Animals
August 8, 2017

Cats in Art: How Our Feline Friends Have Inspired Artists for Centuries

Japanese Woodblock Prints Much like Chinese paintings, Japanese woodblock prints, or Ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”), have frequently featured feline iconography for hundreds of years. The ways in which cats are depicted in woodblock prints widely vary. Many pieces, for example, simply show cats in domestic settings. In these works, the animals are accents, as the interior scenes appear to be the prints' primary focus. Similarly, some prints explore the relationship between the cats and their owners—namely, beautiful female figures.

Read Article

Nature
August 7, 2017

Photographer Captures Colorful Mushrooms in Vibrant Arrangements

In her striking series of Nature Medleys, artist and self-described “modern nomad of the Salish Sea” Jill Bliss captures the unexpectedly exquisite colors of mushrooms. Taken during Bliss' daily walks around the enchanting islands and winding waterways of the Pacific Northwest, this collection of nature photography showcases the area's rich and radiant biodiversity. To create each shot, Bliss arranges various found fungi, flora, and other botanical elements into beautifully balanced polychromatic clusters.

Read Article

Art
August 5, 2017

Artist Delicately Crafts Colorful Insects From Freshly Cut Flowers

In his series, Natura Insects, Montreal-based artist Raku Inoue uses an assortment of freshly-cut blooms to create colorful insect sculptures. Each delicately crafted floral arrangement transforms the earthy creatures into ethereal works of art, exhibiting the artist's creative use of materials and unexpected approach to his subject matter. Natura Insects features 9 types of bugs, including delicate beetles, a radiant ladybug, and a beautiful butterfly. To create each winged creature, Inoue arranges a wide array of floral elements onto plain white paper.

Read Article

Art
August 4, 2017

10 Cutting-Edge Artists Who Use the Human Body as a Canvas

As contemporary artists push themselves to explore deeper levels of creativity, it’s not unusual to find interesting art mediums beyond the standard canvas. Since the 1960s, artists have increasingly explored the use of the human body as a vehicle for expression. And while body art is often thought of as a type of performance art, using the body for creative purposes occurs well before Marina Abramovic or Dennis Oppenheim carried out their performances.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.