Ancient Human Culture Unveiled in South Africa

The prolonged intelligence of our species has continuously been in-question by researchers, often pondering when humanity transferred from Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens. New evidence regarding that date has been found in South Africa’s Border Cave, an archaeological site that’s uncovered numerous artefacts about humanities history. Located between the KwaZulu-Natal & eSwatini Cliffs, researchers discovered evidence of grass beddings used 200+ thousand years ago. This bedding would’ve been created to increase housing conditions for ancient humans & better sleeping habits.

Researchers identified the ancient grass beddings by using “High Magnification & Chemical Compound Characterisations”. This method was possible after locating silicified grass, meaning that shaved grass was covered by silica in the ancient caves. The material was able to survive multiple millennia’s & epochs from the silicified process. Researchers took the silicified grass back to the Royal Institute of Cultural Heritage, University Cote d’Azur, and Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales. All three institutions found the same conclusions that ancient humans had layered shaved grass into a bedding fashion. These beds were located towards the back end of the KwaZulu-Natal & eSwatini Cliffs, allowing for layers of ash to protect ancient humanity from being attacked by insects.

Details Revealed

The Principal Research & Lead Author of these findings, Professor Lyn Wadley, provided clarification onto their data via research papers. She’d evoke that their research is speculation & cannot be officially confirmed because of deterioration at the caves over 200+ thousand years. The research paper indicated that this bedding worked as insulation, provided another level of repellent for crawling insects. It appears that ancient humanity built their comfort around other species living amongst them, ensuring their protection in dark corners of South Africa’s plains.

Details indicate that foundations of ash were used before shaved grass was layered. Evidence also shows that when grass began decaying, ancient Homo Sapiens would burn the grass & spread the material throughout their cave. This would assist in destroying pests, as it’d limit the food available for them within that cave.

Lyn Wadley noted that this shows 200+ thousand years ago, ancient Homo Sapiens were producing fire willing without any challenges. This fire would work in correlation with ash & medicinal herbs, creating limited health benefits in the ancient world. This new research sheds light into humanity used to live.

Digital Art Tutorials Released by UK National Gallery

The novel coronavirus has altered the way we consume entertainment worldwide, with everything being reformatted into a virtual setting. This extends towards the art community in Great Britain. The United Kingdom National Gallery announced that one of their most notable paintings would move towards the digital space, supporting a five-minute film that details all aspects of “Steam & Speed – The Great Western Railway”. This tutorial requires viewers to clear their minds, allowing them to experience this stunning painting for its full value.

The individual that prompted this digital viewing was Christiana Bradstreet, the National Galleries Art Historian. She suggested that audiences want new ways to connect with paintings, methods that are more versatile and exciting. She noted that it’s been challenging to locate the correct format for this setting. Christiana’s newest viewing format will enable consumers to clear their mind, unlike conventional settings which makes you concerned about prior events in the day. This setting also allowed pesky tourist groups to be avoided.

Potential Creations

This isn’t the 1st time that an Art Museum has employed specialized technologies for visitors. Before the pandemic started and after a vaccine has been provided worldwide, museums have used virtual reality to apply a more significant element of versatility with their paintings. Van Gogh’s Starry Night, The Night Café, and Still Life are some examples of famous artistic painting’s that’ve moved over to virtual reality—considering that the average human looks at specific subjects for a maximum of sixteen seconds, this variation of viewing art proposes a significantly longer seeing experience.

When it applies towards Turner’s The Great Western Railway, it’s a significant painting that’s been famous throughout the United Kingdom for a prolonged period. It depicts a world unfamiliar to the British and Irish, with Cowboys and the Wild West representing an exciting world. That element of excitement is tripled with the virtual rendition of this painting. It’ll create emotional responses that see viewers feel the excitement and rush behind The Great Western Railway. Those wanting to witness the virtual version of this painting can visit the UK National Gallery’s website.

