in Afghanistan were discussed and highlighted. Adrianne began by explaining the  many forces playing a part in the politics of the country: the Taliban, native tribes , the Afghan government, the U.S., gender politics, corruption, and the drug trade.   Afghan women have taken on the  role of  rebuilders of the the country but many obstacles stand in their way.   Both Heather and Adrianne  remarked  that through this turmoil and war the Afghan people remain hopeful  and proud of their country.  There is  a pitfall in portraying the Afghan women and people as victims which would be a dis-service to them. It is a complicated  and many sided issue as evidenced when Wendy Popp (Soph concepts instructor) asked about the meaning of the burqa to Afghan woman. The answer was not as clear cut as it would appear.

Peter Hamlin, sophomore concepts instructor, illustrator and photo journalist brought along  images shot in Afghanistan  by Associated Press photographers and brought up the issue of a personal opinion  and journalistic neutrality  in art. Nora Krug also spoke about the role of artists and illustrators throughout history  in creating social responsible work ( or at times irresponsible work and propaganda).

The book ” The Photographer ” with  photographs by Didier Lefevre and  illustrations and story by Emmanuel Guibert was brought in for attendees to look through. Didier Lefevre is a French photojournalist who documented a Doctors Without Borders mission to Afghanistan. The book is excellent.

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I would add to the above book Illustrator/graphic novelist Joe Sacco who  has a number of fantastic  artist/journalist books : Palestine, Stories from Bosnia ,  Safe Area: Gorazde, The Fixer. He has traveled to Yugoslavia and the middle east and brought back in graphic novel form the personal stories of these war torn areas.

The four sophomore  classes in the illustration dept. will be creating art pieces based upon their research and the  presentation. The pieces will ultimately be displayed and auctioned off as part of a silent auction with the proceeds being donated to the Business Council for Peace, which works with women business owners in Afghanistan and the Mashale Noor School, located in Mazar-e Sharif.   The benefit and auction will be held on December 4th at the Best Buy Loft in Soho.  The auction is of course open to any artist who wants to donate work.

Wendy had remarked that this is a unique opportunity  to experience a feeling of unity and purpose that extends beyond our private classes and and to see the passion and dedication given to a social cause.  It’s important  to discuss and experience how art can be a powerful catalyst for social change.

It has been mentioned that the work created by Parsons students is their own reaction to the material presented .  A great aspect of this project and art with a social conscience for me in a class room is that it stimulates discussion.  This is a complicated topic with many valid viewpoints. In fact Nora, during the course of the presentation conveyed how difficult it would be try and some up the whole Afghan conflict  within a single piece.   I’ll be posting some work done by students as the project progresses.

-Les

Below are a few links to learn more about Afghanistan and the project:

Visit Artfully Unforgotten for more info on Voices of Afghanistan and other projects.

Here is a new PBS documentary on the current situation in Afghanistan
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/view/

www.pbs.org/itvs/globalvoices/afghanistanunveiled.html
www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/afghanistan/women.html

About Afghanistan/Pakistan.
www.hulu.com/watch/101088/al-qaeda-family

Afghanistan Wikipedia is of course a place to start for basic info with a number of interesting links in the reference section.

From Peter Hamlin:

Opium in Afghanistan: Cultivation, addiction, and eradication
This interactive includes video reporting and infographics showing opium cultivation statistics.
hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/afghanistan_opium/index.html?SITE=AP

Depth of Field:The War in Afghanistan
An AP photographers visual essay of a US military outpost in Afghanistan.
hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/photographers_gallery/depth_afghan_guttenfelder/index.html?SITE=AP

Afghanistan election: Casting votes in a troubled country
Video reporting and infographics about the candidates and the election in Afghanistan.
hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/afghanistan_election/index.html?SITE=AP
From Nora, examples for politically motivated illustration:

http://comicsworthreading.com/2006/03/20/persepolis/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1611731
http://www.old-coconino.com/sites_auteurs/simplicissimus/index.html
http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/books/palestine.htm
http://www.moca-la.org/emorydouglas/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_Gen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EbsrJuAoQo
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/exhibitions/children/
http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/OKUCIT.html
http://terezinmusical.com/drawings.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/27/arts/0727-KENNEDY_7.html
http://www.blackshipsandsamurai.com/HiroshimaDrawingsSelects/index.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWweberP.htm
http://daddytypes.com/2007/06/11/heil_struwwelhitler.php
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/ww2/american/amerprop.htm
http://calitreview.com/875
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/2985/anton-kannemeyer-at-jack-s
hainman-gallery-new-york.html
http://williamkentridge.net/

Fabricio Moraes’ wonderful entry to CGSociety: Society of Digital artists Steampunk challenge.

