We are proud to admit that we are absolutely obsessed with Lana Del Rey (along with the rest of the internet) – her melancholic croons and her unapologetic approach to bringing the {past} to the {present}, truly mirrors our own approach at The Eye of Faith to try and shape our {future}.
So, of course, we have been buzzing over her latest video drop just the other day for her new single “LOVE”. How apropos…
In true Lana style, her team takes us on a sweeping visual journey from grainy 1960s black and white realness to a dreamy extraterrestrial getaway for a pack of beautiful wayward youth. It’s like a picture from a dream; and no artist can really capture that mysteriously nostalgic vibe of needing to “escape our everyday” – I mean, who doesn’t want to escape to another planet with their best friends?
Truly breathtaking moments that conjure up feels from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia“. From floating trucks and many moons, to the spot on psych rock styling – this video is truly one of her greatest, and is not to be missed.
Vintage inspired posters of Lana Del Rey have been spotted plastered across the streets of Los Angeles, and elsewhere in California, so expect a big resurgence of the 21st Century’s truly unique Pop Diva this coming year!
Knowing how you feel about the things we love, we truly thought you’d appreciate “LOVE” by Lana Del Rey. Marvel at how so many inspirations truly have come to play to make this video come to life. That is what is so great, and important about staying {style-wise} – creatively, it can allow you to create a much richer and deeper experience which is exactly why we began The Eye of Faith in the first place!
So do enjoy the video below, and leave your comments when you are done, and stay tuned for more to come!
My Soul. I summon to the winding ancient stair; Set all your mind upon the steep ascent, Upon the broken, crumbling battlement, Upon the breathless starlit air, “Upon the star that marks the hidden pole; Fix every wandering thought upon That quarter where all thought is done: Who can distinguish darkness from the soul
-William Butler Yeats, excerpt from “A Dialogue of Self and Soul”
“Rosemary’s Baby” remains one of the single most affecting, and stylish films to ever grace the silver screen. Based on the bestselling novel by Ira Levin (“The Stepford Wives”), the film serves up the frightening tale of an innocent young couple pulled deep into a darkness once imaginable in the heart of New York City.
Many argue the darkness still purveys more than ever in urban sprawls all over the world. No longer should you fear the woods at night, as much as the threat of our own neighbours, and the things we can’t see, that has begun to send shivers up your spine. As Gary Indiana of the Village Voice describes:
“The movie appeared at a moment of optimum spiritual chaos in American life. Rosemary’s Baby remains an iconic memory trace of a time when anything seemed possible, including the birth of the Anti-Christ”.
The fear still prevails more than ever in these times, and many would argue that SATAN can be found everywhere we look these days; television, film, books, and of course, FASHION.
But, paranoid speculation aside, perhaps one of the greatest aspects of Roman Polanski’s 1968 classic, is the devilishly divine design by Richard Sylbert. Setting the film in the both epic and ominous Dakota Building in New York City, Sylbet acts on the trends and compulsions of the time that really give definition to Rosemary’s characterization.
Prim and proper Rosemary- the picture of perfection, really. From her committed DIY efforts around the apartment, to her of-the-moment Vidal Sassoon haircut (“Don’t you like it?”), Rosemary is a portrait of a woman, perhaps society, committed to doing what’s “Right”. In the end, her constant commitment to being the “good girl” has led her down the darkest path of all.
Artwork by Aaron Duarte for The Eye of Faith
Being obsessive fans of the film’s decor, it was such a treat to stumble upon “Rosemary’s Baby: Devilish Decor” on Nowness.com! The site always features dynamic and interesting stories in the realm of art, design, film, and fashion, but the celebration of Mia Farrow’s 67th birthday with a hillarious How-To for Satanist’ provided by blogging duo Unahppy Hipsters is just what Doctor Sapperstein ordered!
Gotta give it to Richard Sylbet for being so on-point with the yellow for 1968, considering the film would have started production at least a year before! Thanks Unhappy Hipsters and Nowness for this dangerous delight!
Artwork by Aaron Duarte for The Eye of Faith.
