Artist: Camille Pissarro

Title: Les boulevards extérieurs, effet de neige ( Exterior boulevards, snow effects )

Year: 1879

Wikipedia article on Camille Pissaro

Wikipedia article on impressionism

Artist: Francisco Goya

Title: Winter ( The snowstorm )

Year: 1780

Wikipedia article on Francisco Goya

Artist: Gustave Courbet

Title: Le Renard ( The fox in the snow)

Year: 1860

Wikipedia article on Gustave Courbet

Wikipedia article on realism

Artist: Bernard Buffet

Title: Squelettes travestis ( Travestite skeletons )

Year: 1998

Wikipedia article on Bernard Buffet

Wikipedia article on expressionism

Artist: Bernard Buffet

Title: La Mort ( Death )

Year: 1999

Wikipedia article on Bernard Buffet

Wikipedia article on expressionism

A man rakes leaves into
a heap in his yard, a pile,
& leans on his rake &
burns them utterly.
The fragrance fills the forest
children pause & heed the
smell, which will become
nostalgia in several years

Artist: Jim Morrison

Untitled

From Wilderness – The Lost Writings

The Doors Official Homepage

Wikipedia article on Jim Morrison

I won’t upload this blog as often as I used to, however. I simply decided to concentrate on quality rather than quantity. In the upcoming days I will decide what to do and how to do it. I am thinking about deeper showcases. I might throw in some more personal comments as well. I think I’ll update this blog weekly or once every two weeks or something like that, but with a stronger content. Since I will talk about fewer artworks, I might focus on those I love the most ( cinema and music ) but I won’t forget about everything else. I might also add some new “lesser” categories. As I said, I still have to think about it, so it might take some time. But anyways…

Let’s get this motherfucker started again.

Or do you turn around and fight them?

Artists: Massive Attack

Song title: Angel

Album: Mezzanine

Wikipedia article on Massive Attack

Wikipedia article on Mezzanine

Official website

Artist: Tom Waits

Album: Bone Machine

Year: 1992

Wikipedia article on Tom Waits

Wikipedia article on Bone Machine

Official Tom Waits Website

Tom Waits Library ( fan site )

 As if your thoughts were coming and going,

Like smoke in the air?

Artist: Paul Cézanne

Title: Le Fumeur ( The Smoker )

Year: 1885

Wikipedia article on Cézanne

Chronos is a 1985 IMAX film made by acclaimed cinematographer, Ron Fricke. Through his time-lapse and slow motion collection of images captured all around the world, Fricke, with Chronos, analyses and questions the notion of time itself. It is an experimental and abstract film which forces the viewer to interpret what he sees in his own way.

Here is my review of Chronos I wrote on IMDB a long time ago.

” Space, time and matter. While the first might have started at the birth of the universe and the later is created and destroyed everyday, time stands alone. It cannot be undone and if there is anything that can resist time, it is time itself. In this sense time is the most mysterious. Is it even real? Is it only a creation of mankind to explain the beginnings and the ends? In Greek Mythology, Chronos is known to be the god of time. In this sense, Ron Fricke is trying to unite both conceptions of time through vast, open spaces and closed, personal areas. In his film, he tried to put the matter and space in perspective, showing that time had a greater influence.

When it came out, Chronos was considered as a very advanced, an “ahead of its time” kind of movie. The ground breaking Koyaanisqatsi was nearly 5 years old. The technical attributes of the movie were far greater than what could be found in popular, conventional cinema. The synthesized music was relatively new to the world and Michael Stearns was already establishing himself as both a leader and a pioneer in the ambient music department, even creating a particular instrument for the film. And of course, when Chronos came out back then, similar movies were hard to find.

Needless to say: Chronos relied heavily on the overall technology of 80′s.

Nowadays, the technical attributes found in Chronos have been beaten by other movies. Music can now be created with complex, yet easy to use programs by using extremely effective computers which can produce an almost infinite number of sounds, effects, etc.. And finally, there are many similar movies nowadays, and we can find time lapse captures everywhere from typical Hollywood movies to televised advertisements.

This now leads people to believe that this movie is unoriginal, lacking depth and that the music is not good. As ironic as it sounds, Chronos is slowly being killed by time itself, whether it be real or not. But that does not mean that the movie is now bad today. Of course, there are obstacles that the viewer must surpass in order to view the movie and to think ” Let’s compare it to other movies in the 80′s “.

When criticizing this movie, many people will compare it to Baraka ( which was made many years later, must I add ) and automatically point out the obvious: It’s always the same areas, the music is always the same, the overall “message” is lacking.

Fricke didn’t have the budget he had for Baraka. Stearn’s music was innovative and fresh at the moment and yes, there is a “message” in Chronos, you just didn’t take the “time” to see it.

In Baraka, the message concerning spirituality and humanity is easier to understand for a simple reason: Ron Fricke did it on purpose. The most important religions and areas of the world are shown. The whole movie is made in a way to connect with the entire world. In this sense, Baraka is a movie about the Earth and its inhabitants and what is around and beyond it. You will notice that in Baraka there are things you can easily understand and point out while there are others more obscure themes that you might not even notice.

Chronos is far more complicated for the viewer. While Baraka is still an experimental film, it is not an abstract film. Chronos is both an experimental and abstract film. In this sense, it is way harder for the viewer to acknowledge Chronos to actually have a meaning and to make something out of it.

This shows how Ron Fricke truly is a mastermind when it comes to giving other people the opportunity to come out with their own interpretations of his movies. A short comparison with Geoffrey Reggio ( Fricke’s partner ) can be made. While Reggio builds his movies on a specific message which make the viewer think after watching the films, Fricke chooses to make the viewer think while he his still watching. Most viewers will often try to find a meaning to Chronos after watching it or they will try to associate a specific series of scenes.

Of course, Chronos is not as good as Baraka. I believe everyone can agree on this. But everyone should all agree that Chronos was some sort of cinematic homework for Fricke. Not only was it his first own film, but he was also stepping on a different kind of path than Reggio’s. He actually found his own path, his own style, a cinematic trademark. And for this originality and advance in film, Chronos deserves to be considered as a good movie. Not the best, but one of the good.  “

Wikipedia article on Ron Fricke

Wikipedia article on Chronos

Wikipedia article on IMAX

Wikipedia article on time-lapse cinematography

Spirit of Baraka, a website featuring films like Chronos

Artist: Saga

Title: Don’t be late

Album: In Transit ( live version ), Silent Knight ( studio version )

Wikipedia article on Saga

Wikipedia article on In Transit

Wikipedia article on progressive rock

Official Website

Artist: Bernard Buffet

Title: Grand Duc (  Eurasian Eagle Owl )

Year: 1958

Wikipedia article on Bernard Buffet

Wikipedia article on expressionism

Bernard Buffet museum