*The Dehumanization of Art*

Kandinsky.
&Malevich.

&Mondrian.

*The Dream Team.........of..........................Abstract Art.*

WAIT! Keep reading...it's good : D

1st up. Wassily Kandinsky!

The truth behind abstract art is quite amazing. Kandinsky is credited for discovering abstract art, BUT, it's the way he discovered it which is most amazing...

It's a late night, in 1908.

Kandinsky opens the door to his studio...through the dark he sees an image of "indescribable and incandescent loveliness"...he couldn't identify it as an object...it was an image composed of only bright colour patches...He walks closer.........voila! it turns out the image was his own painting sitting sideways (A la Paul Wall : D)! The image was distorted simply because of the angle in which he viewed it!

And so goes the discovery of Abstract Art! I know...astounding.

At the time "true art" consisted of the environment, self-portraits, etc.... Art HAD to be a representation of the world through man's eyes, and there had to be an identifiable object. So a new concept is born! Art without an object! ....

Okay!....Here come the Haters...they're always around aren't they?...many critics first viewed abstract art as a means to be lazy, drawing anything on canvas and labeling it as art. They also feared it would invite un-talented artists to display work next to talented artists...(lol, sounds like the hip hop of today, no way I'm labeling Soulja Boy as abstract hip hop tho : D !)....However, the philosophy behind it silenced most critics...

Abstract art came in the same era as a deeper understanding of physics and the philosophy of nature. "The division of an atom" was crucial. Kandinsky realized that the images we see in everyday life are not accurate, rather they are a harmony, or arrangement of much smaller images(atoms) combined together. To draw these smaller shapes, and images, he felt, is too create a true reality. Kandinsky's images were broken into smaller shapes, without form! Example, a drawing of a bike... the bike can't be seen, only the shapes and colours that would represent a bike.

The next batter up....

2. Kasimir Malevich! (personal fav.)

Malevich is ill...the good kind of ill. Instead of breaking down objects to create reality, Malevich believed the only possible representation of reality was a "cosmic reality"...the merging of every single existing object together! Not just atoms...but merging people together, cities, countries, planets, galaxies. Malevich created the "non-objective world", or the world without individual separate objects. He believed that simply drawing one image, like a chair, or a person, was only tearing apart a fragment of a whole image(the universe). Everything must be together to be accurate!

His belief is that...."a real human life is one in which activity does not mean flight from cosmic reality, or separation from it, but that ones life is just part of the pulse of the universe"(the only true object).

What does this leave him with??? The ultimate drawing....a black square on a white background! Yup, you guessed it, the ultimate image. Malevich's drawing is an image of the universe seen from so far away, that it appears in zero form, or put simply, a black square. The black square represents all of the images in the entire universe, merged together into one shape!

3. Piet Mondrian! (last but certainly not least)

Mondrian's art was unlike both Kandinsky and Malevich. Kandinsky's art removed the original object and became formless, Malevich believed in a single form, totality, and that all objects were in rhythm with, and combined to create one single image...Mondrian's belief was in essential form. The breaking down of an object to it's simplest form, neoplastic rectangles, while retaining remnants of the original image. Mondrian painted the DNA of objects, evolution through simplification was his goal. He used only primary colours for his work, the basic of the basic! By breaking an image down to it's simplest form, only then can we truly see it...bringing about a harmony between our spirit and reality.

I found this to be art, or reality, based off of contraries? The complex becomes simple...and consequently the simple becomes complex. Deep!

Last Section...Trees....lets stay focused...these are not the ones you light! : D

One of my personal favs. from Mondrian is his set of paintings based on nature, specifically trees. To Mondrian they represented the ultimate contrary, the Yin and Yang. The roots of the tree represent the world and reality...the branches of the tree, which grow and reach to the heavens, represent spirituality. The tree chronicles a man's life journey, from the Earth, to reach to the skies and attain something greater! Our souls are celestial beings reaching to become reunited with the heavens, but rooted, and stuck on Earth. The roots=reality...The Branches=Spirituality...and the Stem=the man himself!...........

Well...with that said I'm already starting my collection of abstract art(reproductions, all I can afford!). I've got a new found appreciation and my pad could use some art...and Hey....if anything...the girls will like it! : D (damn, I can be deep and shallow in the same article, what a contradiction, ey Mondrian?).

But seriously, I recommend reading up on all three artist, as I'm barely scratching the surface here...it may change your perception of reality...Also, I recommend reading about..."The Civilization of Pure Relations"

*Any phrases in quotations are from the Book Mondrian, by Victor Ieronim Stoichita*

Learn More. Let your tree grow to the Heavens!!!!

"Abstract art is an attempt to not only create a representation of reality, but to investigate its true status..."

Death. Fame.........and Sheep.

Death......Fame......and Sheep.

Why is it that one's life achievements are magnified upon an untimely death? Jay Dee, Baatin...While I'm glad that their work is being recognized, and glorified, why is it that we only appreciate their art upon their passing? Why couldn't they have been the recipient of fame while they were still with us?

"No one gets the roses while they can still smell'em..."

