Extraordinary And Funny

After the amazing island photos I photographed last week and showed you this week, today I'd like to take you to a little journey in the world of art and show you the last batch of the paintings I photographed at the solo exhibition of Vera Dan. She's an exceptional artist with a particular way of seeing and depicting the world.

I've told you about a rule we have in trading in another occasion, but it's always valid, so I'm always thinking about it, whenever I visit an exhibition and see an artwork that I like a lot and thinking of buying it. The above mentioned rule says: if you would be allowed to only take five trades a year, would this be one of them? This is to help you only enter the high probability setups and not just jump in at the middle of nowhere. In my opinion, this can be applied to buying artworks as well. Maybe not five per year as not many have that kind of money and available space to display them, but with a more limited number. Well, I can tell you, Vera Dan's paintings would definitely be the one I'd choose.

Noblesse Oblige

For those of you who don't know this phrase:

Noblesse oblige is the idea that if you’re of noble birth or basically super rich, it’s your duty to act right and help others. It’s French for the “nobility obliges.” source

You hear this phrase quite often if you're in the right circles, but I don't think many know where the concept is coming from.

The concept of noblesse oblige has been around much longer than the actual phrase, which was first recorded in English in 1837. As long ago as ancient Greece, aristocrats have mulled over their obligations to society. While the result of noblesse oblige can be positive, historically it's been used to justify the privilege of wealthy and powerful people. Now, sometimes people refer to noblesse oblige in a sassy, ironic way. source

Back to the painting, it's a wonderful abstract, but honestly, I can't really read it. Regardless, I like it.

Diptic, Eccentric Shepherd

This is a funny one but with deep meaning, if you know how to read it. As you can see, the shepherd is in a suit, with a tie and the whole scene is taking place in a city. The sheep herding is happening in front of the apartment buildings. I'm going to stop here as I don't want to spell it out for you, but I hope you see what it mean. It's a brilliant one for sure. I love the concept and unfortunately we see this every day.

Expired Can

Another funny one and honestly, I'd have never thought about such a thing.

Big Brother

If you have thought the previous one was funny, look at this one :) I'd rather let you interpret this one, as it's quite funny, but if you don't understand why the title is Big Brother, let me know. I loved this one, but still, I don't think I would put it on my wall.

Quo Vadis

Excellent depiction of the Latin phrase and if you look at the painting in details and notice the huge block to which the bicycle is chained, you know the answer is nowhere. Also, you can see another recurring element, the chicken.

The Pharaoh's House

This was a bit confusing. The title is referring to the house you see on top, but it's in the background. I can't decide what these people are doing. It looks like some kind of religious ritual? I'm not sure.

And this is the cherry on the cake for me. This painting made me smile and this is the one I would want. I don't know how the artist came up with this idea, but I love it. The rooster is a very nice plus, adding some color to it as well. Love it!

I couldn't leave without taking a close-up photo of this beauty. Look at the eye and the expression on his face.

The Three Graces

The three graces refers to the three goddesses in Greek mythology: Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia. Over the years, many artists have depicted the three graces in their artwork. You can find statues of them, paintings and so on. However, this painting is a bit different from what you'd expect.

These artworks were also for sale, it wasn't just an exhibition. I had a look at the price list, and as expected, the prices were directly proportional to the magnificence of the paintings. I said I'd be happy to hang some of these on my wall, but am not ready to pay the price 😬.

I'm curious to see how do you like this batch.

If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides: