PIUME 2021

Page 1

FEELBERRY ANTIK FINLAND

PIUME

ISSUE 3 SUMMER 2021


STILL LIFE: VASE WITH IRISES AGAINST A YELLOW BACKGROUND (1890)


If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.

VINCENT van gogh


Dear Reader, If the current trends are allowed to continue, one would not be crazy to worry about the end of civilisation as we know it. A possible scenario though could be that we will emerge from this "dark days” with a new way of living on Earth, and that hopefully won’t require us to decamp for Mars. It is not that we haven’t gone through tough times in the past, but this one feels different: The crisis is global in scale, and none of us have been left untouched. We’ve all witnessed terrible sights and felt acutely how the coronavirus has affected our lives. A new brand of heroes have emerged who have selflessly stepped forward to keep our communities safe, and we are incredibly grateful to them. On this note, it is with a sense of mission that we dedicate this edition to every extraordinary individual on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis. A big thank you to them and their teams. We could not do it without you. And as for Art, it is all at once, a celebration of humanity and an agent of conformity. This edition will also document artists as they navigate the complexities of modern art standards, especially with the added pressures created by the pandemic. The qualitative growth of professional art in all its areas and the sustainability of art life at the national and international levels constitutes to be our main aim in introducing our online exhibitions in this Special EDITION - The Art Compass. While still in turmoil, we are intent on doing our best for the sake of ART, the expression of humanity. Fond Regards Rukhma Managing Editor

EDITORIAL


Look Ahead

1. EDITORIAL

3

2. FEELBERRY

7

3. RENDEZVOUS WITH ARTISTS

23

4. ARTISTS 4.1 THIS IS SHE 4.2 ADAM AND HIS INSPIRATIONS 4.3 MERMAIDS AND UNICORNS

25 109 171

5. EXHIBITIONS

191

6. COLLECTIBLES CATALOG

207

7. COLLECTIBLES 7.1 DENMARK 7.2 USA 7.3 NETHERLANDS 7.4 NORWAY 7.5 RUSSIA 7.6 GERMANY 7.7 BELGIUM 7.8 SWEDEN 7.9 ENGLAND

209 215 219 223 233 239 265 273 277


29 - 42

This is She

AARTI ZAVERI

43 - 52

APARNA BIDASARIA

53 - 64

KOMAL PARMAR

65 - 76

KRUPA SHAH

77 - 88

NIVEDITA PANDE

89 - 108

PUJA KSHATRIYA

ADAM & his inspirations 111 - 122

ADITYA DEV

123 - 138

C.D. MISTRY

139 - 154

NEERAJ MITTRA

155 - 170

NEERAJ GUPTA

Mermaids & Unicorns 173 - 188

AVINEER RAKSHIT


Avineer Rakshit

Puja Kshatriya

Aarti Zaveri

Aditya Dev

Aparna Bidasaria

C.D. Mistry

Komal Parmar

Neeraj Mittra

Krupa Shah

Neeraj Gupta

Nivedita Pande


PU I


UME Feelberry



01 FEELBERRY WE BELIEVE IN CREATING DEEP AND MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND BRANDS BY USING CREATIVITY, MEDIA AND INNOVATION.


ABOUT US Feelberry Limited is a media and business consulting company with headquarters at Helsinki in Finland, Europe. We now have an Indian office in Pune. We have been designing and developing inventive & scalable branding solutions and business expansion strategies for Fortune 500 brands and acclaimed ventures worldwide. Rarely satisfied with being an echo of the normal, we continually propel ourselves beyond the traditional expectations. Driven by the passion that “best” can always be “bettered”, we have been catalysing innovations. Today’s brands compete with new technologies, empowered consumers, shifting public attitudes, brand new contenders and much more. Our purpose creating leading strategies and powerful ideas that allow our client’s brands to become unique, irreplaceable, and in contol. In our network, we all share a common ambition: help our clients and their brands to be and remain the leaders they want to be.


Lutheran cathedral


m u e s u e M l Nationa


OUR

SERVICES

Our brand solutions are built from human insight and creativity, and are revolutionized by the power of technology. it's the collision of key ingredients in all that we do that fortifies our borderless creative potential.

BUSINESS @ ASIA

EUROPEAN SETUP

Our consultant network help companies in Scandinavia expand their business to Asian markets with minimum hassels, zero change and no worries.

Complete end-to-end solution with office facilities to establish a company in Finland. We take care of all paperwork and documentations.

DIGITAL EDITING The Web Marketing dynamics have changed. Email Marketing, Link Exchange and Banner Ad is from the Age of Dinosaurs. What works are solutions and engaging customer experiences.

MEDIA MANAGEMENT Realtime user and advertising reach analytics drive our media planning and buying. Welcome to measurable - tweakable internet media management.

BRAND PERCEPTION 360 degree branding and consulting solutions for companies making it easy for them in Asia where visibility and brand value are very important.

INTERNET REPUTATION The agility to showcase, innovate and delight. Helping businesses worldwide to do more than just keep up, we are the crossroads of Business Intelligence, Art and Technology.

WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR

BRAND CONSULTING

We bring our decades of experience to help Business Women make their startup ideas into sustainable business. We provide access to venture funds and also help in expansion plans to European countries.

Meaningful moments create experiences, experiences influence branding perception, branding drives growth. We catalyse the chain.



02 FEELBERRY ANTIK WHETHER THE HOURS IN YOUR DAY ARE FEELING INTERMINABLE OR THEY’RE FLYING BY - TAKE A MOMENT TO STAND AND STARE THERE IS ART EVERYWHERE AND AN ARTIST IN EVERYONE.


ABOUT ANTIK

Feelberry Antik is a venture to facilitate sale and acquisition of objects d’art including art, jewellery, passionate about effectiveness and integrity that creates exceptional service experiences and trust global reach to showcase what is beautiful and unique. Expertise is our main asset. Our people have role they have. As more clients around the world are captivated by art and seek to acquire it; our kno becomes a key factor.


photographs, collectibles and more. We are in all aspects of our business. We have a to be experts in their field no matter what owledge, judgment and service relevance



03 THE ART COMPASS WE HAVE A SELECTION OF THOUSANDS OF ARTWORKS FROM SOME OF THE BEST PERSONALITIES IN CONTEMPORARY FINE ART. FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZABLE, TO ARTISTS ON THE CUSP OF THEIR CAREERS, WE OFFER A SELECTION OF ARTWORKS THAT WILL PLEASE ANY LEVEL OF COLLECTOR.


ABOUT ART COMPASS Feelberry Antik is opening its online contemporary exhibition that takes part in a Special EDITION - The Art Compass - featuring artists from around the world in a series of online shows to reflect contemporary perspectives and inspirations. Each Showcase features a tightly curated assemblage of works and runs for the duration of about one week. The events are an ambitious exhibition expanding across virtual gallery spaces, featuring the work of over 100 talented Artists. An opportunity for artists to be discovered internationally by buyers, gallery representatives, publishers and art agents. Check back often as we are constantly adding new works to www.antik.asia. If you can't find what you are looking for, get in touch with us and we will be happy to help.



RENDEZ

WITH ARTIST


ZVOUS

TS


PIU


UME Artists

This is She


This is She... LET'S CEL


LEBRATE THE MOODS OF WOMEN


Aarti Aarti Zaveri's search for inspiration draws her to embrace the simplicity of nature. She breaks the confines of her canvas to explore her environment, emoting her conceptual art through installations and sculptures. She refuses to be bound to any specific medium while showcasing her work. Thus, giving a holistic approach to her artistic concepts.



