The hottest Art & Illustration Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Art & Illustration Topics

Mushrooms, Recursion and You

Cybernetic Forests • 39 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Music Design Creative Writing Media Critique
  1. The post explores the interaction between mushrooms, synthesizers, and human design in creating music.
  2. Recursion, the act of repeating levels of systems, is highlighted as complex but essential for intentional decision-making.
  3. The music created reflects layers of feedback and exchange from the mushroom, synthesizer, cables, designer, and listener, emphasizing collaboration and interconnectedness.

New Affordable Website and Call to Yous Millionaires

The False Consensus Effect • 19 implied HN points • 22 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Paintings Artwork Artist Gallery
  1. The author has built a new affordable website and is reaching out to millionaires for support in selling paintings and books.
  2. The author expresses a desire to connect with wealthy individuals to purchase artwork to support themselves and their partner emotionally and financially.
  3. The author emphasizes the importance of painting more and aims for high-end sales to avoid financial struggles.
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Paug, Peale and Artists like Edgeworth

The False Consensus Effect • 19 implied HN points • 26 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Painting Podcast Contemporary Art
  1. The text discusses a vision of a harmonious world where all species work together for mutual completion and survival, contrasting it with the current competitive market personalities of humans.
  2. The piece explores the significance of Stuckism in the arts, emphasizing themes of fulfillment, communion, and the need to move away from individual perfection towards unity and shared ideas in art.
  3. The post highlights the work and philosophy of artist Edgeworth Johnstone, focusing on his impact on bringing life energy to the world and advocating for celebrating life-giving creativity over wasteful market trends.

The X-Files - S01E06 - "Shadows"

Never Done • 19 implied HN points • 12 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration TV Show Review Analysis Entertainment Fiction
  1. The episode of X-Files, S01E06 - "Shadows", was created due to the network's request for more episodes where Mulder and Scully help people.
  2. The balance between main and side characters in the episode could be improved, with an emphasis on a possessive ghost storyline and figuring out who is pulling the strings.
  3. The FBI raid on the company and the resolution involving a floppy disk felt a bit hokey, making it the least favorite episode for the author.

Art Doesn't Lie About Chthonic Human Nature

Holodoxa • 59 implied HN points • 19 Aug 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Criticism Literature Analysis Interpretation Theory
  1. Art reflects the dark truths of human nature, as argued by Camille Paglia in her work Sexual Personae
  2. Paglia's thesis explores the conflict between reason and chaos in Western culture through art
  3. Paglia's provocative approach challenges traditional literary criticism and encourages a more engaging exploration of art and literature

VFYW: Don't Mess With Google

The Weekly Dish • 71 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Photography Visual art Contest Drawing Painting
  1. The View From Your Window contest features various interesting locations and challenges for participants to guess the correct spot based on clues in the photo.
  2. Winners of the contest express gratitude and share their experiences and strategies for identifying the view, adding a personal touch to the competition.
  3. Participants share their insights, struggles, and observations while trying to decipher the location in the photo, making the contest engaging and interactive.

CUATRO ESTACIONES · proyecto de Arte y Música

Mirlo Studio • 19 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🎨 Art & Illustration NFTs Collaboration Exhibition Digital Art Music
  1. The project 'CUATRO ESTACIONES' is a collaboration between Manuel Gimferrer and Grace Hye focusing on themes of seasons and composers.
  2. Grace Hye's artistry is rooted in the physical world with a personal style, using black and inks to convey poetry and beauty.
  3. The project launch involves preparing for the release during the summer and seeking support from their communities.

Little Treats #8

Autoscriptorium • 19 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Paintings Portraits Books
  1. Little treats go beyond physical consumption and touch on spiritual experiences.
  2. Appreciating art and literature can bring about emotional responses and deep connections.
  3. Exploring different types of cultural experiences, like art exhibitions and literary works, can offer moments of joy and reflection.

Stories of Sand, Cities of Salt

Critic at Large • 19 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Literature Novel Storytelling
  1. Artists like Kiluanji Kia Henda explore the notion of cities emerging in unlikely environments, such as deserts, and how these structures can impact society and culture.
  2. The concept of 'Dubaization' refers to the influence of extravagant city development projects, like those in Dubai, on architecture and urban planning in other regions, prompting discussions on the authenticity and value of such endeavors.
  3. The novel 'Cities of Salt' by Abdulrahman Munif delves into the consequences of rapid urbanization driven by oil exploitation, highlighting the societal tensions and transformations that accompany the development of 'cities of salt.'

Nature's Bounty

Ear Worm • 19 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Music Nature Artist Composition
  1. Václav Hálek's compositions are unique and explore the artist's natural condition.
  2. Hálek combined his love for foraging with his ear for new music, composing pieces based on mushrooms, flowers, trees, and people.
  3. Hálek's artistic method gave voice to the natural world, reflecting his deep connection with nature.