Steamnocchio.  As Moraes  has captioned it “ This is an adaptation of the Pinocchio story.
In this version, Geppetto is a mad and lonely old man. Since he has no friends at all, he decided to make one. With no magic or abracadabra stuff, he makes his creation alive with the power of steam”.

If you go to the cgsociety challenge page you’ll see a great breakdown of the illustration. Fabricio’s initial sketch, the steps in modeling the figures digitally, earlier version of the color and details. I’d highly reccomend it as well as seeing the other great entries on the site.

Stephanie Tartick is studying abroad in Italy this semester.  She sent this update from Florence (home of Pinocchio author Carlo Collodi).

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Hi Les,

I am in Florence, Italy now! Didn’t start classes yet. We have intensive Italian all week and I start classes next week with Painting, Figure Drawing, Quattrocento (14th century), Italian and Black and White Photography. The past three days I have been exploring the city of Florence as much as I can since my apartment is right in the city. On the street I have been taking to school the past three days there is a toy store with a bunch of Pinocchio toys in it. Carlo Collodi was from Florence! I took two pictures of the store front and thought I’d share them with you and the Illustration department.
My school is very small but reminds me of the illustration department. Only 48 students and all majoring in different things, not just fine art. Most of the students are from the United States, in fact 5 of all my roommates are from San Antonio. Hope the semester started off well.
Best,

Stephanie T

Hi Les,

Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity. Just traveling to the Toronto International Airport I saw a Richard Serra sculpture. It reminded me of the amazing world of art and the reason why I chose to leave the country for four months. It’s a pretty big decision and an even bigger change. Any place in the rest of the world will be completely different than the young United States. In Florence there is ancient art in any old street corner. Frescoes are on the ceiling of my apartment building and the outside of the building I see out my window. Famous architecture you read in textbooks is located every two blocks in this city. Three thousand students come to study in Florence every semester and five thousand to Rome. If anyone is looking for a small English speaking school in the heart of the city of Florence, contact me about Santa Reparata International School of Art. www.santareparata.org

Pinocchio

The Illustration Department’s 2009 Summer Reading Project

Each year, a book is selected that all illustration students read over the course of the summer break. When students return in the fall they have a common cultural experience that can be shared and discussed and that assignments are based on in class. This year’s book is Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
Collodi, whose real name was Carlo Lorenzini, was a politically active writer of novels, pieces in political newspapers and satire as well as children’s literature in 19th century Italy. At 23 he founded Il Lampione (The Lamp), a satirical magazine that published for a year before being shut down by the government (it resumed publishing in 1860), From this social and political environment Pinocchio’s adventures (or misadventures) were born in 1881 as weekly installments in Il Giornale per i Bambini (an Italian children’s newspaper).
Collodi didn’t think much of his offspring. Originally he had ended the story with Pinocchio’s lynching. He eventually was  persuaded to write further chapters.
Despite a ambivalent father, Pinocchio went on to great success (unfortunately after Collodi’s death in 1890). Pinocchio’s adventures are; fantastic, absurd, moralistic, entertaining, allegorical, satiric, in short all the things that make up a good story, and inspire great art.
By 1937 Pinocchio’s adventures were being published in 80 different editions including translations into Swahili, Gaelic and Esperanto. Pinocchio was a popular character before the 1940 premiere of Disney’s full length animated feature. Disney’s use of the story coincides with Collodi’s copyright expiring.  As frightening as some of the scenes in the Disney movie can seem, catch Lampwick’s transformation into a donkey, the original story by Collodi is grimmer. Feet are burned off, Pinocchio is hung, chained up, there are funeral processions, huge sharks…a lot to scare a child into good behavior.
Disney’s version of Pinocchio certainly seems to dominate the visual landscape, but not everywhere. Travel to Italy or other continents than America and Pinocchio’s look can be quite unfamiliar…until we see the iconic long nose.
One hundred and twenty six years after his debut Pinocchio is very much a cultural icon.  He is a metaphor for lying and bad behavior in politicians as well as a symbol of a character’s quest for humanity. Frankenstein, Astro Boy, David from Stanley Kuberick/Stephen Spielberg’s A.I., Edward Scissorhands, are all cousins of Pinocchio.

A Pinocchio exhibit is up on the 8th floor to peak your interest in the little wooden icon. Below is a key to what’s in the showcase.