Mixed Media on Canvas (2019)

Second Self Second Self


Mixed Media on Canvas (2019)


iden Medium: Found Objects, Steel Boxes


ntity


’ CRITIC S REVIEW by Johny ML

PIUME | 35


A

arti Zaveri’s works, taken out of the interpretational frames and seen purely as visual forms, belong to a sort of figurative expressionism, which could at times verge into the point of abstraction. She uses colours with some kind of boldness and never shies away from being experimental. Formal experiments are done by trying out surrealist fantasies and kinaesthetic renderings. Aarti Zaveri invites the viewer into her works and once they are inside the paintings, they cannot come out of them without wearing a mask of change. As a painter, she has a lot of proficiency in doing highly realistic figurative works at the same time she has the tendencies to abstract the images to their poetic extremes using colors and brush strokes. Though in most of the painyings one could see the artist using a dexterous mixing of figurative and abstract languages they exist harmoniously within the painterly frames. At times, she goes into a clinical analysis of the images and at times she lets them to be as fluid as possible. The pleasant palette used by Aarti shows a happy outlook towards life and also vastness and immensity of the cosmos is adequately represented with due amount of luminous and grey hues. The horizontal orientation of the paintings implies that the artist would like to be grounded in the present rather than aspiring for a future ascending in a vertical plane. The vast expanses are repeatedly drawn in order to impart the idea of timeless and eternity.


t

e h EXHIBITIONS


2006 - 2nd All India International Art Exhibition New Delhi 2008 - Portraits of ‘Param Vir Chakra’ Awardees, South Block, Ministry of Defence New Delhi 2010 - ‘Serenity Art’ at India Habitat Centre New Delhi 2010 - Painting ‘Symbolic of fight against fear’ unveiled by Smt. Gursharan Kaur, wife of Hon’ble PM Manmohan Sigh during annual congregation of The Global Cancer Concern India 2010 - ‘8X6’ Lalit Kala Akademy New Delhi 2010 - ‘Latent Heat’ Shridharni Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam New Delhi 2010 - ‘A.A. Fair’ Singapore 2011 - Portraits of ‘Ashok Chakra Awardees’ permanently at South Block, Ministry of Defence New Delhi 2011 - ‘Many in Body, One in Soul’ Lalit Kala Akademy New Delhi 2012 - Auction at ‘Anonymous’ Art Show at C. K. Nayadu Hall Mumbai


Second Self Mixed Media on Canvas (2020)


2012 - India Art Festival Mumbai 2013 - ‘Ingenious Eclecticism’ Lalit Kala Akademy New Delhi 2014 - ‘Nirbhaya – Multiple Expression’ IGNCA New Delhi 2014 - Art edition, Seoul South Korea 2014 - Art Fair Swab Barcelona Spain 2014 - Art Festival Dubai UAE 2014 - Art edition, Seoul South Korea 2014 - Art:Gwangju South Korea 2019 - ‘Second Self’ Solo Exhibiton Hosted by Trump Towers at The Oberoi Gurgaon 2020 - ‘Life + -‘ Reflections for Change, online exhibition with Italian architect and artist Elena Italy


t

e h AWARDS


PURITY PROCESS

Medium: Wood, Metal, Plastic Cans, Plastic Pipes, Water

2008 - Certificate of Merit in recognition for the committed work for the Ministry of Defence by Defence Minister Shri A.K Anthony New Delhi 2012 - Certificate of Merit in recognition for the committed work from 7 Jat Regiments, Ministry of Defensc Jaipur 2015-2016 - Received Senior Research Fellowship from Ministry of Culture 2017 - Prominent International Artist Award by Seychelles Biennale Art Awards


Her Soul Muse APARNA BIDASARIA Unlike many of her peers, who examines urban life, industrialization, and people, Aparna is almost exclusively a painter of the Banyan tree, a subject from which she rarely strays. Aparna paints naturalistic depictions of the deciduous. Influenced by Pointillism, as well as Eastern mysticism, she became increasingly interested in discovering the underlying spiritual qualities of nature through abstraction.



A A

Perhaps this is the reason that Aparna who has always been determined to use paint as a form of individualistic expression, is parna's only now willing to deploy technique is similar to that Pointillism, seeing in it a means to convey her own of employing personal artistic vision. tiny juxtaposed dots of multi-coloured paint that This is evident in the way allow the viewer's eye to she uses Pointillism to blend colours optically, provide the composition rather than having the with a dreamlike colours blended on the atmosphere, or what one canvas or pre-blended as a contemporary art critic material pigment. would describe as the pictures "granular, She has freed Pointillism atmospheric glow," from a pseudo-scientific produced by creating a aspiration to capture precise layer of dots over objectively the effects of light, instead exploiting the the densely painted background. Meanwhile, decorative and poetic the magnificent colour potential of the technique transitions further this in order to present images sense of otherworldliness, that produce harmonious a factor that provokes us surface patterns. into praising her work for its imaginatively applied decorative qualities.


AADIM Acrylic on Canvas (2018)


ANAND Acrylic on Canvas (2019)


PIUME | 48


Chilmana Acrylic on Canvas (2019)

THE PRINCIPLES OF TRUE ART IS NOT TO PORTRAY, BUT TO EVOKE.


THE BANYAN SERIES

Taral Acrylic on Canvas (2018)


RISHI

Acrylic on Canvas (2018)


2010 - Contemporary Art Exhibition at Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishad, Banglore 2011 - Participated in Annual Bombay Art Society Exhibition, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2012 - The Series Of Roopabha, “Earth” Terracotta Group Exhibition, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal 2013 - Participated in AIFACS, Delhi 2016 - Art Show titled ‘Opera Of Colour’ at Hotel Sheraton in New Delhi

EXHIBITIONS 2017 - Exhibition titled “Time and Being”, Hirji Gallery, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2017 - “Time and Being”, Sridharani Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi 2019 - Vriksha curated by Uma Nair, IIC Art Gallery, Delhi and Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal 2019 - World Art Dubai, Dubai 2019 - India Art Festival, Mumbai


COLOURFUL COMMAND Komal's dedication to articulating the inner spirituality of man and nature leads to a fusion of style and content that results in dramatic, imaginative, rhythmic, and emotional canvases that convey far more than the mere appearance of the subject.



Flower Flight

Acrylic on Canvas (2017)


I

f any artist can give us aid and comfort, Komal Parmar can with her great splashes of bright colour on huge canvases. They are big and bold, abstract but not empty or clinical, free but orderly, lively but intensely relaxed and peaceful. She is influenced by Abstract Expressionist painting practices, but has developed her own distinct approach to the style. She is an abstract artist for whom the natural landscape - rather than the existential confrontation with the canvas or search for the sublime - serves as the major focus and inspiration. Her vibrant palette with bright colors dominating her representational canvases and expressive brushwork provides the viewer with a sense of hope. From her figurative and highly symbolic work, Komal progresses further towards pure abstraction. The forms are already schematized from their observable appearance in the surrounding world in the canvas, and her abstraction only progressed as Komal has refined her theories about art. She has produced both abstract and figurative works over time, in compositions of complex patterns and brilliant colors such as her Flower Flight.


BIRD ON BRANCH

Acrylic on Canvas (2006)



DIVINE

Acrylic on Canvas (2017)



Retrospection (2008) Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

PIUME | 61


PIUME | 62


EXHIBI Avant Garde Hues Acrylic on Canvas (2012)


Participated in Tsmai Ismail Marzuki Indonesia - 2008

WE Exhibition at Westin Hotel Pune, Maharashtra - 2013

Exhibition in Taj Vivanta

Pune, Maharashtra - 2015

ITIONS Exhibition at the Bombay Art Society Mumbai, Maharashtra - 2017

Art Show in The Leela Hotel

Sahar, Mumbai, Maharashtra - 2017

Participated in World Art Dubai Dubai - 2019


She is

KRUPA SHAH


With a revolutionary spirit and undeniably iconic paintings, Krupa is a woman on the move; with a message to save the world...


K

nown as a strong-minded character, Mumbai - born Krupa Shah has found fame in advancing colour field techniques by cleverly slipping symbolic still life object like conch into her paintings. Not only did this technique exhibit her considerable artistic skills, it also gives spectators insight into her intellectual, rarified way of living, as seen in The Energy Vibration, for example. In this way, she imagines a kind of direct communion between herself and the viewer, one which might touch the viewer with a higher spirituality. Although known for being one of the prominent colour field painters, Krupa Shah’s hot bursts and crackly lines of vivid hues that conjure tears and gashes are distinct from say Rothko’s more simplified washes of colour or Newman’s thin lines. This can be seen in Connecting Deeply with your Infinity Self, a work that recalls natural shapes and phenomena and other mysterious elements that lie just beneath the surface of our everyday conscious recognition. The relationships within Shah’s compositional ingredients, of foreground and background, bring to mind life’s dance between light and dark - something Krupa loves expressing.


Connecting Deeply with your Infinity Self Acrylic on Canvas (2018)


Oil on Canvas (2017)


THE ENERGY n o i t a r b i V


The

COLORNATU of

our


URE The Color of our Nature is a boisterous expression of passion and colour in varied brushstrokes, which cover the canvas in a sort of chaotic symmetry. The artist is more interested in character than style. Character comes out of her work which are known for this impulse towards freedom along with movement, attention to balance, design and deliberate choices about colour, form and composition.

