Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Chauvet Cave's advanced ancient human art


Paintings found in Chauvet Cave, France
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave (French Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc) in the Ardèche department of southeastern France is a cave that contains some of the best-preserved figurative cave paintings in the world [1], as well as other evidence of Upper Paleolithic life [2].

It is located near the commune of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc on a limestone cliff above the former bed of the river Ardèche, in the Gorges de l'Ardèche.

Discovered on Dec. 18, 1994, it is considered one of the most important prehistoric art sites. On June 22, 2014, the United Nation's cultural agency UNESCO granted it World Heritage status [3].

Romania stamp (Steppe Wisent Chauvet Cave)
The cave was first explored by a group of three speleologists: Eliette Brunel-Deschamps, Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet (for whom the cave was named) six months after an aperture now known as "Baba's Hole" (Le Trou de Baba) was discovered by Michel Rosa (aka Baba) [4].

At a later date the group returned to the cave. Another member of this group, Michel Chabaud, along with two others, travelled farther into the cave and discovered the Gallery of the Lions, the End Chamber. Chauvet has his own detailed account of the discovery [5].

Ancient lions painting found in Chauvet Cave
In addition to the paintings and other human evidence, they also discovered fossilized remains, prints, and markings from a variety of animals, some of which are now extinct.

Further study by French archeologist Jean Clottes has revealed much about the site. The dates have been a matter of dispute, but a study published in 2012 supports placing the art in the Aurignacian period, approximately 32,000–30,000 years ago.

A study published in 2016 using an additional 88 radiocarbon dates showed two periods of habitation, one 37,000 to 33,500 years ago and the second from 31,000 to 28,000 years ago, with most of the black drawings dating to the earlier period. More: Chauvet Cave
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Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Hit song of Summer 2026? 'Dracula'?


Back in August we asked the question, What will be the hit song of summer 2026? There are a few contenders, and the race is very close, but it would seem to be Tame Impala's "Dracula" (Jennie remix), which is still going strong. But still, in the office, we prefer "Lobotomize Me" by Rat Utopia!


What's a Tame Impala? (It's Kevin)


What'll be Song of Summer for 2026?

The new Ocean Way Festival of LA
Given the exigencies and erratic demands of the music industry nowadays, it is essential that one hit song be pushed to the top of the pop charts to rule each summer. A pop idol's shelf life could depend on it, or it might make an up and comer's career. This summer is tough because there's no obvious frontrunner. Taylor Swift? Yawn. Olivia Rodrigo has a new album, a new festival (Daisy Chain Fields), and everything she's done in the past has been so promising, but a runaway hit?

Who can win the music biz war battle by battle?
Not to our ears, not this time, not even "drop dead" or "the cure." Does it have to be a new song? Technically not because SAINt JHN had "Roses" due to a remix that went viral on TikTok or Instagram or my littler sister's cellphone and dance class. We used to be able to rely on Lana Del Rey to kick out the summer jams.
Maybe skate punk can make a comeback?
Editor's flashback pick: JFA "Beach Blanket Bongout"

Skate punks really know how to party on sand
LYRICS: Party on the sand/ Bring your van/ Tan girls, macho fools/ Fun!/ Punk outing, people shouting/ Lots of fun/ Drugs and sun/ Fun! [CHORUS:] Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ We're having the fun, wasted in the sun/ Purple boards, short hair/ We're outnumbered and we don't care// The hippies, they hate us/ We take their chicks/ They beat us up/ They're still the dicks/ Dicks!/ Surf punks, we're not/ Skateboard, we do/ We have the fun/ We're the new crew/ Crew! [Chorus]

(Aubrey Hobert) I have a new song, guys! It's out Aug. 7, 2026!
(DECESSUS) "The Hollow Descent" live at Pulsar Awards 2026: Who is this beauty queen? Death metal singer wins beauty pageant

Is rap most popular white art form?


Pretty Reckless: "Dear God"
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Saturday, August 8, 2026

Ekaterina Sky's Sunrise; planting trees


What can one person do save world?
This painting holds one of my favorite lines from the prayer beneath the collection: "Help us restore what has been harmed and create a future of harmony and respect."

I painted it as a sunrise, a center of gold opening into rays of red and orange, the first light after a long, dark night.

I wanted to make something in color that remembered that the morning still comes no matter how hard the dark period.
How will we save the planet? Forests!
The Sacred Process of Prayer For The Earth painting creation — Ekaterina Sky on Cohart
Life Force Trees | 165 trees per person (ourlifeforce.org)
The best way to see a sunrise is through an old growth forest of vibrant trees
.
What we compose shows, so do it with care
The original is now ready to find its home. Inquire on Cohart. People sometimes ask how long a painting like this takes me to compose. The painting itself is a matter of days, but the more complete answer is that it takes much longer. This is because the gold comes in layers that each needs its own time and cannot be hurried.

Gold teaches me patience. It will lift, crack, or refuse if it is rushed. So I stopped counting in days and started counting in layers.

I want to save our world's forests!
A future is built the same way: not in one grand gesture, but in patient layers, small daily choices and acts, the things we plant (sow) and tend (cultivate) and refuse to give up on. What we care for grows. What we show up for shows. Everyone can see what shows from our care in its composition.

As of today, "A Future of Harmony and Respect" is available to view on Cohart, to acquire by inquiry. If someone is standing at the start of something, this is a sunrise for that wall. It is a one-of-a-kind, watercolor with 24 karat sustainable gold leaf, with a prayer sealed inside that can be accessed through a chip that allows it to be heard aloud. And it arrives with a certificate of authenticity and earth conscious packaging.

