Artists!

Art realism was at its best in the 18^th century, and with great pride I present 3 of my most favourite artists who has excelled in this department brilliantly.

Paul Cadmus (December 17, 1904 – December 12, 1999) was an American artist. He is best known for his paintings and drawings of nude male figures. His works combined elements of eroticism and social critique to produce a style often called magic realism. He painted with egg tempera.

a photograph inspiring the art it's work

Jared French (1905–1988) was an American painter who specialized in the medium of egg tempera. He was one of the artists attributed to the style of art known as magic realism. Other artists of this movement included George Tooker and Paul Cadmus.

A complete D&G ad campaign was inspired by the artist's work

George Clair Tooker, Jr. (August 5, 1920 – March 27, 2011) was an American figurative painter whose works are associated with the Magic realism and Social realism movements. He was one of nine recipients of the National Medal of Arts in 2007.

The Hand of Fatima

I have been coming across this particular symbol at too many places and at too many times that its kind of mysterious. Had to know the logic behind me seeing it all the time. And was absolutely amazed at what I read. Surprisingly this symbol has been a favourite with countless artists and designers thereupon used on clothes, as tattoos, painting, fashion accessory and wall hangings to name a few.

So lets find out little more about this captivating symbol.

Panja or Hamsa is the hand of Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatima. It is the symbol of patience, loyalty, faith and resistance against difficulties. According to common belief, it tells of the Fatima's struggle for dignity and her tough life. Thereby, purity, goodness and truth are blessed.

For centuries, Fatima’s Hand has been a powerful talisman for good luck and one of the most popular amulets in the world of Islam for protection. It is hung on the walls of the house as engraving in silver or gold or it is painted in red. It is believed that a house protected by the Hand of Fatima will not catch fire.

In Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, ornaments of Fatima’s hand have the same meaning as evil eyes. In these countries, the miracle of the hand is given a great deal of importance.

Prophet Muhammad takes under his aba (strong coarse wool cloth) the Hazrat Fatima, Hazrat Ali and their sons Hasan and Hussein and then said ‘’my God, they are my family (ahl al-bayt), protect them from evil and keep them away from bad thoughts.’’

Therefore, the other name of Hamsa is Pençe-i Al-i Aba.

According to traditional Islamic culture, the five fingers of Hamsa represent the five requirements of Islam, which are-

To profess your faith,

Pray,

Give Alms,

To Fast,

To undertake a Pilgrimage to Mecca

The five fingers of Hamsa also represent the prophet's family (ahl al-bayt). Prophet Muhammad represented by the thumb, Ali by forefinger, Fatima by middle finger, Hasan by ring finger and Hussein by the little finger.

FATIMA: She was not an ordinary woman. She was Prophet Muhammad's daughter and Hazrat Ali's wife. It is a strong woman that continued the generation of the Prophet Muhammad in patriarchal Arab society.

She was the master of the healers and treated the Prophet Muhammad when he was wounded in war. It is still believed that it is possible to cure incurable diseases with the help of Fatima’s hand and the prayer from the heart.

Muhammad called his daughter Fatima his heart, soul and conscience as it was her who continued the generation for him.

Fatima's life became very difficult with the death of the Prophet Muhammad. She died three months after him and was secretly buried by her husband Hazrat Ali. The death of Fatima marked the beginning of the bad days for Muhammad’s family.

Fatima’s husband Ali was killed in an ambush and their sons Hasan and Hussein were killed with their families.

The death of Prophet Muhammad's family caused a huge indignation in the world of Islam and launched many conflicts and separations of the faith. It laid the foundation of different sects.

Fatima is very important for both Sunnis and Shiites, the two major sects of Islam. Sufis usually had the form of Hamsa (Fatima’s Hand) on the head of their wands with the names of twelve imams and the Prophet Ali engraved onto it. Shiism and Alawism in Anatolia are heterodox beliefs that arose following the death of the Prophet Muhammad's family and Fatima's hand has a great value for Schism and Alawism, because it symbolises the ahl al bayt.

Therefore, Fatima has a very important place in the Islamic faith, which is a surprising symbol of sublimation to women, and her value in a patriarchal society. The authority of goddess, which has been attributed to the Virgin Mary in Christianity, has been given to Fatima in Islam. The hand of Fatima is the goddess's hand and she is still affectionately considered as a myth within a wide geographical area.

Olivier Theyskens

Olivier Theyskens born January 4, 1977 in Brussels, Belgium) is a fashion designer who has worked with several major houses, including Rochas, Nina Ricci, and Theory.

Olivier Theyskens was born to a Belgian chemical engineer and a French homemaker. When he was young, Theyskens desperately wanted to be a girl, and was tormented by the fact that girls "got to be princesses and wear skirts." As a child, Theyskens' parents encouraged him to draw men and women in costumes and were not surprised when at the age of 7 years old, Theyskens proclaimed he wanted to "do haute couture".

In October 1995, aged 18, Olivier Theyskens began attending École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre to study fashion design, but dropped out in 1997 to start his own label. His first collections were often referred to as "gothic extravaganzas" and were created from bed sheets that his grandmother gave to him.^[1] Without sufficient financial support, he was forced to close his label. Despite this, sales of his line were surprisingly strong and as his friend Laetitia Crahay, Chanel's assistant costume jewelry designer, says, "I never worry for Olivier, because I think he's a winner.

Theyskens then progressed to creating stage costumes for the Théâtre de la Monnaie. During this period, he was also designing clothing as a pastime.

Theyskens was brought to public attention when one of his dresses was worn by Madonna to the 1998 Academy Awards.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015