Oil on Canvas (2017)



2013 - India Art Festival at Nehru Centre, Mumbai 2014 - Exhibited at 11th Conference of the United Nations Day of Vesak, Bai Dinh Temple Convention Centre, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam 2014 - De Art Event, DIFC, Dubai, UAE 2014 - Titled ‘Drishta’ a group exhibit at Visual Art Gallery, Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2014 - Claude Lorraine, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore 2014 - Lalit Kala Kendra, New Delhi 2015 - ART 31, Arterie Fine Art Gallery, Chicago

2015 - ‘REFLECTIONS’, a Solo show at Hirji, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2015 - Creative Fantasies, Le Méridien Gurgaon, New Delhi 2015 - Colorida Art Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal 2016 - ‘Karmic Connection’ a solo show at Le Méridien, Delhi 2017 - ‘Abhiscka - THE CHANK’ at Fairfield by Marriott, Banglore 2018 - Exhibition in JW Marriott Juhu, Mumbai 2019 - ‘Kara’ a solo show at Taj Gallery, Taj Hotel Mumbai


2014

Krupa Shah


& Women Leaders in India Awards

by GLOBAL BUSINESS INFORMATION LTD


NIVEDITA PANDE THE DISCOVERY OF HER OWN VERSE

It is a confluence of influences - from our modern world and nature to archaic and tribal art, that encourages Nivedita to lend her figures more structure and ultimately set her on the path towards Surrealism, in which she has deconstructed the conventions of perspective that has dominated painting since long. She often arranges additional objects around the central figure that seem discordant with the setting and contribute to the surreal, dreamlike mood of the image. Nivedita’s work displays her vision of natural world composed of cones, spheres, or cylinders as the basis for a distinctive approach that also accommodates the mechanized forms of the modern world. Her idiosyncratic analytic approach has become a vital part of its aesthetic and theoretical explorations.

Many of her works ar full of astonishing, automated, compulsive and practically cinematic stutter effects.

All art is conceptual beca art only exists conceptua

Influenced by the chaos of urban spaces and her interest in brilliant, primary colour, Nivedita has sough not only to express the conflict and noise, but also the dynamism of our surroundings. She often creates a sense of movement in her paintings that captures the optimism of our world.


re

ve, c

ause ally

, ht d r

s

A R T

is in her heart



Solitude Oil on Canvas (2016)


Who Gets The Chair !!! One of Nivedita’s works, Who gets the chair!!! is an excellent example of how she has relished combining the ordinary with suggestions of the extraordinary in a single canvas, thus leaving all final interpretation open to debate.

PIUME | 81


Oil on Canvas (2013)


’ CRITIC S REVIEW

by Keshav Malik

PIUME | 83


N

ivedita Pande, has had two crafting experiences: one as an architect and second, the inculcation in art methods. Certainly there may well be other spirit-molding influences as well. At any rate, those aforementioned ones are palpable in her works. The artist is modern yet elements of nature or humanity are observed in her largely concept-based images. The machine methodologies do loom in some of the art work, yet her link with the organic world is intact. Speaking to me regarding her exhibition, she said several moving things vis-à-vis the sorry state of the earth. She has a live artistic conscience as well as a social one. This could be invaluable for her future work. In the meanwhile, the painter does not over fill her picture space. This may be due to her learning under those who compose first-rate art with the emptiest spaces in painting. So much is left to the imagination of the spectator or conveyed to him by subtle suggestions. Thus the artist has a good sense, that of the value of a space which is left untouched so that the mind of the spectator can wander in it freely much as in the spacious infinity of the heavens. Not only does the artist work with free space but also allows rhythm to be revealed through her fluid strokes. Her works, done from memory, use a technique whose symbolism and style is firmly established with the disciplined mastery and efficient brush control, and after prolonged meditation upon her themes. At moments, she seems to produce works of delicacy and assurance. Thus, over here, it is no hit or miss method. To repeat, she seems to contemplate both human nature as well as the patterns of the digital age, and at times to make a blend of the two antagonists. In the success of these experiments we do have certain essences of visual truths expressed with clarity and skill. The way the artist works serves two goals: one being the sensuous pleasure, the other is to provoke a thought via the attempted signs. These codes may need decoding by the initiated. Viewers! better turn to her oral reflections on the times we presently live in uneasily, where harmony is in short supply and cynicism in the ascendant.


t

e h EXHIBITIONS


2009 - Exhibited in Painting section of the 80th & 81st Annual All India Painting Exhibition organised by AIFACS New Delhi 2012 - Art Show at Sridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam New Delhi 2012 - “Beyond Borders” at Open Palm Court, India Habitat Centre New Delhi 2013 - “Centurion 2013”, a show by Voice on Art at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre New Delhi 2015 - “Femme Fiesta” a Group Show, showcasing the works of Women artists at Open Palm Court, India Habitat Centre New Delhi 2016 - Annual Art Exhibition of The Art Society of India, Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai 2016 - “Naayika” a group show showcasing the works of women artists at Airports Authority of India Officers’ Institute New Delhi 2017 - All India Annual art exhibition of Bombay Art Society at Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai 2018 - 59th National Exhibition of Art Lalit Kala Akademi 2018 - ‘INNER VISION 2018’ an art show organised by Three Aces at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre New Delhi 2019 - Art for Odisha - exhibition to help Odisha cyclone Fenni victims organised by Metaspace Studio at AIFACS New Delhi 2019 - “Confluence”- exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi


t

e h AWARDS


ABSTRUSE CONUNDRUM Oil & Thread on canvas (2017)

2009 - Won an award in Painting section of the 80th & 81st Annual All India Painting Exhibition organised by AIFACS, New Delhi 2016 - Citation & Felicitation by Airports Authority of India and Kaladrishti New Delhi


PUJA K S H A T R I YA A RT F OR T H E ART SA K E he idea that art is about art itself is being reborn. Puja’s paintings are not simple depictions of the people she represents; many of her works are meditations on the nature of art that invite the viewer to think about the relationship between the artwork, the viewer, and the artist.



Self Portrait (1972)


THE

TIMELESS STROKE T

he frontal position and outward stare of Puja in this self-portrait directly confronts and engages the viewer. The face shows her vulnerability and realism while the soft shadows suggest an actively searching and intelligent mind. Her deep-set eyes convey resolute strength and intensity, while the light, illuminating her face in rich variations of flesh tones with touches of pink, evokes vitality. She seems to be surrounded by a kind of gravity that both emphasizes her illuminated face and adds an air of dignity.


DIPTYCH


Watercolor & Mixed Media (2015)

H SPRING


THREE WiSE MeN PIUME | 95


Acrylic & Oils (2001)



SONG OF THE VALLEY Acrylic & Oil (1999)

PIUME | 98


Critic's Review

ALKA PANDE Art Historian & Curator ‘The Enchanted Forest’ is the latest body of work created by Puja Kshatriya. The vibrant red ‘jabakusum’ (hibiscuses) is a repeated leitmotif and almost every artwork is a frame of absolute delight. In her present series, Puja is playing with time, colour and pleasure. Delving deep into the traditional Indian miniature art, Puja plays with the forms, motifs and the colour palette of medieval India. It is this play, which uplifts the ‘Enchanted Forest’. “Technical virtuosity apart, Puja is creating paintings, which are riveting. Adding layered cutouts over acrylic paints, the result is many-layered, beautifully textured pieces of great beauty and complexity.” (Alka Pande is an Indian academic, author and museum curator. She is currently working as Art Consultant at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.)


Series - Mapping the Terrain (2007)

JOHNY ML Art Curator “Interestingly, Puja has invested a lot of tenderness in these images. While the earlier works debated the male-female relationships within an urban context through deconstruction and juxtaposition of images, in the present body of works, Puja gives each image a separate identity by giving each nameless child a new name. Even in the small format paintings, Puja makes these faces iconic as if they were the gods and goddesses of their own times." (Johny ML is a culture critic, art curator and writer based in New Delhi. He has contributed as an Editor / Writer to several online and print magazines, including the Stance Magazine, Art Tehelka, Matters of Art, Narada News Malayalam and Cart on Art.)


t

e h EXHIBITIONS


1972 - Lalit Kala Akademi New Delhi 1977 - ‘Women Painters of India’, Sahitya Kala Parishad New Delhi 1982 - ‘Animal Farm’,Indian High Commission London 1994 - International Festival of Arts Dubai 1995 - Sharjah Biennale Sharjah 1997 - Solo Show, Design Art gallery Dubai 2002 - Between Heaven & Earth Singapore 2003 - ‘Fragments’, Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai 2004 - Concern India Auction by Christies Mumbai 2004 - Concern India Auction by Christies Mumbai


Twins Acrylic & Oils (2004)


2005 - Concern India Auction by Christies Mumbai 2007 - ‘Mapping the Terrain’, Tao Art Gallery Mumbai 2013- Indigo Blue Art Singapore 2013-16 - Indian Cancer Society, Charity Exhibition Mumbai 2014 - ‘Faces of Realities’ Artspeaks India, Habitat Centre New Delh 2015 - ‘Vama’, Exhibition by Women Artist, Sahitya Kala Parishad Delhi 2016 - Lithograph Print Show, Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai 2018 - ‘Shrishti’, Sculptural Installation at Kala Goda Art Festival Mumbai 2020 - ‘Garden of Senses’ Gallery Art Junction, Lalit Hotel New Delhi


t

e h COLLECTIONS


Enchanted Forest

Watercolor & Mixed Media (2015)

The paintings are in the important collections of Lalit Kala Akademi Hudco Museum Hudco Museum Sahitya Kala Parishad Museum Sahitya Kala Parishad Museum


t

e h AWARDS


Songs of Paradise

Mixed Media & Collage (2017)

1985 - Shahitya Kala Parishad Award 1994 - ‘The Jury Award’ in Festival of Art Dubai


PU I


UME Artists

ADAM & his inspirations


f

THE

FINE

MIND

Aditya Dev

Different times require different images. Today when our aspirations have been reduced to a desperate attempt to escape from evil, and times are out of joint, our obsessive, subterranean and pictographic images are the expression of the neurosis which is our reality. To Aditya's mind certain so-called abstraction is not abstraction at all. On the contrary, it is the realism of our time.



