Dog Art Today

Picasso & Lump Photos

Lump isolates his target: lunch.

Recently while searching for some photos of Picasso and his Dachshund, Lump, I discovered the blog Habitually Chic written by a "stylish young woman living in New York City and working for a top interior designer."  Well, I got a case of blog envy.  Or post envy.  This stylish young woman had the best collection of Picasso and Lump photos I had seen so far.  So with a nod to her and a high recommendation to stop by her lovely blog, I am borrowing them for mine today.

Look closely and watch the classic Doxie technique for getting what one wants...

Lump makes his needs known with big brown eyes and perhaps a paw to the knee.   See him pouring on the charm just below Picasso's left elbow (click on image to see larger size).

Target acquired.  Leftovers neutralized!

Bestow kisses as if this is the best thing that has ever happened in the history of the world. Ignore the horrified expression of master's wife (Jacquelin Roque).

All photos are by David Douglas Duncan, Lump's original owner.  Read about the Dachshund who stole Picasso's heart in Duncan's book Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund's Odyssey available here.

BTW, "lump" is German for "rascal."

Ted Benvenuti's Dachshunds

São Paulo artist Ted Benvenuti has added a new sleek breed to his sustainable dog bench line, the Dachshund, made from certifiably reforested Brazilian bentwood and carpentry shop leftovers.  Sit!

Click here to read more about him and see more dog breed benches in my May post.

David Hockney and His Dachshunds

David Hockney and his muses, Stanley and Boogie, in front of his Dachshund paintings.  The photo is from an invitation to an exhibition at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rottredam, 1995.  Via Marlou's Phoenix Blog.

For more David Hockney visit his new authorized website.  Via Mary Adam's Drawing Etc blog, filled with interesting analysis of his career and excellent links.

To buy the book featuring Hockney's Dachshunds, David Hockney's Dog Days, click here.

Happy Birthday Kathleen!

Kathleen is my older sister.  She is the one whom I followed around like a puppy before Sheila and Regan came along and did the same to us. 

Kathleen always had the better costume (witness the photo above) when we played dress up.  She always got perfect ringlets when my grandmother would rag curl our hair using flat beer to set it (did everyone do this or is it an Irish thing?)  She had a tutu and a pogo stick and cool gymnastics shoes like Nadia Comaneci, our hero.

Needless to say, I wanted to do everything she did until the little sisters showed up and I could enjoy the perqs of being a big sis myself. 

I know you've moved beyond ringlets and costumes, Kathleen, but you still deserve the best in life.  I have no doubt that with your grace and fortitude all your dreams are with in your reach.

Now a bit of nostalgia.  Look back to 1976 when we all thought we would be Olympians and our parents thought we would break our necks ...

Hope you have a Happy Birthday!
Love, Moira

Dave McKean's Wolves

Moon

My friend James Panozzo of Lawrence Asher Gallery and pig roast fame recently wed Lowbrow maven Merry Karnowsky.  Last week, I stopped by Merry's gallery, The Merry Karnowsky Gallery, to extend my best wishes and see the opening of Dave McKean: Persistence of Vision.

Dave is one of those artists who is as prolific as he is masterful.  Three rooms were packed with his drawings, mixed media paintings, and, perhaps my favorite, his photograph series called The Particle Tarot: The Major Arcana.  (I dabble in Tarot card reading, so I was immediately intrigued.)  It was truly awe-inspiring.

I confess this was my first exposure to his work.  He has a huge following in the graphic novel/comic book world and is said to be influenced by contemporary graphical artists José Antonio Muñoz and Lorenzo Mattotti.  To me, his work resonated with the spirit of preeminent cubist Georges Braque (1882-1963).

Violin and Candlestick by Georges Braque, 1910

Inspired by the haunting wolf in Moon (top) I did some digging for more "dogs" in his art.  I was surprised to discover McKean is a children's book illustrator, collaborating with Neil Gaiman on The Wolves in the Walls, the story of a young girl's discovery of, yes, wolves in her walls.  Amazon calls it "terrifying."  The New York Times selected it as one of the best children's book for 2003.

 

 

The success of the book inspired the stage production of the same name last year at the National Theater of Scotland.  The Guardian called it "Endearingly terrifying…Like Bambi with fangs."

AP photo by Richard Campbell

Finally, Dave McKean is also a celebrated filmmaker and a highly anticipated compilation of 17 of his short films called Keanoshow is being released today on DVD.  You can buy it here.

I have only scratched the surface of the body of work of this amazing artist.  Here are some resources if you too are now a fan.

The Art of Dave Mckean is a comprehensive fansite.

The official Dave McKean website is a work in progress.

See images of The Persistence of Vision at The Merry Karnowsky Gallery and purchase limited edition prints and the catalogue here.

The show runs until August 16, 2008.