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Key

1. Hanging Pinocchio 1944 –by Italian illustrator Giovanni Manca.
2. Fables, 2002 (comic book) covers by illustrator James Jean. Geppetto and Pinocchio figure prominently in the story line of the characters from well known Fables in exile.
3. Pinocchio shadow puppet
4. Woodpeckers whittle down Pinocchio’s nose, from Italian children’s book illustrator Attilio Cassinelli’s 1981 Pinocchio  book re’entititled “Once I was a piece of wood”.
5. Fold out cover of the August 1972, (No. 29) National Lampoon. Nixon as Pinocchio with Henry Kissinger as Jiminy Cricket. Illustration by Robert Grossman.
6. The Chicago Tribune offered a fold-up version of Illinois state Senator Roland Burris as Pinocchio. Burris was accused of offering a bribe in exchange for Obama’s Senate seat.
7. “Pinocchio is caught by the gendarmes” by Attilio Mussino 1911.
8. Pinocchio by Winshluss 2009
9. Assorted Disney Pinocchio books , a bank . Pinocchio was Disney’s 2nd feature length animated film debuting in 1940.
10. Pop-up Adventures of Pinocchio- J. Pavlin – G. Seda, (Czech, English version 1974)
11. Cover of an Egyptian edition of Pinocchio.
12. Zombie Pinocchio Tattoo (courtesy of BMEzine.com) and Jiminy cricket tattoo by Mark of High Voltage Tattoos.
13. Astro Boy – a Japanese manga character by Osamu Tezuka , centering around a robot boy.
14. By Italian illustrator  and humorist Benito Jacovitti (1977?/ reissue 2001).
15. Pinocchio float for the 1930 Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.
16. Pinocchio by Keith Haring
17. A background from Disney’s Pinocchio 1940. Painted by Claude Coats
18. Pinocchio  by Attilio Mussino English 1911 edition.  18a. Character sketches for the 1940 Disney movie
19. Pinocchio red wine  by Dievole.
20. A Polish poster for Disney’s Pinocchio.
21. The Adventures of Pinocchio 1988 by Roberto Innocenti
22. George Bush Coin
23. The Adventures of Pinocchio (Italy) 1935 illustrated by Peiro Bernardini
24. The New Adventures of Pinocchio, Dell Comic book 1963
25. Pinocchio, the Boy, illustrated by Lane Smith 2002
26. Luigi and Maria Augusta Cavalieri 1924.
27. Pinocchio info to come
28. Cut out nose from PinocchioPolititics.com (Behind 28) “Pinocchio is visited by the doctors” by Luigi and Maria Augusta Cavalieri 1924
29. Pinocchio by Gianbattista Galizzi 1957

A sampling of Pinocchio books:

1. Lane Smith (2003) 2. Mauro Evangelista (2006)  3. Gus Grimly(2009)  4. Sara Fanelli (book with slipcase 2003)   5. J.J. Menet (France 1945) 6. Lois Lenski (1940)

7. Tony Sarg (1940)  8. Sergio Rizzato (1963)  9. Jim Dine (2006) 10. Art Seiden (1954)  11. Benito Jacovitti (Italy 2001) 12. Winshluss (2009)

13. Matthias Griebler (German 2007)  14. Lorenzo Mattotti (Italy 1991)  15. TK (Japan 1997)

16., 17. James Jean (2008)

18. J. Pavlin – G. Seda, (Czech, English version 1974)

Pinocchio and politics are not strange bedfellows. Carlo Collodi (the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini) was very much a a product of tumultuous political times in 19th century Italy when  he wrote Pinnocchio in  1881. Situations that occur in The Adventures of Pinocchio in many ways reflect Italy’s  social policy towards children at the time  (see Carl Ipsen’s book ” Italy in the Age of Pinocchio: Children and Danger in the Liberal Era“).  Over the years the image of a visibly growing nose to illustrate political lying has become as iconic (and sometimes cliché) as pinoke himself.

(above) Fold out cover of the August 1972, (No. 29) National Lampoon. Nixon as Pinocchio with Henry Kissinger as Jiminy Cricket. Illustration by Robert Grossman

(above) President George Bush as Pinocchio in Germany, Feb.  2004.   (Photo by Ina Fassbender)

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(above) The  Chicago Tribune offered a fold-up version of Illinois state Senator Roland Burris as Pinocchio.

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(above) Protesters wearing (german politican) Roland Koch-pinocchio masks in Frankfurt  January  2008.

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Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives everyone lies at some point or another  (At least so the other side claims). Death isn’t the great equalizer, Pinocchio is.  In some cases all you need is some basic photoshop skills and you too can perform a political rhinoplasty.

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(above) G8 leaders

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(above)  “Bianocchio” or Politichio,   A comment on  Taiwanese politician and former President of the Republic of China, Chen Shui Bian.   by Taiwan’s Phalanx Studio

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