A

ditya Dev is recognized for the purity of his abstractions and methodical practice by which he arrives at them. He radically simplifies the elements of his paintings to reflect what he sees as the spiritual order underlying the visible world, creating a clear, universal aesthetic language within his canvases.

of their precision, seemed plausibly representational despite their considerable level of abstraction, as can be seen in his The Untold Tale. He has combined abstract art with Surrealist fantasy. His mature style has evolved from the tension between his fanciful, poetic impulse and his vision of the harshness of modern life.

He draws images and materials from many diverse sources, discretely arranging each His singular vision for modern art is image in individual compartments on the clearly demonstrated in the progression canvas. Without a clear syntax or narrative, of his artistic style from traditional Aditya intends for the arrangement of the representation to complete abstraction. images and their meaning to communicate His paintings evolve in a logical manner, and clearly convey the influence of various and connect with an idea or feeling that already resides within the viewer. modern art movements such as Abstract Impressionism and Cubism. The goal of his works are to use the simplest form in order to convey the Aditya has balanced the kind of complexity of life, exploring the emotional spontaneity and automatism with effects of colors and of space directly on meticulous planning and rendering to the canvas. achieve finished works that, because


DEVILS' WORKSHOP Scratch on Board (2015)


THE UNTOLD TALE Oil on Canvas (2017)

PIUME | 115


PIUME | 116



UNTITLED

Oil on Canvas (2019)


e THE EXHIBITIONS

2006 - Exhibition in Washington, USA

2009 - Exhibition of drawings at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2010 - Contemporary Artist Show in 57th St. Manhattan, New York 2010 - Participated in Indian Council for Cultural Relations exhibition, painting exhibition "Autumn@CWG2010", New Delhi 2019 - Art Gala auction representing series "Love, Thought and Karma"


JOURNEY IN PROCESS Acrylic on Canvas (2008)


a THE AWARDS

2016 - Honoured by Gandhi Peace Foundation 2019 - Honoured by Kokuyo Camlin


UNTITLED

Oil on Canvas (2020)


MEET THE

LEGEND C.D. Mistry is one of the most influential Indian Artists of the 21st Century. Mistry’s use of unmodulated colour, inventive figuration, and decorative patterns has helped redefine many of the formal tenets of painting. What he dreams of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity.



C

D. Mistry's influence is profound and farreaching, and remarkably, many periods of his life are influential in their own right. Even though the energy in avant-garde art is distributed all over the world, Mistry remains a titanic figure, and one who could never be ignored.

His Creative Portrait series is celebrated for being modern art's finest collection. In no. 54, the female figure is shown from differing angles as if the artist had physically moved around the subject to capture it from different points of view at successive moments in time. The bird is shown in both profile and from side, while the figure of the woman is shown both straight on and in profile. Mistry ups the ante in this work, pushing his experiments in new directions. Building on the overlapping, geometric shapes, he moves further away from the illusion of threedimensionality and towards abstraction by reducing color and by increasing the illusion even further than Picasso did in Portrait of MARIE-THERESE.

In his Speak Sweet Collection, he invites the viewers to observe the subject closely, to gaze into her eyes and study her asymmetrical face and form. In many ways, his painting embodies the essence of the Expressionist style; His subjects visibly vibrates, contorts, shifts, pushes, and pulls, providing the viewer with Mistry's vision of the inner torment of his sitter. He has created painterly rhythms and swirling forms within the arrangement of the figure in order to convey elements of strength, intelligence, and melancholy. Through such intimate and personalized interpretations, Mistry has epitomized the rejection of Impressionistic optical observation in favour of an emotionally laden representation that appealed to the viewer's heart, rather than his mind.

A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.

Salvador Dali


Creative Potrait 54

Acrylic Ink on Paper (2015)


SPEAK SWEET

08

Mixed Media on Paper (2014)



24

CREATIVE POTRAIT

Acrylic Ink on Paper (1988)



HORSES


Acrylic on Canvas (2009)


t

e h EXHIBITIONS


1972 - Exhibition at Sanskar Kendra Museum Ahmedabad 1978 - Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai 1984 - Participated in 15th International Exhibition of Art at Tokyo Biennale Japan 1986 - Participated in 6th International Exhibition of Art at Triennale India New Delhi 1986 - Paticipated in 3rd International Exhibition of Art at Havana Biennale Cuba 1990 - Award Winners 'National Exhibition of Art' by Lalit Kala Akademi New Delhi 1991 - Art Show by Commonwealth Institute at Bhowangree Gallery London 1991 - VII Triennale International Artists Camp Goa 1997 - Participated in 8th International Biennial Taiwan 1998 - The Harmony Show art exhibition by Reliance Industries Ltd. Mumbai 1999 - Lalit Kala Akademi Ahmedabad New Delhi 2007 - "Force & Fantasy" titled exhibition at Rabindra Bhavan New Delhi 2007 - Exhibition at Prince of Wale Museum (now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya) Mumbai 2008 - "Force & Fantasy" titled exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai


t

e h COLLECTIONS


The paintings are in the important collections of Paintings in Lalit Kala Akademi New Delhi, Banglore and Gujarat Modern Art Gallery New Delhi Air India Mumbai Governor of Maharashtra Mumbai Kokuyo Camlin Private Limited Mumbai Oil & Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) Ahemdabad Birla Museum Pilai, Rajasthan Reliance Industries Limited Ahmedabad Kirloskar Group Bangalore Birla Group Mumbai


t

e h AWARDS


Speak Sweet 27

Mixed Media on Paper (2015)

National Award by the Ministry of Information, New Delhi in 1975 National Award by Lalit Kala Akademi in 1989


Neeraj Mittra Since the time Neeraj has begun painting his Horse series, it has proved to be the most recognizable part of his oeuvre. He happened upon the subject of the horse in his paintings, not with the greatest of intent, but instead through a process of intuition. He does not claim political or social motivation in the creation of his pictures, and yet his paintings highlight the most vital urge of all, that of mark making as means to pay homage to the visible world around us. The horse is a creature - perhaps like the artist himself - tamed by human innovation but essentially wild by nature. Neeraj’s horse in Czar - The Gallop of Dreams has an air of ephemerality as it runs through the monochromatic void of the canvas, as if it will momentarily vanish and leave only a trace of its presence. It is a fragile image, perhaps alluding to a memory or the idea of a horse (wild and free but also tamable for human need) rather than a specific creature or narrative.

However, through its simple rendering and placement on an earthy background free of any other adornment, it also asserts its permanence through the allusion to humankind's oldest art - the cave paintings of Lascaux and Altamira. In reviving this ancient imagery in a time when painting is putatively dead, Neeraj offers a delicate but forceful rebuttal to that claim and asserts the enduring power of the image and the artist. He combines refined aesthetic sensibilities, showmanship and commercial wiles to position himself as the preeminent artist of India. The type of individual sentiment he imbues his canvases with is much more gnomic, cerebral, personal. It is the kind of painting that invests every area of the canvas with feeling without ever spilling over into Expressionist abandon. Stallion Speak demonstrates Neeraj’s studied but sensuous brushstrokes and how he manifests his poetic, private visions into a visually beguiling work.


Ever the master of equine painting Neeraj Mittra


The

GALLOP Of DRE


CZAR

EAMS

Charcoal on Handmade Sheet (2020)


Flowing Equines - Emperors

Charcoal on Paper (2020)

This is not the equine hero of David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1 charcoal drawing of two horses drawn on a flat canvas, less intereste


BACK TO

BLACK

1801) or the noble but gentle mounts of George Stubbs; rather, this is a ed in the anatomy of a horse and more in the act of mark making itself.