Chinese Art Thanking COVID-19 Nurses & Doctors

Tributes for doctors and nurses are being created by artists worldwide. These artworks will become cemented in history, recognizing the pain and suffering that was felt throughout this period. The latest artist to create a tribute is Roy Wang, who implemented unique photography techniques to create a light painting. The photograph saw a model dressed in a hazmat suit be surrounded by heavenly wings. Protective gear was used to symbolize medical workers worldwide, with the wings symbolizing the 50+ thousand that have died globally.

The unknown model didn’t move for a prolonged period while the camera shutter remained open. Roy Wang used LED Lights built for this technique, moving around his subject strategically. This enables the heavenly wings to be created. Local news agencies would question Wang through his social media accounts. Roy expressed that medical workers in China are named “The Angels in White” and that this photograph respects his community of healthcare professionals.

Roy Wang saw significant suffering throughout China, which saw one of the largest regions become shut down for a prolonged period. Wuhan hasn’t been heard from for three months, ever since COVID-19 broke out on December 31st. It’s recorded that thirty-four healthcare professionals passed away while saving those with COVID-19. Roy Wang dedicated his artistic photograph to these fallen defenders.

The 2nd Photograph

Roy Wang photographed two “Light Paintings” before releasing them to the public via Instagram & other social media campaigns. This photograph depicted the novel coronavirus, which was created with a Neon Green Light. Shapes displayed in this photograph resemble the COVID-19 Strain, which has been seen worldwide in news headlines.

This isn’t the end of Roy Wang and his Light Paintings. He’s announced his next project, which will be named “Light the World”. It’ll be a combination of inspiring words from healthcare professionals and medical experts from across the world. Wang finished his social media remarks by expressing that COVID-19 is a global pandemic and that he hopes his art provided a moment’s relief during these uncertain times. Humanity will survive this plague, and we’ll become a better species from connecting. Roy Wang has a positive outlook of the fallout for COVID-19.

Artist Space in NYC Stays Open

The Charitable Gallery Musicians Room had worked as a polestar for the midtown New York City art scene, considering that it opened during 1972. Yet its resources were endangered just recently when the proprietors of the structure that housed it made strategies to transform the area right into a deluxe penthouse.

For some services, this information would certainly have been a fatality knell. For Musicians Room, it was merely the most recent obstacle in a decades-long game of real-estate chess. They until now handled to win, enabling the gallery to continue to be midtown while numerous others have been evaluated.

The company opened its brand-new two-story, 8,000-square-foot house at 11 Cortlandt Street– still within the very same seven-block span where it has run five previous areas. It ushered in the room last Friday with an event of the brand-new job by Danica Barboza, Jason Hirata, Yuki Kimura, and also Duane Linklater. With intermixed art, no correct title, or curatorial pomposity, the program is a nod to the company’s very early design of showing 3 or 4 musicians. This art would be displayed in a style that’s someplace in between a collection of overlaid solo programs as well as a team program. This is according to Artists Room exec supervisor Jay Sanders.

The New Design

The structure on Cortlandt Street, a relaxing, three-block byway, has graffiti-adorned product doors as well as an emergency exit that harkens back to the area’s grittier past. It was integrated in 1867 by a rug supplier and also acquired in the 1950s by its existing proprietor, the building device producing business General Devices. General Equipment came close to Artists Room with the secrets to its ground-level room in 2017, and also Sanders stated both events worked out a 20-year lease with “great terms.”

There was still a great deal of job to be done. The room was practically raw; there was no lift or stairs, no illumination or home heating, or washroom. The charitable was entrusted with the complete restoration, a task that set you back “numerous million bucks,” which it silently increased via personal benefactors, consisting of Barbara Gladstone, Friedrich Petzel, David Zwirner, Jeff Koons, Trisha Donnelly, Richard Serra, and also Allan Schwartzman.

Hong Kong’s Art Museum Reopening

The Art Community in Hong Kong is refusing to postpone their exhibitions, with this being proven after it was announced that the Hong Kong Museum of Art would reopen on November 30th. This announcement comes after continuous escalating violence against communism in Hong Kong, which has been prevalent state-wide for six months. Unfortunately, there isn’t any end in sight for Hong Kong’s fight against democratic freedom. Subsequently, this could cause significant damage to fall under threat against the museum.