Honestly, look deep inside of yourself and ask this question...When did you discover J Dilla? His popularity is at an all-time high today, and I've never seen so many J Dilla t-shirts in my life! He was always magnificient, but I saw very few, if any t-shirts when he was alive. Who was a fan back when JD was part of The Ummah? The who? exactly...1st down? J-88? The Fantastic volumes?.... I remember bumping Get Dis Money off of vol. 2 every Friday when I got spare change for my allowance. Who shares these memories? Back in the day if you brought up Dilla's name a lot of people were like...hmmm? oh yeah JD? the guy from SoSoDef? Nope! Why is his afterlife success dwarfing the recognition he received when he walked amongst us. Wait, hear that coming?....it's the sheep. These are the mindless drones that bought up all his records, wikipedi-uhd his career : D, and celebrate him as the greatest producer ever, but never knew he existed before his death. The sheep move when society moves...you market to them, they buy it.

The sheep love trends.

Sometimes, I don't even know if they genuinely like Dilla, or, if it's just culturally cool to like him...? Or maybe, out of a sense of guilt, it's human nature to feel an obligation to research his work.... simply because we didn't appreciate, or celebrate it sufficiently while he was still here? Either way, Dilla is well-deserving of praise...I'm just saying, we coulda delivered the roses a little sooner...

Not even Michael Jackson could escape the allure Death and Fame provides the sheep. I was shopping in Amoeba the other day and two girls next to me came across an old Michael Jackson record..."We have got to buy this!" one of'em yelled....Why? Why have you got to buy this? This Michael Jackson record...Two months ago I doubt they would have looked at it twice! But ya know...so goes the story of death and fame. A week before his death, roughly 48,000 Michael Jackson songs were downloaded....One week after his death...an estimated 2.6 million Michael Jackson songs were downloaded....Damn, did I miss something? Did his music get THAT GOOD upon his passing into the eternal? No, it didn't. But now, the sheep seem to love him. I can't walk down the street without hearing someone bumping thriller now.... : D I can't help but laugh at the thought of it! As far as album sales, Michael Jackson had a reported increase of almost 3,500(wait I have to spell that out) Three Thousand, Five hundred percent! ....after his death. Shame on you, Sheep.

Ahem. Can we deliver the roses sooner please? There's so many other artists, humanitarians, musicians I could mention....but you get the point. Let's cherish the talents, individuality, that each person brings to this planet, both during, and after life...I agree, we should do things in remembrance of these people when they're gone, but lets celebrate them equally while they are here.............Well, that's a nice thought, but as for now...

I'll just kick back and wait for the numerous Baatin t-shirts every streetwear brand is gonna be producing out the ass pretty soon.

Wake up, People.

The Secondhand Sureshots!

dublab presents...SECONDHAND SURESHOTS (preview) from dublab on Vimeo.

Recycling at it's best! The Secondhand Sureshots!

Check it out...if you missed this event...I'm gonna get my CL Smooth on and reminisce for a moment!...All the while giving you a clue as to how you can own a slice of hip hop, no forget that, music history....Producers, step your game up! Pen and Pad, Take Notes! This is one of the most creative projects ever, featuring the creme de la creme of producing, a Pokemon-esque adventure for viewers, and a live performance I was honored to be in attendance of...Without further ado...The Secondhand Sureshots are..

Daedalus. J Rocc. DJ Nobody. & Ras G

FOUR of the most notable producers walking God's green Earth (whom I'm a fan of each one : D) received specific orders for this documentary. Objective One, infiltrate record thrift stores in Los Angeles(all four producers go to different stores). Objective Two, Dig! It's what vinyl heads do! Each producer must find, and buy FIVE obscure, forgotten by time, overlooked records...with a budget of only FIVE bucks! Okay, straight to the 1 dollar bin! After the records are randomly selected, the creative process begins...We get to watch the minds of Daedalus, J Rocc, DJ Nobody, and Ras G, flip into action as they each transform their five dusty records, into classic hip hop beats. Sampling at it's best! And the documentary captures it all on film for our viewing pleasure!

Now....The Hunt! After they finish creating their delightful masterpieces, each producer goes to an undisclosed record store, and hides the record!..Yeah, that's right, all four records are hidden in local thrift stores in LA for anyone to purchase! Each one features an unreleased beat from Daedulus...J Rocc...DJ Nobody...and Ras G! The catch...no one, besides the producers, has any clue where they're hidden! To my knowledge, none of the records have been discovered as of today! What's even cooler, is that each record features different cover art, if all four records are found, they come together (Voltron Style) to form a new picture! Citizens..I think it's time to dig...dig through each record store in LA...dig until we unearth these records and savor the musical goodness...And if y'all don't wanna look for'em, well...I guess I have a better chance of finding one!

The Silent Movie Theatre! The Last Part!

I was fortunate enough to attend one of the few showings of this documentary at the Silent Movie Theatre off of Fairfax and Melrose. Incredible! After watching the film, we got to witness Ras G and Dj Nobody make beats on the spot with records provided by the audience. Daedulus later gave a breathtaking performance that words fail to describe...Making beats in seemingly mere seconds with various, random samples, live, as we watched in amazement. Hit+Run also made custom shirts for attendees featuring the Secondhand Sureshots logo (mine is pictured above : D).

Peep the preview of this documentary Above.

And Oh yeah....

Secondhand Sureshots come First in my book!