Flowing Equines - The Flow of Life Water Colour on Paper (2020)


Flowing Equines - The Rising Dreams Water Colour on Paper (2020)


Pharaoh - Contoured Powers Mixed Media on Paper (2018)


Pharaoh - Reflections Of Deep

Mixed Media on Paper (2018)


THE EXHIBITIONS


Bronze Sculptures Exhibition at Academy of Fine Arts Calcutta - 1993 36th National Exhibition of Art, Lalit Kala Academy New Delhi - 1993 Jewel of the East exhibition in London United Kingdom - 1994 Bronze Sculptures Exhibition at Triveni Kala Sangam New Delhi - 1995 Beyond & Beneath, painting exhibition at Balassi Institute Hungarian Information & Cultural Centre, New Delhi - 2004 46th National Exhibition of Art at Lalit Kala Academy Kochi, Kerala - 2004 Exhibition at Triveni Kala Sangam New Delhi - 2005 Exhibition '60th Milestone' at Travancore House New Delhi - 2007 Painting exhibition 'Eloquence' at AIFACS New Delhi - 2007 3rd Indian Contemporary Painting and Sculpture Exhibition Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi - 2008



Painting exhibition 'Whole soul' at Balassi Institute - Hungarian Information & Cultural Centre, New Delhi - 2008 Exhibition 'Beyond Lines' at Indian Habitat Centre New Delhi - 2008 Sculpture exhibition 'Moonsoon Sutra' and 'Sculpture Garden' at Balassi Institute - Hungarian Information & Cultural Centre, New Delhi - 2011 Tükör - A tribute to relationships, exhibition at Balassi Institute Hungarian Information & Cultural Centre, New Delhi - 2012 Exhibition titled 'Affection' at Nehru Centre London, United Kingdom - 2013 Exhibition 'Arte En Bhutan' at Nehru Wangchuck Cultural Centre Embassy of India, Thimphu, Bhutan - 2013 'Ekam' exhibition at Indian Habitat Centre New Delhi - 2014 Art Show 'Bindu' at the American Centre, U.S. Embassy New Delhi - 2016 Exhibition 'Kaleidoscope' at Indian Habitat Centre New Delhi - 2016 'Wings for Change' exhibition at the American Centre, U.S. Embassy New Delhi - 2017


STALLION SPEAK Oil on Canvas (2016)


Critic's Review

Neeraj Mittra exhibits (Triveni Sculpture Court) figurations in many materials. Of these the largest terracotta, Puppets of Being is more notable. Also promising are some metal pieces like Actors Thrown Together. Earth from Space is an imaginative conception. Said in an article titled as 'Colour and form build up to moments of life' in Times of India, 1995 Late Keshav Malik (1924-2014)

Keshav Malik was an esteemed Indian poet, scholar, art and literary critic. He is a Padma Shri and National Lifetime Achievement awardee


NEERAJ GUPTA Passion, above all else, rules this sculptor and architect, Neeraj Gupta. Inspired by the rich cultures of India and embracing his heritage, he creates sculptures that are strikingly simplistic. He transforms the conceptual and minimal approach to sculpture by adding lyricism and metaphor. He does not wish to present a prescriptive idea, but instead to create an environment within which people themselves can consider meaning. As the viewer becomes part of the sculpture, each work not only speaks of the confined individuality of a single body, but also of the expansive inclusiveness of a shared place.



DIVINE


E LOVE Medium: Metal on Wood


LIFE

OF MY LIFE Medium: Wood

PIUME | 159


PIUME | 160


blosso Medium: Wood


oming THE

STONE


’ CRITIC S REVIEW PIUME | 163


O

nly from time to time are there genuine, fresh mutations in the art of sculpture. Artist Neeraj Gupta’s literally magnum works (in wood, marble and Metal) are equally weighty with profound realities. The imaginative treatment of these works lends a feel of timelessness to the whole, large expositions. So the Yantra series in the Charter of Heavens, so the Dawn of consciousness, The Thumbprints of Nature, Immortal Love, The Miracle of Creation and other vertically rising sculptures – among them is also The Vivacious, The Great Indian Bazaar series, bustling with the country’s out-door life at once amusing and upliftings. - KESHAV MALIK

Neeraj Gupta is an art aficionado who has spent the better part of the last decade serving the arts in Delhi as well as being a frontrunner of environmental campaigns to make the capital city beautiful and ecologically symbolic in going green. An accomplished architectural engineer turned sculptor and installation artist he has spent the better part of the last few years trying to bring together sculptors and lesser known artists to give them a platform. A winner of many awards, as President of the Delhi Arts Society Neeraj believes deeply about doing something for public art in the capital city. The recent show iSculpt at Gandhi King Plaza was a stepping stone to such a venture. As member of advisory board of IIC for six years, he made valuable contribution for various programs of IIC. He believes in connecting and collaborating with the best in the art world kingdom and creates networks for artists to bloom. Serving the art movement and working for habitat related environmental issues, is his mantra and he believes the IIC is the best space for furthering this quest. - UMA NAIR


e T HE EXHIBITIONS


2003 - Art show named "KALYUG" at Lalit Kala Academy New Delhi 2004 - Participation in National Exhibition of Art of Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi 2005 - Exhibition named "ENDURING STONES DEEP WOODS" India Habitat Centre, Delhi 2005 - Solo show at Domestic Airport of Indira Gandhi Airport Delhi 2006 - Solo show of works at Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi 2008 - Solo exhibition show named "THE INNOCENT EYE" at India Habitat Centre, Delhi 2008 - Solo show at Jahanghir Art Gallery Mumbai 2010 - Art show named "HORIZONTAL VERTICALS" at India Habitat Centre, Delhi 2011 - An exhibition showcasing 100 yrs of Delhi Hungarian culture centre


Medium: Wood

WE RISE ON THE SHOULDER OF OUR FATHERS


2013 - Solo show named " KAYAKALP " at India Habitat Centre Delhi 2014 - Art Exhibition in India International Centre Delhi 2015 - Art Exhibition named : BREATH BETTER TOGETHER" in India International Centre, Delhi 2015 - Art show named "FOLK STRANGERS" at Visual Art Gallery India Habitat Centre, Delhi 2016 - Participated in Santorini Biennale Greece 2018 - Participated in NORD ART Germany 2019 - Participated in Beijing International Art Biennale China 2020 - Oak Bay Arts, 2020 Arts Alive Sculpture Walk Public Art Program, Vancouver, Canada


a THE AWARDS


2004 - Sahitya Kala parishad Award, 28th Annual Art Exhibition by Govt. of N.C.T. Delhi 2005 - Best sculptor award in 77th Annual art Exhibition of AIFACS Delhi 2017 - Won the Lorenzo il Magnifico SILVER award at the XIth Florence Biennale, Italy 2018 - Finalist of the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize Sydeney, Australia 2019 - Eminent Artist of India in the 60th National Exhibition of Art by Lalit Kala Academy (National Academy of Art), Delhi 2019 - Member of Royal Society of Sculptors United Kingdom


PU I


UME Artists

Mermaids & Unicorns


The Boy who goes to the Moon every night.


Avineer Rakshit

The Happy Space

This young artist takes us to where the magic happens PIUME | 174


A

vineer (Dodo) Rakshit is all of 12 years. He loves Xbox, his collection of cars and he really loves Asterix. His favorite holiday is Christmas, and his birthday is April 13th. He doesn’t love school much except for some classes, like Chemistry and Mathematics. And lunch and recess. He mostly dreams of going into the outer space to visit the planets one day.


Like any other boy of his age, he too is mischievous with an active imagination and unflagging energy. He has a real zeal for drawing (Pencil Sketches) with a focus on automobiles, air craft, ships and submarines only. He is a self taught child and has been sketching since the age of 1.5 years. He follows his impulses as a result his sketches walk the line between surrealism and realism.


Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (1769 - 1859), more simply called Alexander von Humboldt, was a notable Prussian geographer, explorer, and naturalist. He is widely recognized for his works on botanical geography which laid the foundation for biogeography. His last name is something many animal lovers may already be familiar with, as the Humboldt squid that lives in the Humboldt Current of South America, is named after him.


About the Painting

Alexander von Humboldt and amé Bonpland in the Amazonas jungle. (Alexander von Humboldt und Aimé Bonpland in der Urwaldhétte) Oil by Eduard Ender (c.1850) in the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften.

Pencil Sketch on Paper

About the Sketch

Alexander von Humboldt is a German sailing ship originally built in 1906 by the German shipyard AG Weser at Bremen as the lightship Reserve Sonderburg. She was operated throughout the North and Baltic Seas until being retired in 1986. Subsequently, she was converted into a three masted barque by the German shipyard Motorwerke Bremerhaven and was re-launched in 1988 as Alexander von Humboldt.