Sara Bezovšek: The Influencing Machine

Do Not Research • 19 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Artwork Exhibition Artist
  1. Slovenian artist Sara Bezovšek created a browser-based artwork called _The Influencing Machine - Procedures Manual_. It explores the concept of The Influencing Machine as a cultural phenomenon, mind map, epic scroll, turbofolklore, and a machine that influences emotions and thoughts.
  2. The artwork was a collaboration between Sara Bezovšek and Influencing Machine curator Aaron Moulton. It aims to question the vulnerability of archives as representations of reality and transform research information into a sensory and emotional experience.
  3. The project delves into the idea of turning research materials into something that connects with people emotionally and brings a different perspective to the concept of an Influencing Machine.

Max Dauven: Heracles series

Do Not Research • 19 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Photography Internet culture Online Communication
  1. The photographic works in the Heracles series explore visual language related to men's rights activists, esoteric fitness influencers, and incel culture on the internet.
  2. Understanding the visual languages of online subcultures is important as they heavily influence online behavior, which is slowly gaining recognition in mainstream media.
  3. Analog photographic techniques are used to bridge online imagery with artistic photography, making it accessible to a wider audience beyond subcultural online forums.

America’s Hummingbirds

Bird History • 19 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Painting History Fashion Migration Nature
  1. Early European colonizers in America were captivated by the miniscule hummingbirds because of their colors and behavior, despite having no practical use.
  2. Hummingbirds are unique to the Americas, with over 350 species living in Central and South America, and only the ruby-throated hummingbird making its way up to New England.
  3. During the 19th century, hummingbirds were heavily harvested for fashion, ending with federal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918.

Yessi Perse: New Dark Age

Do Not Research • 19 implied HN points • 06 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Virtual reality Technology Gaming Installation
  1. The artwork 'New Dark Age' is a video game exploring themes of techno-feudalism and a digital world ruled by Big Tech corporations.
  2. The game is designed as a walking simulator with 5 levels representing major digital companies like Meta and Google, portraying them as modern-day kingdoms.
  3. In this 'New Dark Age,' digital technology dominates, leading to labor challenges, surveillance systems, and a shift towards neo-feudalism where corporations act as sovereigns.

#068 ✰ Objects for the long haul

Objet • 19 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Design Fashion Craft Furniture Culture
  1. Objet focuses on exploring the intersection of consumerism, myth, satisfaction, desire, taste, joy, meaning, and pride.
  2. High-quality materials in furniture like Eames plywood chairs can be generational heirlooms worth cherishing and restoring.
  3. Taking care of wood furniture with coats of wax can help maintain its health and longevity.

Super Moon Straw Quiet

The False Consensus Effect • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Paintings Acrylic Oil Canvas
  1. The author reflects on feeling quiet and observant during a super moon, choosing to not engage in writing or talking but rather embracing silent observance.
  2. The author mentions experiencing overwhelming positive sensations lately, becoming more sensitive and quiet, which has been a new and ongoing shift in their bodymind.
  3. The post shares various quiet paintings by the author, showcasing their artistic expression while exploring themes of quiet and observance.

The evolution of The Quack Doctor

The Quack Doctor • 19 implied HN points • 25 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration History Medicine Writing Community Podcast
  1. Started as a blog sharing fascination with history of medical advertising and led to non-fiction book commissions.
  2. Struggled with feeling repetitive in blog posts without a PhD, but moved to Substack to explore broader topics like health and crime.
  3. Transitioning blog to formal encyclopedia of patent medicine and planning to introduce a podcast on Substack.

Gold for the Price of Silver

Critic at Large • 19 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Music
  1. Art can be powerful on its own without the need for additional words or critique.
  2. Music has the ability to touch our emotions and help us cope in moments of despair.
  3. Sometimes, the value of something cannot be determined by external promises or influences.

A Stone Library

Autoscriptorium • 19 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration
  1. Consider creating a 'stone library' or 'shell library' to organize and display collected natural items before leaving a place like the ocean or a hiking trail.
  2. In this 'stone library,' there are imaginative descriptions of invented stones like Heliolith, Cryolith, and Cerebrolith, each with unique properties and origins.
  3. The concept explores the idea of associating stories or characteristics with rocks, drawing a connection between natural elements and abstract concepts or phenomena.

Art(ist) in the Machine

Critic at Large • 19 implied HN points • 15 Aug 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Artificial Intelligence Visual art Digital Art
  1. The MoMA displayed an artwork called "Unsupervised" by artist Refik Anadol, which uses AI to create constantly changing images based on data from 180,000 artworks and real-time external factors.
  2. Anadol's AI artwork, while technically impressive, lacks the depth and connection to traditional art that keeps viewers engaged and leaves them feeling unfulfilled.
  3. The comparison between Anadol's AI artwork and a traditional piece like Rothko's painting highlights the importance of human creativity and emotion in art that AI may struggle to replicate.