See the sunrise to inquire about bringing it home at: A Future of Harmony and Respect on Cohart.
  • And I would love to hear: What part of the living world do you most want to see restored?
  • (Maybe it's forests, human communities, vegan kitchens, wild grasslands, fish oceans, bird skies, tunnel systems, space belts full of debris... Tell us in the comment section below)
With love,

Ekaterina Sky

P.S. Feeling moved beyond wall art and mural painting? PLANT TREES through a new movement at ourlifeforce.org. Also, see my art on Instagram: @ekaterina.sky.art
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Sunday, July 19, 2026

Zen: ordering life Taoist way (Lao Tzu)

(Flowing Void) The simple path to put our life in order again | Taoist Wisdom

Zen Comics (Ioanna Salajan)
The root of Zen "Buddhism": Taoism is a philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao 道, the way of non-interference, going with the flow.

With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, Tao has been translated as "way," "road," "path," "technique," generally understood as "natural," an enigmatic process of transformation underlying ultimate reality [2, 3].

Where Chinese came from: DNA evidence

Zen Comics (I. Salajan)
Taoist thought and tradition have informed the development of various practices like Zen, including forms of meditation (cultivation), astrology, qigong (moving chi), feng shui (arrangement of our environment), and internal alchemy [4].

A common goal of Taoist practice is self-cultivation, a deeper appreciation of the Tao (akin to the Vedic concept of Brahman, GOD, or Nature), and a more harmonious existence.

Taoist ethics generally emphasize virtues of effortless action (wu wei), naturalness (ziran), simplicity, and the three treasures of compassion, frugality, and humility. [It seems that most of what Western practitioners is Zen Buddhism is actually rooted in Taoism and Confucianism.] More
Chinese Buddhism is a blend of three traditions
The Yellow River Civilization (黃河文明 or Huanghe Valley Civilization): Hwan‐huou Civilization is an ancient [proto-] Chinese civilization that prospered in the middle and lower basin of the Yellow River [1]. Agriculture (particularly millet cultivation) was started in the flood plain of the Yellow River, and before long, through flood control and the irrigation of the Yellow River, cities were developed and political power found reinforcement. One of the "four major civilizations of the ancient world," it is often included in textbooks of East Asian history. But the idea of including only the Yellow River Civilization as one of the four biggest ancient civilizations has become outdated as a result of the discovery of other early cultures in China, such as the Yangtze and Liao civilizations. The area saw the Yangshao and Longshan cultures of the Neolithic era and developed into the bronze ware culture of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. More
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Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Buddhist David Bowie on End of Religion

David Bowie at the Scottish Buddhist Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre with his lama Guru Chime Rinpoche almost ordained as Vajrayana Buddhist monk for a life of contemplation and peace
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Monday, May 11, 2026

The Chainsaw-Wielding Monk of Texas


Wandering ascetic in the USA
Sitagu Buddha Vihara, Austin, Texas: Dhamma. 🪷 Behind every great story there’s a chainsaw-wielding Buddhist monk.

Which is to say, what I actually mean is each reporting process is populated by vibrant hidden figures like American Theravada Buddhist monk Bhante Nalaka (born Steven Waite).

He walked me and my family around Sitagu Buddha Vihara in Southwest Austin. I was at the Burmese Theravada Buddhist monastery hunting for a painting by exiled Burmese artist and activist Sitt Nyein Aye, but more on him in a moment.
Htein Lin | Mi Let To, the Crocodile Maiden (2017) | Art & Prints | Artsy
 
American Ven. Nalaka received us at the end of a meditation retreat, his voice starting as a whisper and rising throughout our chat.

Born in Massachusetts, he grew up an “Army brat” and has flowed in and out of monastic life since 1981. Ven. Nalaka has spent about three years as a caretaker of the monastery’s 16-acre property, which is crowned by a golden pagoda, the largest in the United States.

What's the meaning of it all, Bhante?

Stages of Progress on the Buddhist Path

Profile: Htein Lin, Arts Educator Pitstop
The Buddhist complex has 40 buildings in all, including a treehouse. Ven. Nalaka is eager to discuss his humble inheritance: endless maintenance issues.

“My first year was scraping all these walls” to remove bubbling paint from leaks and humidity damage, he said. In 2023, he chainsawed 13 acres of felled tree limbs after an ice storm. “I had burn piles going everywhere,” he claimed.

Last year, the monks repainted the pagoda’s exterior using a 135-foot crane and “at least 20 gallons” of imported paint. If suffering is the path to liberation, Ven. Nalaka is making progress—and the monastery is looking sharp.

Exiled art of Myanmar in Texas

Artists are artists and will let you know it.
The one feature of the property that Ven. Nalaka didn’t seem to know about was Sitt Nyein Aye’s artwork, a fact that had my nerves running throughout our interview. But after a bit of wandering,

I spotted Sitt’s idiosyncratic line work in a multi-panel painting in the dining hall. This visit closes out my story on Sitt (Exiled artist Sitt Nyein Aye stoked faraway fight for democracy), which can be read about in @swcontemporary (southwestcontemporary.com) today (link in bio).

Idiosyncratic line work on panel at Sitagu, TX
It starts with his tragic death in Colorado and weaves backwards through his revolutionary work in Burma (Myanmar), exile in the Southwest, and late-career artistic projects.

I sought to examine Sitt’s legacy as a member of a “hyperlocal diaspora” -- Burmese artists, including @chaweithein (Ms. Chaw Ei Thein, profile, art blog) and @artisthteinlin (RIP, Artsy), who’ve found refuge in America and craft vivid portals back home.
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obscuratorial's profile picture
AUTHOR: obscuratorial (37w) 📷 PHOTOS: 1-3 are by my dad, Mark Eddy. The rest are by me, of Sitt Nyein Aye's untitled 2012 painting at Sitagu Buddha Vihara. The piece depicts some revered Buddhist temples in India. Source
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