The Government-maintained museum closed their doors far before these protests began, with rebuilding efforts starting back in 2015. The Hong Kong Government spent more than $119 Million for the redesign, hoping that it would showcase the best qualities of their culture. It’s known that eleven exhibitions will be displayed on the opening day, showcasing the lineage and history of Hong Kong Art. There will also be additional exhibitions that showcase Chinese ink Paintings from the 20th Century.

However, there are significant concerns that extremist protestors will enact violence onto the new facility. This would be in retaliation to the government, who have claimed this new museum could be a beacon that brings the Hong Kong people back together. Needless to say, if Hong Kong citizens were to destroy this unique landmark, it would show the government that nothing can stop them from accomplishing their democratic freedom. It would also mean that $119 million the government spent would have been worthless, creating new waves of anger amongst political leaders.

The Violence Ensues

Hong Kong has had more than thirty significant protests in 2019. These protests began when the Hong Kong Government agreed to the Chinese Extradition Bill. This legislation would’ve allowed the Chinese government to deport anyone in Hong Kong that was deemed against the state. Considering that Hong Kong residents live by democratic, equal rights and have the freedom to speech, hundreds to thousands would’ve been considered criminals by Chinese officials. After the Extradition Bill was terminated, protests continue at Universities after police dissolved peaceful demonstrations. From all accounts, the Chinese and Hong Kong government don’t know how to handle the political rise of millennials. Change is coming, somewhat they approve or disapprove.

We will keep our readers up to date on what happens with the Hong Kong Museum of Art and if it’ll be vandalized in the coming weeks. For the love of art, we plead with protestors to leave this new landmark alone.

The Hidden Secrets in Arts and Culture

There are many hidden secrets in arts and culture, and unless you’ve been living under a rock for most of your life, you will certainly have heard of the Mona Lisa. Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous “portrait” is arguably the most famous painting in the world, and it continues to fascinate and captivate the world, 500 years after it was first made. What is it about the Mona Lisa that is so fascinating, though, and why do we keep talking about a painting that surely everybody knows everything there is to know about?

What’s So Special About the Mona Lisa?

There are several reasons why the Mona Lisa stands out from all of the other paintings you’ve often heard of, not least because it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. This painting – which actually doesn’t look anywhere near as impressive as some other artists’ feats – was ahead of its time, though. The technique da Vinci uses (sfumato) makes him one of the first use the “without lines or borders” style of creating light and shadow illusions.

Da Vinci worked on the Mona List for four years, and it was a fond favorite of his patron, Francois I. Throw in the fact that there are only a limited number of canvas painting by the man himself (da Vinci devoted a lot of his time to works besides paintings, too) and the fact that it is in such good condition, and that it is one of the most valuable and secured paintings in the world, and it is no wonder that the Mona Lisa stays appealing in the public eye.

Whilst this is all very interesting to fans of fine art, it isn’t enough to keep your average Joe interested. What else could it be about the Mona Lisa that keeps us intrigued then?

Hidden Secrets Keep Us Interested

The Mona List’s history and the myths and legends surrounding the painting could arguably be the main reason why the painting continues to draw a crowd and fascinate us. It was, for instance, stolen in the early 20th Century. An already famous painting which was stolen and eventually found increases its popularity and reputation. The fact that it appears virtually everywhere (as reproductions, coffee cups, and comedic advertisements) also makes it very memorable. We’ve heard of it, and we’ve all seen reproductions of it, even if most of us have never visited the actual painting.

One of the myths surrounding the painting is that it was actually a portrait of the wife of Francesco del Giocondo (a silk merchant in Florence at the time). Some people have even said that the Mona Lisa is da Vinci’s portrait of himself – a female da Vinci if you will. The fact that it may not be Lisa del Giocondo means that people are always trying to discover who the portrait is really of, and that keeps us interested.

Arguably the most famous myth around the painting is that there is something underneath it all. It regularly makes the news and scientists announce that they have uncovered pictures or fragments of layers below the Mona Lisa. Depending on which story you hear, there could be as many as four painting underneath it.

As long as these rumours, myths, and theories exist, the Mona Lisa will continue to captive and excite us.