“All the while Rosemary is remaking the apartment to suit her needs, the building (and its inhabitants) are remaking her to suit theirs, which makes her choices of bright white walls and sunny yellow fabrics seem at first hopeful, then increasingly creepy.”
Donald Rizzo is an artist who sees the world through fragments; fragments of color, fragments of memory, fragments of space, and fragments of who people really are. His works are kaleidoscopic visions of vibrant color which stem from his dark personal experience dealing with depression with psychotic symptoms. Born under a full moon on a lunar eclipse, Donald is nothing short of being his truest self and showcasing his unique eye that allows his viewers to create their own reality of what they see in his images.
We were delighted to receive an interview with the artist by our correspondent John Wisniewski who took the time to delve deeper into the fragments of Donald Rizzo!
JOHN: When were your first art exhibitions? When did you begin drawing and painting?
DONALD: My first exhibit was “Fragments of Color” August 2010 at Magnet in San Francisco. I began painting in 2006, my current process (color juxtaposition) started to develop in 2008. I created Raster (pixellated) paintings, the first painting was 48 x 48 with1/2 inch square pixels and a palette of 20 colors. I thought what would one look like with 1/4 inch squares and then 1/8 inch square. I discovered that 1/8 inch squares were a little to small so landed on 1/6 inch for this style. I also noticed that the palette was increasing one painting had 150 unique colors. I continued with this style through the end of 2009. It allowed me to develop mixing the paints to get the color and value I wanted. I never blended colors on the canvas but applied the paint as thick dabs of paint resulting with a textured surface, I noticed that the textured surface aided the viewers eye in blending the colors.
I had always wanted to break out of the grid and discovered Chuck Closes work, in particular his paper pulp projects. In January 2010 I completed my first painting of my current style. Refereed to as Abstract Realism or color juxtaposition. I still create a textured surface but limit the palette to 60 to 80 colors. Unlike Close who created his colors from a CMYK palette, I use color temperature to aid in creating depth. I noticed that not only was I creating juxtaposition of color, but also of ideas, concepts and images. Which can be seen in my “Shades of Purple” series.
JOHN: Whom are some artists who have influenced your work?
DONALD: There are two; Leroy Neiman; Neiman had created a set of prints for the 1976 summer olympics, and Burger King would issue a new print (poster) every week. I made sure I was there on the day they released the new poster. The impressionisticbright, vibrate colors amazed me. the second Chuck Close: unaware of this connection until 2009. In grade school 6th or 7th grade, the art teacher was discussing an exhibit he had just seen of this artist who did these dot paintings, he then showed us a print of billboard sign, which I know now is color halftone CMYK print. I was amazed at the size of the circles and how from a distance, driving down the highway we never see the dots, we see an image that is blended. Someone asked me when they saw my first paintings if I was influenced by Chuck Close; at the time I said who? As I discovered Closes work, I also discovered that he had exhibits in both Akron and Youngstown while I was in grade school. And the artist my teachers was discussing was Chuck Close.
Artist Leroy Neiman.
Chuck Close in his studio.Madam Secretary by Donald Rizzo
JOHN: What are you doing when not painting or drawing?
DONALD: Sleeping. From the moment I get up in the morning until an hour before I go to bed, I’m working on my art. Weekends, holidays, 7 days a week, I’m creating. A major reason is my health. I have HIV and I developed mitochondrial toxicity (MT) from the medication. The mitochondrial in my leg muscles and upper back were most effected. I wasn’t producing adequate ATP and this greatly effected my mobility. Their was a period of time when I couldn’t raise my hands above my ears and feared I wouldn’t be able to paint much longer. I also found painting to be a healing experience both mentality and emotionally.
JOHN: Are you inspired by cinematic art?
DONALD: I had to think about this question. On the surface I’d say no, but then I think sub-consciously I would be influenced.
JOHN: Could you tell us how you developed your technique of color juxtaposition?
