magiciansnap

[magiciansnap]

fuck elon

what do you mean elon musk did a nazi salute on live tv at the united states presidential inauguration twice and is now erasing the evidence off the internet by replacing the footage with the crowd cheering instead?

would be a shame if people reblogged this, wouldn’t it?

[magiciansnap]

Phidias!!

ancient greek sculptor - in bonze & marble

known for zeus at olympia + athena in pantheon

ANDDD painter, engraver + metalworker

his lost artworks mentioned above survive in "descriptions of pausanias" (greek traveler + geographer)

these are the re-makings of the statues:

OKAY HELLO?? these are beautiful (especially considering they're re-makes), eSPECIALLY ATHENA. THE DETAIL. AAAAA

SHE'S 12 METERS TALL. i love that it also shows a human besides the statue, because it really exemplifies the POWER that she has, and the grace and the fact that shes A GODDESSSSS AA

anyway

phidias was commissioned for both statues by pericles, a greek politician + general (zeus was straight after athena)

alongside that, his workshop were also found by archaeologists, where they saw that a lot of the moulds found were also used to make his statue.

ALSO you can find writings by pausania here:

i started researching into this artist because apparently the pose on painting Napoléon on his Imperial Throne by jean-august-dominique ingres is inspired by phidias' sculpture of zeus:

i mean jesus christ this screams power. he (the painter) uses a lot of references used in art history to build up the image of a powerful figure (almost a deity)

anyway good fun

sources:

History and Archaeology Online. (2021). Phidias – Ancient Greece’s most Famous Sculptor. [online] Available at: https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/phidias-ancient-greeces-most-famous-sculptor/.

Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Pericles. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pericles.

The Art Story. (2011). Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. [online] Available at: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/ingres-jean-auguste-dominique/.

[magiciansnap]

Alberto Vargas

a few things to mention:

painter & illustrator

well-known for his art on pin-up girls

had to flee from Paris to USA due to WWI escalating

I'm interested in his artwork because I'm also interested in pin-up girls, and understanding the effect that they've had on society.

some of what he's created include:

DUUUDE she's (Marlene Dietrich) beautiful here! the light illuminates her features, such as the eyes, lips and even the nails

ANDD the dress really emphasises the skin that she shows. i find it interesting to learn that the colour of her eyes are blue, since i've only ever seen her black and white photos

anyway, another thing to note: her pose!! from photos that i've seen, shes usually upright or at least lying on her front, BUT never on the side like here. it's intriguing and i'd like to know why Vargas made this decision - not to say that it doesn't suit her, shes still got the look of confidence that i think deserves to also be noted!!

some of his other artwork include women who dont have their breasts covered, for which I worry I can't show here haha. I'll show others though:

producing his artwork

made 12 large paintings of Ziegfried Follies' "new stars"

produced 180 paintings for Esquire Magazine (1940-1946)

produced 152 paintings for Playboy

technique!!

learned his air-brush techniques when he re-touched photos in his father's studio in Peru

underpainting with a brush

airbrushed colour ontop (in a glazing technique)

he used watercolour

he was delicate with doing (2), which didn't disturb the colour underneath

inspiration for Vargas

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres - neoclassical painter, known for his painting of Napoleon

Raphael Kirchner - known for pin-up & art nouveau

sources:

American Pin-Up (2016). Vargas, Alberto. [online] The American Pin-Up — A Directory of Classic and Modern Pin-Up Artists, Models and Photographers. Available at: https://american-pinup.com/vargas-alberto#moove_gdpr_cookie_modal

Marijn Kruijff (2023). The Hypnotizing Pin-Ups of Alberto Vargas. Shungagallery.com. [online] doi:https://doi.org/10/2557/responsive/7917462/online-erotic-art-magazine-1-1_292_65.png%20292w.

Heritage Auctions. (2017). Alberto Vargas (American, 1896-1982). Marlene Dietrich, 1932. | Lot #71201 | Heritage Auctions. [online] Available at: https://fineart.ha.com/itm/other/alberto-vargas-american-1896-1982-marlene-dietrich-1932pastel-on-board265-x-2025-in-sight-signed-lower/a/5347-71201.s#

others

The Art Story. (2011). Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. [online] Available at: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/ingres-jean-auguste-dominique/.

Dell'Aquila (2025). Raphael Kirchner: the life. [online] Dellaquila.net. Available at: https://www.dellaquila.net/kirchner/life.html

[magiciansnap]

Mapping police violence

I've found a website:

it's a resource worth knowing!! when you click on it it opens to a section that showcases data in different ways, such as the month that people were killed, comparisons in the last year that you choose AND the victims that were killed in that year. there'a a lot more, such as where they get their data from and how they collect it!!

snippet of what you'll see:

(database)

how they collect their data