Ray Morimura is a graduate of Tokyo Gakugei University, where he studied oil painting. Originally his works were geometric-style abstractions. But later he was inspired by Shigeru Hatsuyama and Sumio Kawakami, and began to study woodblock techniques. Unlike most other Japanese woodblock printmakers, he uses oil-based inks to create these detailed images.
His technique is to carve both 6mm thick plywood blocks and 3mm thick blocks laminated with P-tile, a flooring material. The “linocut” process permits quite complex designs, which are printed on mulberry bark kozo paper. Essentially each color requires a separate block, and separate inking. Some blocks are printed with solid colors, while others include bokashi or a gradation of color.
Of his work, Morimura says “printing demands total concentration as a single hair or dust can ruin a print. I usually clean my studio thoroughly and wait to begin the printing process until after midnight when it is quiet. With prints one can never be certain of the outcome until the final print is completed. There is always the unexpected, which makes it all the more intriguing. As with Zen and ink paintings, I hope something spiritual, in a contemporary sense, can be expressed in these landscape works.”
These photographs, in monochrome and then reconstructed color, are taken from the forthcoming book The Paper Time Machine, a collaboration between Retronaut and Jordan Lloyd of Dynamichrome. The finished book will contain 130 reconstructed color historical photographs arranged chronologically, chosen and introduced by Retronaut.
Jul. 1888 Construction of the Eiffel Tower, Paris.
c. 1935 Officials ride in one of the penstock pipes of the soon-to-be-completed Hoover Dam, Arizona.
Apr. 1844 Nelson’s Column under Construction, Trafalgar Square, London.
1882 Workers build the Statue of Liberty inside French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s workshop in Paris
1880s The bell-tower of the Sacre Coeur Basilica under construction on the Montmartre Hill in Paris.
c. 1889 Tower Bridge was begun in 1881 and opened in 1894, to designs by Sir Horace Jones.
May 31, 1932 Gutzon Borglum and supt. inspecting work on the face of Washington, Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota.
c. 1934 The Golden Gate Bridge under construction, San Francisco, California.
You can support the project and order copies of The Paper Time Machine on the book’s Unbound page.
Scattered throughout modern Egypt are many ancient temples which are famous for their splendor and historical significance. The perfect example of one of these breathtaking displays of luxury is the Temple of Hathor. Built around 2250 BC, the artwork that runs throughout the building is remarkably well kept, despite being thousands and thousands of years old. As the main temple within the significant Dendera Temple complex, it is known for being one of the best-preserved sites in all of Egypt.
Hiroshi Yoshidawas a 20th-century Japanese painter and woodblock printmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the shin-hanga style, and is noted especially for his excellent landscape prints. Yoshida travelled widely, and was particularly known for his images of non-Japanese subjects done in traditional Japanese woodblock style.
Shanghai-based boutiquePurple Fish Bowl(previously featured here) specializes in crafting unique vintage dresses and skirts with an old world glamour. By adding images of famous paintings from Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt and Vincent van Gogh among other masters, they redefine style with intelligence and fine art. Among our favorites are Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s famous Water Lilies and the legendary The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai.
The inclusion of the world’s most famous pieces into 50s style baby doll garments adds a whimsical, yet extraordinarily elegant element. The presence of timeless works of art transforms an ordinary dress into a classical piece of art. You can find more of their work at theirEtsy shop.
Since its arrival at the Palace of Versailles in the 17th century, the infinity pool has become the ultimate symbol of opulence and luxury. Also known as a “disappearing edge” pool, the pool may be functional (for swimming) or entirely decorative. Infinity pools are constructed with one or more of its walls rise only to the level of the water and not above it, giving the optical illusion that its waters extend into the horizon ad infinatum. The visual trickery of such a pool relies on meticulous engineering, and for this reason, they are built only in grand hotels and resorts and the most extravagant of homes.
Only rare photographs can truly do justice to the enigmatical beauty of the infinity pool, but this group show of dazzling images by Offset artists does just that, with each image perfectly capturing the ingenious marriage of design, architecture, and landscape that makes for the world’s most irresistible pools.
The Palatine Hill, the oldest part of the city of Rome. During the Republican period many patricians and wealthy Romans lived on the Palatine. In the Imperial period, several emperors resided there.
The Forum Romanum is on one side of the hill while the Circus Maximus is on the other.