DONALD:
I was diagnosed with severe depression with psychotic symptoms. Let me start by saying when one experience delusions; thats their reality. This psychosis was adaptive for instance when I told the voices that were repeating everything I said out loud that they couldn’t know what I really thought because they can’t read my mind. Within two weeks the voices were repeating my private thoughts. When a thought entered my mind that I didn’t want them to know, I had to immediately change my thought. This was pure madness. I realized that my conscience mind was battling my sub-conscience mind. If this battle continued both minds would lose as I had numerous close calls with death during this time. With this psychosis I found myself staring at reflections, the more uneven the surface the better. Reflections in three or more surface where bits of information was used from the multiple planes the more intriguing I found them. Then I discovered that pix elated images had hidden messages, some that could be seen zoomed in and some seen zoomed out. Again my conscience and sub-conscience mind attempting communication.
With this technique Color Juxtaposition the mind must construct the shapes in the viewers mind were their sub-science mind plays a significant role. With my painting “If I Only had a Brain” there are two faces one in portrait and one in profile. The portrait is more apparent from affair and the profile is revealed up-close. There is a distance where both faces oscillate and the mind can’t stop it from oscillating. Here the viewer can experience a small fragment of my psychosis. Also because of the physics of reflected light the painting changes as light dims in the room, or one looks at the painting from a 45 degree angle as opposed to a 90 degree angle. Just like those hidden messages in my psychosis.
Looking4CockNow by Donald Rizzo
JOHN: How do you choose the subjects for your artwork?
DONALD: They choose me. I start with a photo and I begin to work and massage it. My sub-science plays a role and at some point during the process, I discover the message it wants me to project. Every painting I’ve done in some way I make it about me. Each painting becomes a fragment of my self portrait. My early paintings “The Lonely, The Forgotten and The Outcast” are paintings of healing. Healing from the immense pain of depression. I mentioned above about delusions being real, these paintings became the start of my healing from my reaction to this reality. As I write this I still can’t call them delusions.
And now with “Shades of Purple” as I state in the artist statement: “The time for sound bites is over. We need to move our conversations to a more productive and less condemning place. With a little bit of humility and the willingness to listen to another’s perspective, we might just have a chance to talk about solutions instead of blame.”
JOHN: Some of your portraits feature famous faces-do you ever get any feedback from the subjects of the paintings?
DONALD: As of yet, no, but would love to have a conversation with Chuck Close about “Chasing that Experience”. I have found images of semi-famous people on Facebook and unbeknownst to them I’ll complete the painting and when posting it to Facebook, I’ll tag that individual in painting. I’ve had some remarkable comments, I do enjoy that.
I’ve always been a huge fan of this film, not only for its modern take on a classic tale, and some superb, unmatched, out-of-this-world choreography from Jerome Robbins (who was fired from the film for his back breaking attention to detail), but msot of all it’s amazing sense of style!
Even almost 60 years later, it’s absolutely timeless, and pretty far advanced with its popping colors and slick silhouettes. In fact, if you pay attention, you might notice that lots of these looks are being rehashed for the runways today. And turn your head down any city street and you’ll see the same kicks, the same two toned blazers, the same shirts, and all the same skinny jeans those boys are wearing in the film.
This is the gym scene, and the famous “Mambo” duel the Jets and Sharks bring to the school dance – and the place that Maria first meets Tony (or Tony first meets Maria?). Yes, it’s a sappy story, AND a musical, but it has a lot guts to pair New York street gangsters against each other doing modern dance. If anything, it’s all a bit surreal the way it comes together, which makes for an especially powerful visceral visual experience.
Pair it off with some exquisite orchestration, and you have a timeless classic to forever remember. And if you don’t take my word for it. You’re a fool. Hate to say it, but this film has style in spades, and if you can’t get past the musical aspect of it all – I feel sorry for you . . .
Been super busy lately, so apologize for the lack of posts! Will be getting back on track shortly. That’s why I thought it appropriate to give you a double duty inspiration today.
Style + Music. A perfect combination.
So this is love, isn’t it?
Rebel rebel.
Yell.
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Until we meet again,
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Happy Anniversary to The Jestsons, who turn 50 today! Everybody’s favorite family from the future was first aired on this day. Set 100 years in the future, in the year 2062, the show imaginatively explored life in the future (very appropriate, as the show was the first color TV series on ABC). Can you believe it?
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