EXHIBITIONS


Art Show at Conrad Hilton Pune, Maharashtra 2019


McLaren F1


Pencil Sketch on Paper

PIUME | 182


Focke-Wulf 190 A8


Pencil Sketch on Paper

PIUME | 184


Pencil Sketch on Paper


Ferrari 250 GTO (1964)


Pencil Sketch on Paper


THE BRITISH COLLEGE OF ANDORRA ELISE RENÉE

Let me begin by mentioning Avineer's undeniable talent for drawing. I applaud his skills and encourage him to continue nourishing his ability and artistic gift.

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY WASHIELA PASSEY

Thank you for sharing Avineer's gift of art, his sketches are flawless and very meticulous. His parents must be very proud of him, as at such a young age his ability to sketch such difficult objects with so much finesse. Congratulations and please continue in your support for him. He is simply brilliant and should continue with his work.

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY Thank you as well for sharing Avineer's work with us - it is wonderful to see! We very much encourage him to continue drawing as he clearly has an interest in the arts and is driven to learn. We wish Avineer much success!

CARTOON MUSEUM LONDON ANITA O'BRIEN

Avineer clearly has a talent and passion for drawing machines. I do hope he continues to develop his art.


A painting is finished when the artist says it is finished.

REMBRANDT

van rijn


THE STORM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE (1633)


PU I


UME Exhibitions


'

AUTUMN 19 Location Courtesy: Conrad, Pune

Artworks by (L to R): Kashmiri Khosa Arpita Bhattacharya Avineer Rakshit Madhuri Bhaduri Ravi Trivedy


oment

ART



KABANA CORIANDER KITCHEN LOBBY








The

HONESTY

in art.


Potent and

PURE.

RAVI TRIVEDY COLLECTION


PU I


UME Collectibles


1

2

3

DENMARK

USA

NETHERLANDS

4

5

6

NORWAY

RUSSIA

GERMANY

7

8

9

BELGIUM

SWEDEN

ENGLAND


CATALOG 1. DENMARK

209 211

2. USA

215 217

3. NETHERLANDS

219 221

4. NORWAY

223 225

5. RUSSIA

233 235

6. GERMANY

239 241 245 249 257 261

7. BELGIUM

265 267

8. SWEDEN

273 275

9. ENGLAND

277 279

1.1 Bjørn Wiinblad 2.1 Our Beloved Granny 3.1 The Blue and White Saying 4.1 The Vikings, The Valour and The Valhalla 5.1 A Doll within a Doll 6.1 Frau Trude 6.2 Pied Piper of Hameln 6.3 The Räuchermann of the Ore Mountain 6.4 Ulm Ceramics 6.5 Villeroy & Boch (Blue Castle) 7.1 Cat Got Our Tongue 8.1 A Thing of Beauty 9.1 Royal Tudor Ware

PIUME | 208



1

DENMARK


BJØRN WIINBLAD From illustrator to cosmopolitan multi-artist

B

jørn Wiinblad was born in Copenhagen in 1918. At a very early age, he began to show signs of his talent for drawing and creating imaginative worlds. Aged 17, he began an apprenticeship as a typographer, but soon realised that his heart was set on following the path of an artist. He has a high profile worldwide as a painter, stage and poster designer, designer of tapestry, pottery, metalware and ceramics. He is regarded as one of the most imaginative and versatile artist. Next to many other things, he illustrated the 16 volume Danish edition of ‘Arabian Nights’. His work has been widely shown in Europe, the United States (since 1954), Japan, Australia and Canada (since 1968). He was attached to the US Embassy in Paris in 1947 as a poster designer. Later his

PIUME | 211

playful posters illustrated Copenhagen’s famous Tivoli Gardens and many other activities and events in Denmark, as well as the Paralympic Summer Games in Seoul, the New World Symphony Orchestra


D

Product Details Period: 1980s Style: Danish Modern, Scandinavian Artist: Bjørn Wiinblad Brand: Bjørn Wiinblad Materials: Delft, Pottery Origin: Denmark, EU


Academy in Miami, and the Royal the World Trade Center in Dallas he Danish Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera designed a large Scheherazade tapestry. House, all in 1988. His textile work was used for costumes for numerous ballets His Inspiration and stage presentations. Women were a consistent theme in the Wiinblad universe and production. His women displayed a wide range of emotional nuances, and their eyes specifically, their gaze - were always very special. As a rule, they looked out with openness and curiosity - but with traces of dejection, melancholy and mysticism.

Characteristics of Wiinblad’s work include whimsical round-faced people, dressed in vaguely 19th century costume. They are often surrounded by natural elements; twining vines, floral wreaths, and fantastical trees. When Wiinblad employed colour, he did so with great assurance. His colour choice is saturated and strong, sometimes almost psychedelic and The eyes meant something very often supplemented with gold or silver special to Wiinblad, so even though he tones. employed a large number of people, he always painted the eyes himself. The Museums around the world have personality of the women also found Wiinblad’s work in their collections and expression through unusual heads and he has received many awards. Among strange, sprout-like ears, short arms, these are the V&A in London, MOMA small breasts and angular noses. In in New York and Stockholm’s National other words, the women were intensely Museum. His large series of ceramics “Wiinbladian”. and tapestries have been used for hotel decorations in Japan and the US. For This is a mid-century Bjørn Wiinblad’s blue and white lady figurine/candle holder. This piece is around few decades old and would look fun resting in a bookcase or on a center table. Very modern and a great piece to add interest and a pop of colour to your unique décor. This piece is marked with Bjørn Wiinblad’s signature at the bottom.

PIUME | 213




2

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA


Our Beloved Granny Emma Webster, better known as Granny, is a Warner Bros. Cartoons character created by Friz Freleng, best known from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts of the 1950s and 1960s.

S

he is the owner of Tweety (and more often than not, Sylvester and Hector). Her voice was first provided by Bea Benaderet from 1950 through 1955, then by June Foray for almost 60 years. Granny is a good-natured widow who is extremely protective of her beloved canary, Tweety. Granny's overprotectiveness becomes apparent whenever Tweety is threatened, usually by Sylvester. Although having the appearance of a kindly old woman, Granny has demonstrated her cleverness in many cartoons. At least until the mid-1950s, Granny is depicted as an elderly spinster who wears spectacles, a gray bun and a late 19th-century-like schoolmarm dress; other old fashioned characteristics include her mode of transportation (usually, a Ford Model T or a horse and buggy) and her inability to relate to present fads (such as her telling Tweety she's about to try on a new "bikini bathing suit", which turns out to be a full one-piece outfit from the turn-of-the-20th century).

PIUME | 217

* Product Details on Request


* Product Details on Request



3

NETHERLANDS


* Product Details on Request


The Blue & White Saying

D

elftware is frequently used to describe any blue and white ceramic item. Authentic Delftware, made in The Netherlands, is hand painted by experienced artists and glazed in a centuries-old process. The results are one-of-akind items treasured for generations. The painting of Delftware requires high craftsmanship. Professional painters paint the beautiful and very detailed designs by hand. The entire collection is hand-painted. The result can be admired in the show and salesroom at the factory. The collection consists of the blue and white pottery but also the popular multicolored (polychrome).

PIUME | 222



4

NORWAY


VIKINGS

THE

The Vikings came from three countries of Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The name 'Viking' comes from a language called 'Old Norse' and means 'a pirate raid'. People who went off raiding in ships were said to be 'going Viking'. Historically, the Viking era began with the attack on Lindisfarne monastery in AD 793, and ended with the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, when the English army successfully repelled the Viking invaders led by King Harald Hardrade. The Vikings' seaworthiness and impulsiveness led to the development of new areas along the Norwegian coast, westward to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland, Orkney, Scotland, Ireland and Greenland. The Norwegian Vikings also discovered Vinland, present-day America, long before Columbus. Think of the Vikings and it's not poetry, wood carving and storytelling that spring to mind, but colourful

PIUME | 225


THE

VALOUR images of horned helmets, berserkers, longships, Valhalla, the one-eyed god Odin and men dying sword in hand or drinking out of skulls. And it's true, the Vikings were pirates who came to plunder and kill, and they spread terror along Europe's coasts. But their reputation is not entirely fair: They were not just ruthless warriors, but also skilled traders, administrators and craftsmen in metal and * Product Details on Request wood, producing beautiful jewellery and artefacts that survive to this day. They were courageous, cunning and had a fatalistic outlook which made them natural risk takers. Viking raiding parties seem to have had an amazing ability to shrug off losses, whether in battle or in dangerous sea voyages. Many men were lost in battles in continental Europe, and in 876, the Vikings lost as many as 4,000 men and 120 ships in a great storm off the south English coast. There was also much infighting between Danish and Norwegian Viking bands, especially in Ireland, where losses were extremely high in relation to the Viking population. Despite all of this, their appetite for conquest and exploration remained high.

