The Lardner Report

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Cosmic Cubism? What???

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(Pic #1) A view of Jupiter’s turbulent clouds and storms — or a nod to the world’s most famous Cubist?

 “A head is a matter of eyes, nose, and mouth – which can be distributed in any way you like.” — Pablo Picasso

Happy Halloween to NASA, whose Juno Mission captured this view of Jupiter’s haunting cloud formations, which the space agency compares to a Cubist portrait. By releasing the image this week, NASA honors the iconic Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who would have turned 142 on the 25th.

(Pic #2) Pablo Picasso, Femme assise (Jacqueline), 1962. © Estate of Pablo Picasso

NASA’s Juno Mission captured this view during its 54th close flyby of the 5th planet of our solar system. To spend some face time with this cosmic giant, click here: missionjuno.swri.edu/news/in-time-f

A huge thank you to Juno, NASA’s Jupiter probe — which allows us to gawk, and wonder — just how Science so effortlessly creates Art.

How Picasso Redesigned Apple, Inc. — And Our Lives

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(Pic #1) The Bull, Lithograph by Pablo Picasso, 1945 / Inspiration for Mac sleek.

Twelve lines — and there it was.

It seems almost impossible to fathom, but just one defiant Spanish artist revolutionized the way a multi-billion dollar industry designs its products, and changed the way we all work. Pablo Picasso, the irreverent, most trailblazing painter and sculptor of the 20th century, continues to shape style and function, nearly half a century after his death.
The series of bull drawings below, explain how. And why Apple, Inc. is still “all in.”

(Pic #2) “The Bull” (lithograph series) Pablo Picasso, 1945

Picasso pretty much defined minimalism through these eleven drawings…starting with a fairly realistically rendered bull up top, and ending with a handful of lines that evoke the animal’s “essence” at the bottom. The series is a step-by-step illustration of how to break an image down into its most basic parts.

Today, Apple incorporates these lithographs into its internal, highly secretive training program.

(Pic #3) Steve Jobs: “Let’s make it simple. Really simple.”

Jonathan Ive, head of design under Steve Jobs, describes the process of creating one of Apple’s Power Macs: “We wanted to get rid of anything other than what was absolutely essential,” he said. “We kept going back to the beginning, again and again. Do we need that part? Can we get it to perform the function of the other four parts?”
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The relationship between Apple and the prolific painter was exposed in a New York Times article in 2014. The Apple Uiniversity course on communication (taught by Randy Nelson, the former dean of Pixar University) focused on all 11 versions of “The Bull.” His point was: you rip through dozens and dozens of iterations until you can simply deliver your message in a concise way. The Apple brand has stayed true to that philosophy, ever since.
As the former Apple CEO explained: “The way we’re running the company, the product design, the advertising, it all comes down to this: Let’s make it simple. Really simple.”
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Fun fact: Steve Jobs was influenced by 20th-century European artists. In fact, the original Mac logo from 1984 was inspired by Picasso’s contemporary and sometimes rival, Henri Matisse.

 

Picasso and the iPad: Hockney says, “He would have gone mad.”

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David Hockney’s digital obsession: now showing in Paris

Obsessed with new technology, David Hockney says he’s not alone. He has made the iPad his new canvas–and now paints with his fingers.

Hockney’s masterpiece app

Hockney trades sketch pad for iPad

Hockney’s new show in Paris, “Fleurs Fraiches” (Fresh Flowers) showcases 300 of his newer digital pieces–shown on actual iPhones and iPads. Drawing with an iPhone app called BRUSHES, it’s become a daily habit for one of the best known artists of his generation.

In 2009, Hockney told the Telegraph: “I draw flowers every day on my iPhone and send them to my friends, so they get fresh flowers every morning. And my flowers last. Not only can I draw them as if in a little sketchbook, I can also then send them to 15 or 20 people who then get them that morning when they wake up. Picasso tadalafil would have gone mad with this. So would Van Gogh. I don’t know an artist who wouldn’t, actually.”

The iconic British painter/photographer has now moved on to the larger iPad. Reviews say his digital images are “luminous,” though “less detailed.” From those I’ve seen, they are classic Hockney, with simple lines and fresh color.

iPad painting: a daily habit

The app is fun for exploratory artists as well. I’ve experimented with it on my iPhone, and I like the immediacy.  Thousands of other artists are making the big switch, enjoying the freedom from bulky supplies. The big headline last year was that the cover of The New Yorker was designed by an artist using the BRUSHES app. See the process in action via this ABC news story.

View an interview with Hockney on digital art here.

David Hockney: Fleurs Fraîches – on view at the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent in Paris through January 30.


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