Art Kaleidoscope

‘The worlds of man’. ‘Shamans people’ Workshop, Barnaul, Altai Krai, Russia. Ocarina ethnic art

Ocarina ethnic art
This ethnic wind instrument has juicy and magical sound. It entered the folk music of the world – from the ancient Indian tribes of South America to the Siberian tribes of ancient Russia. The earliest ocarina was made of clay in the form of small animals. People used to wear it around their neck, like jewelry decoration. They thought that playing the ocarina drives away evil spirits. Besides, people used it as a home decor, for protecting the house from the negative. Ocarina, an ancient wind musical instrument could also look like an egg-shaped vessel – flute. According to some sources, some Italian Giuseppe Donati invented ocarina in the 1860s. It was with two thumb- and eight finger-holes, and a duct mouthpiece extending to one side. Ocarina can be made in ceramic or porcelain. Ocarina can be a toy, as well as a serious musical instrument made in different sizes. And sometimes ocarina has a tuning-plunger. By the way, ocarina bands were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Europe and the USA. And ocarina there has one more name “sweet potato”.
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A bride with a skeleton. Haunted paintings by Stephen Mackey

Haunted paintings by Stephen Mackey
British fine artist Stephen Mackey lives and works in Manchester, England. His exquisite paintings and drawings, filled with symbolic magic, mist, whimsical look extra creepy. The kids living in the world of haunted objects, ghosts, cats, and bats, seem to be something extra creepy, reminding us about haunted paintings. The bohemian self-taught artist is incredibly talented, able to tell the whole story with just one painting. Stephen is an internationally recognized artist, working with Lip International since 1989 and collaborating with such companies as Ikea and Habitat. He was published by Paperchase in the UK and for the Terrance Higgins Trust. His work was sold to Harrods, Selfridges and other exclusive stores, including American companies Barnes & Noble, Pier 1, Urban Outfitters, Borders and the Nature Company. Stephen’s cards calendars, notebooks, prints, were sold in 50 countries worldwide.
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Hermitage Peacock Clock

Hermitage Peacock Clock

Creating a mechanical bird is a very ancient art – in ancient times the figures of “singing” birds decorated clepsydra – water clocks. In the XVIII century creators of automata tried to construct a system to make the birds look and act as realistically as possible – the life-size birds could sing and move like living creatures. The Hermitage Peacock Clock automation features three life-sized mechanical birds made by English masters James Cox and Friedrich Urey in the 1770s. The Peacock Clock is constantly exhibited in the Pavilion Hall of the Small Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia. The Clock was made of bronze, silver, crystals, gilding. The uniqueness of this clock is that they it is still in working condition (hours work, and the Peacock Starts every Wednesday at 19:00), and is the only worldwide largest machine of the XVIII century, has come down to our time without changes.
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Reborn monkey Chita Bindi. Work by Moscow based artist Ekaterina Samgina

Talented and creative doll artist Ekaterina Samgina lives in Moscow. According to her, she is fond of children, and her passion gave birth to creating reborn dolls. The dolls made by Ekaterina look so realistic, that some of her clients compare her work to the exquisite work of a jeweler. Although the master mainly manufactures dolls of new born babies, my attention attracted this adorable Reborn monkey Chita Bindi. Firstly, because the doll is incredibly realistic, and secondly the New 2016 – year of the Monkey. Making her dolls, Ekaterina Samgina uses the highest quality materials, carefully working out every detail. Her works can be seen at international exhibitions of dolls.
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Christmas joy in spray painting on windows. Snow Windows by Tom Baker, English artist

Snow Windows by Tom Baker
English artist Tom Baker creates detailed snowy scenes on window panes using just snow spray and a dry paintbrush. Inspired by winter and Christmas spirit 36-year-old Tom Baker from Berkshire has set up a business called Snow Windows. He has got a lot of requests from locals asking him to decorate the windows of shops and houses with winter scenes. His unusual technique started with the idea when he sprayed an entire window and grabbed a brush to draw a wintry scene in the white spray. Tom creates different layers with the spray and then removes parts to form silhouettes. Most of his images include vintage scenery – village landscapes with cottages, old cars, horses and carts and street lights glowing in the snowy night.
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Mardi Gras. Pierrot and Harlequin eternal conflict. 1888-1890 Painting by Paul Cezanne

Pierrot and Harlequin eternal conflict

Pierrot et Arlequin, or “Mardi Gras” – the picture painted in 1888-1890 by French artist Paul Cezanne (1839-1906). It belongs to the State Museum of Fine Arts Pushkin in Moscow, located in the gallery of art of Europe and America, XIX-XX centuries. The constant conflict between two temperaments – Piero (Italian version – Pedrolino) and Harlequin, traditional characters of Italian commedia dell’arte. As for models, for Cezanne posed his son Paul and his friend Louis Guillaume. Cezanne paints arrogance and cynicism of a quirky and cheerful Harlequin and insincerity of shy and secretive Piero. It seems that dreamy Pierrot is thinking about something else, but if you look closely, you can see how he secretly wants to push Harlequin.
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Portrait, c. 1889. National Library of Norway. Mysterious Edvard Munch(1863-1944)

Mysterious Edvard Munch
Handsome men often have peculiar traits of femininity, and some weakness. Indeed, Edvard Munch was handsome. He could not boast of good health. And yet didn’t give the impression of a weak man. He was surprisingly energetic, beautiful head. Seeing him, passersby turned around even when his name was not yet known. Anyone who saw Mysterious Edvard Munch, would never forget him. His blond, wavy hair, a high forehead, and bulging gray-blue eyes. The nose and mouth had good shape, even the thin lower lip did not spoil his fineness. Strong chin seemed even stronger, as Munch always carried his head high.
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