PIUME | 226


ODIN Odin (Old Norse inn) is a God and ruler of Asgard in Norse mythology. Odin is the most powerful God in Asgard and he lives in the house called Valaskialf. In this house Odin has a tall tower and in the top of the tower he has a throne called Hlidskialf, from here Odin can see throughout all the nine worlds.

PIUME | 227

* Product Details on Request

THE NORSE

GODS

Odin is associated with healing, death, royalty, wisdom, battle, sorcery, poetry, and the runic alphabet, but also the day 'Wednesday' is known as Odin's day and he is thought to be "the leader of souls". Odin looks like a sorcerer, and may have been an inspiration to Gandalf from J.R.R Tolkien's books Lord of the Ring and the Hobbit. Odin is able to shapeshift just like Loki, into any animal shapes at will. Odin mostly speaks in phrases and riddles, and Odin's voice is so soft that all who hear him speak think all he says is true. Odin can also just say a single word and blow out the flames of a fire, or tone down waves of the sea.

AND MYTHS

SLEIPNIR Sleipnir (Old Norse 'Slippy' or 'The Sliding One') is a gray eight legged horse, this horse is a magical horse, and the most beautiful of all horses. Sleipnir is the symbol of the wind, and has the marks of hell upon it. Sleipnir can just as easily gallop through the air as on land. Sleipnir was born by the God Loki when he


and Fjörgyn. Thor is associated with the day thursday which is named after him. He has red hair and a beard, and is also known to be very ill tempered. He is associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees and strength, Thor is the strongest of all the Gods and the protector of mankind in Midgard. While Thor is the strongest of the Gods, he is not the smartest or the most wise of the Gods, and many giants tease or fool him as much as they can. When the giants make fun of him it makes him furious, and when Thor grabs his hammer Mjölnir while enraged, it makes loud noises with sparks and lightning. This makes the giants crumble in fear and sends chills down their spines. Thor loves to fight the giants, and with his hammer Mjölnir, his powerbelt Megingjörð and his iron gloves Járngreipr, he always has the upper hand.

* Product Details on Request

shape-shifted into a mare and used the stallion of the giant builder to become pregnant. Sleipnir was later on given to Odin as a gift from Loki.

One day Thor discovered that his hammer was missing, and Loki found that the Giant Thrym had stolen it. Thrym wanted to marry Freya in return for the hammer, but the goddess Freya loathed the idea. So it was decided that Thor would go to Thrym's hall disguised as Freya. Thor took Loki with him. Thrym was astonished at how much

THOR Thor (In Old Norse Þórr) is the almighty God of thunder in Norse mythology, he is the son of Odin PIUME | 228


SAILORS

EXPERT

* Product Details on Request

PIUME | 229

the bride ate and drank, but Loki told him "she" had not eaten or drunk for nine days in her anxiousness to join the Giants. Thrym then went to kiss his bride and was amazed that she had a red complexion and eyes that flashed fire. Again Loki explained she was feverish from lack of sleep in her joy at joining Thrym. In a hurry to get the marriage over with, Thrym ordered that the hammer be placed on the bride's knees according to custom. Thor laughted in his heart, and having regained his hammer he struck all the Giants in the hall dead.


* Product Details on Request

that in the case of the bigger vessels with crews of 70 men, to keep them going for a sailing season lasting four months would require the surplus from 460 farms. But not all Viking boats and ships were meant for sailing across the open ocean. Some Vikings used their vessels to sail up the mighty rivers in Russia and beyond. This would take them to the mysterious lands in the East, where they could find riches beyond their wildest dreams.

For centuries the secret of Viking success was their ships. To sail in them was to be a Viking. The Vikings built fast ships for raiding and war. These ships were 'dragon-ships' or 'longships'. They were built from shaped, wooden planks held together with iron rivets and wooden frames. Any gaps were sealed with animal hair to make them waterproof. These ships meant they could sail all round Scandinavia, and then on to Ireland, England and Scotland, transporting people, animals, weapons and tools. It's been estimated

PIUME | 230


DEAD

THE

A dead person was buried or cremated (burned) with some of their belongings, to take into the next world. Some Viking chiefs were given ship-burials, with treasure, weapons, and favourite dogs and horses buried with them. Vikings believed that a warrior killed in battle went to Valhalla, a great hall where dead heroes feasted at long tables. Odin sent his warrior-maidens, the Valkyries, riding through the skies to bring dead warriors to Valhalla. * Product Details on Request

PIUME | 231

AN


WHAT THE VIKINGS LEFT BEHIND...

VALHALLA

* Product Details on Request

Archaeologists find the remains of Viking houses, burial sites, treasure hoards, carvings on stones, and writing carved in runes. Vikings left their mark on Britain in other ways too, such as language, Lots of familiar English words originally came from the Vikings' Norse language. Examples are 'husband', 'egg', 'law' and 'knife'. Place names show where Vikings once lived. A place with a name ending in -by, -thorpe or -ay was almost certainly settled by Vikings. The Vikings also left behind many stories about real people, called 'sagas'. Scotland has its own saga from the Viking Age, called 'Orkneyinga Saga' or 'The History of the Earls of Orkney'.

The Vikings have earned their place in history as a seafaring warrior culture with a fine eye for design and a good ear for storytelling.

ND

PIUME | 232



5

RUSSIA


Hand Painted Wooden Dolls (Set of 5)


DOLL

WITHIN A

DOLL

It is difficult to believe that the nesting doll, what some might consider the embodiment of Russian culture, was just born some 100 years ago. Nesting doll history began in the 1890s. The smoke and noise of Russia’s industrial revolution inspired a romantic notion: Was the key to peace and harmony a simpler way of life? Artists turned to Russia’s peasantry for the thread that would unite the country with its past.


T

he country was no stranger to woodworking. Russian craftsmen had been producing nesting toys such as Easter eggs for several years, but the appearance of the nesting doll remains a bit of a mystery. She was created at the Children’s Education Workshop-Salon in Abramtsevo, a toy company founded by patron of the arts, Savva Mamontov. Some say the idea was inspired by a nesting toy featuring the Seven Gods of Fortune that Mamontov’s wife brought back from a trip to Japan. Others insist that the doll was a result of the workshop’s constant demand for new products and was of the artists’ own invention. The memoirs of one of the era’s most esteemed lathe operators, Vasilii Zvyozdochkin, make no mention of the Japanese toy. However, he does describe an attempt to create a solid wooden doll at the Children’s Education Workshop-Salon, writing that he and his colleagues decided their creation would be more interesting

if the doll were hollow and had more toys hidden inside of it. Whatever the case, the result of their efforts was the very first nesting doll, The Rooster Girl. She came from the Russian countryside bearing a black rooster and dressed in a kerchief and work apron. The wooden doll was hollow on the inside and could be opened up to reveal a second doll. This doll held another, which held another, and another, until a seemingly endless number of siblings had emerged from within the first. Each child carried an item telling of peasant life: a basket, a sickle, a bowl of porridge, a broom, and a younger brother in tow. Nestled in the center was a baby swaddled in a patchwork quilt: hope for the future in the promise of generations to come. They named her Matryoshka, or little mother. The art form caught on quickly. In 1900 one of the Russian wooden dolls was taken to a show in Paris, where it received an award. After such a favorable introduction, many artists and lathe operators began to devote their time to making matryoshka dolls. Zvyozdochkin, himself, dedicated the rest of his life to teaching others the carving aspect of nesting doll production. The nesting doll shape and concept became a canvas for renderings of political figures, illustrating Russian fairy tales, creating religious icons, and much more. Virtually any image one could imagine can be adapted to its versatile

shape.


Hand Painted Wooden Dolls (Set of 5)



6

GERMANY


FA T WIT

One of the Brother the story of a willf


FRAU TRUDE

ACE THE TCH

rs Grimm’s collected tales, which tells ful girl who meets an unfortunate end.


O

nce upon a time there was a small girl who was strong willed and forward, and whenever her parents said anything to her, she disobeyed them. How could anything go well with her?

One day she said to her parents: “I have heard so much about Frau Trude. Someday I want to go to her place. People say such amazing things are seen there, and such strange things happen there, that I have become very curious. Her parents strictly forbade her, saying: “Frau Trude is a wicked woman who commits godless acts. If you go there, you will no longer be our child. But the girl paid no attention to her parents and went to Frau Trude’s place anyway. When she arrived there, Frau Trude asked: “Why are you so pale?” “Oh,” she answered, trembling all over, “I saw something that frightened me.” “What did you see?” “I saw a black man on your steps.” “That was a charcoal burner.” “Then I saw a green man.” “That was a huntsman.” “Then I saw a blood-red man.” “That was a butcher.” “Oh, Frau Trude, it frightened me when I looked through your window and could not see you, but instead saw the devil with a head of fire.” “Aha!” she said. “So you saw the witch properly outfitted. I have been waiting for you and wanting you for a long time. Light the way for me now!” With that she turned to girl into a block of wood and threw it into the fire. When it was thoroughly aglow she sat down next to it, and warmed herself by it, saying: “It gives such a bright light!”


* Product Details on Request


WAGNER & APEL

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELN Deep within the children’s section of the local library, is an old dusty copy of classic fairy tales. Behind the faded cover lives stories of heroism, nobility, and true love; stories that eagerly fill the minds of young dreamers everywhere. However, dwelling amongst the “once upon a times” and “happily ever afters” is a far more sinister tale of rat infestation, broken promises, and the disappearance of an entire city’s children.


T

he story of 'The Pied Piper of Hameln' goes back to the year 1284. It was said that there was a rat plague in Hameln and the people did not know what to do. A stranger appeared on the scene, dressed in pied (multicoloured) clothing. He claimed to be a rat-catcher and that he could rid the town of all the rats and mice in exchange for a certain fee. The mayor agreed to pay him the reward and the rat-catcher produced a small pipe which he played. Soon, all the rats and mice came crawling out from everywhere and gathered around the piper. When he was sure that none remained behind, he walked out of the town and to the River Weser. The whole pack followed after him and fell into the water and drowned. When the mayor and the town's people found that they had been delivered from the plague, they rejoiced but regretted their promise of a reward and they reneged on their payment to the piper. He was furious and left the town in anger, vowing to return to seek revenge. On 26 June, the piper returned to Hameln, this time dressed as a hunter, with an odd red hat. While everyone

had gathered in church on St. John and St. Paul’s Day, he once again let the sound of his pipe ring through the alleys. Soon, not rats and mice, but children – boys and girls aged four and older – came running out in great numbers. Playing all the while, the piper led them out the eastern gate and into a mountain where he vanished with them. In all, it is told that one hundred thirty boys and girls followed the piper out of the town. Depending on the version of the tale, it is said that three children were left behind – one was deaf and didn’t hear the music, one was blind and couldn’t follow and the third was lame and could not keep up with the piper and the others. As with all forkloric tales, there are many versions, conclusions and theories on the origin of the legend. But in spite of the darkness of the tale and regardless of the details, the Pied Piper of Hameln is considered the most famous of German legends in the world. It attracts millions of visitors to Hameln each year and in summer an average of 3,500 visitors each day watch actors in historic costumes perform the story of the procession of the Hameln children on the terrace of the Hochzeitshaus. The secrets of the Pied Piper can also be learned at the Hameln Museum in Osterstrasse, Hameln. PIUME | 246


Product Details Period: 1877 Brand: Wagner & Apel Material: Porcelain Origin: Germany, EU


WAGNER & APEL When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, it not only liberated those Germans who had been dominated by Communist rule for 28 years, it also revealed artistic treasures that had long been hidden. One of those treasures is a small family business, porcelain manufacturer, “Wagner & Apel 1877". Located in Lippelsdorf, a tiny village in the Thuringian Forest, W&A has been run by the Wagner family since 1883. Their line of exquisite, fine porcelain figurines gained fame throughout Germany in the early part of the century. All the figures were designed exclusively for the company and hand-painted, as they still are. After WWII, East Germany took over the plant as a state-run property. The original family owners and their descendants were allowed to work there, but only as employees! Consequently, they were able to maintain their skills as artisans and designers. When Germany was reunited in 1990, the owners were given back their firm. Today, “Wagner & Apel 1877" carries on its proud tradition with a staff of only 15 people. The small output and high quality of the product makes the line extremely collectible. Pieces are marked with the W&A blue bottom-stamp.

PIUME | 248


The toy-making industry in Seiffen is roughly 300 years old and still going strong.

SPLENDID

S


SEIFFEN

The Räuchermann of The Ore Mountain

T

he history of wooden toymaking in the Ore Mountains is closely bound to regional circumstances. The Ore Mountains are located in Central Europe on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. For many centuries it was a countryside in which the local population eked out a hard existence from the land. Long and harsh winters restricted agriculture; in addition the region had very poor communications. With the onset of ore mining a new line of commerce developed, but the hard labour and high risks involved meant that it was only work for young and strong men. Many were injured or died as a result of accidents. The miners rose early in the morning whilst it was still dark in order to go to work and did not return home again until late in the evening after dark. From those times comes a custom that has survived to the present day, the practice of placing lights in the window. These lights were intended to show the miners the safe way back to the homes of their families.


Many of Germany’s traditional handcrafted wooded toys and decorations come from Seiffen.

It was not long before the winnings of silver ore fell in many parts of the mountains and numerous pits had to close. This hardship forced its inhabitants to look for other work and, thanks to abundance of timber in the region, the manufacture of wooden toys became an important secondary source of income. Entire families were engaged in wooden toymaking, especially in the harsh winters. Child labour in conditions of poor lighting and equipment was the rule rather than the exception. The children often had to work more than 12 hours a day. Families developed a high degree of specialisation. For example, an experienced turner would be working on turning animal shapes (Reifendrehen), another man carved the animal figures out of it and another family took over the painting and the manufacture of small boxes. Earnings from the individual steps in the process were very low. Production was usually

bought by travelling merchants who used their position without mercy, to force down the prices. The majority of these products was taken to the toy markets of Nuremberg and redistributed from there. The formation of associations and cooperatives (such as Dregeno) was in order to ensure a minimum level of income. Production is concentrated today in the toymaking village of Seiffen and its surrounding area in the middle of the so-called “German Christmas Land” as the Ore Mountains are called. A great variety of products has developed, but they are clearly associated with the Ore Mountains and go by the concept of Ore Mountain folk art. They include many typical wooden Ore Mountain products such as Christmas pyramids, wooden Räuchermann incense smokers, nutcrackers, wooden figures (Christmas Angels, miners, turned animals,


Vintage handmade wooden horse, hand crafted in Germany, with full saddle and leather tack gear.


1- Tier Pyramid Steam Engine with Station Scene Painted: plus one pack of candles (red)


Vintage German Hand Carved Wooden Deer

etc.), Christmas mountain scenes (Weihnachtsberge) and Ore Mountain candle arches. Presently, many of Germany’s traditional handcrafted wooded toys and decorations come from Seiffen. There, specially trained craftspeople work to preserve the centuries-old techniques and pass them on to the next generation. Seiffen itself looks like it belongs in a Christmas tale. All meandering lanes and half-timbered buildings, it is situated in a valley surrounded by forested hills. It’s the quintessential German village, a place where time appears to have stood still. But it’s also home to a thriving technical college that teaches the tricks of the toy-making trade to the next generation.

A DYING TRADE

Students learn techniques such as wood turning, and how to chisel angels, nutcrackers and so-called “smoking men” out of timber. Seiffen’s Christmas decorations are world famous, and some of the local techniques are unknown elsewhere in the world. “These painted wooden dolls were given to children hundreds of years ago,” said Isabell Goehler. “They wear skirts that are hollow inside and fitted with little wooden globes. They’re very typical of the Ore Mountains region.” The toy-making industry in Seiffen is roughly 300 years old and still going strong. The local college accepts some 20 trainees a year, aged between 16 and


26. Competition for admission is tough - even though sleepy Seiffen is hardly the sort of place young people would normally want to spend much time in. Moreover, after a hard week’s training, they’re often required to spend their weekends woodcarving in public workshops for the benefit of the tourists. OLD-SCHOOL CRAFTSMANSHIP

But, as Goehler said, toy making requires a lot of patience. She and her colleagues spend hours diligently piecing together Lilliputian dolls’ heads, arms and torsos, painting miniature animals and affixing tiny wooden gingerbread to equally tiny wooden market stands. “People are amazed that we can spend so long painting a few details on a minuscule doll’s head,” she explains. “But we love our craft - it’s a love many of us have had since we were children.” Her colleagues Sandra Schubert and Sebastian Weinrich would agree. They both describe toy making as a job that never gets boring: It involves sawing, shaping, woodturning, carving, carpentry and painting. They also enjoy the fact that they’re a dying breed - few outside of Seiffen are masters of the craft. “Visitors to Seiffen go around marveling at what they see,” said another colleague, Jenny Wagner. “That’s when we realize that what we’re doing is something special.”

Smoker - Woodchopper


Smoker - Cook/Chef (Edge Stool)

Smoker - Hunter


B

T

Making flowers

L

O

he Ulmer Keramik (UK) manufacture, based in Ulm , later NeuUlm, began producing items such as tableware, tiles and promotional items from ceramic in 1947. The plant was closed in 1991. The manufactory was founded by Heinz Saur (November 6, 1916 in Essen, November 9, 1962 in NeuUlm) and entered on June 7, 1946 in the Ulm municipal business directory. After reconstruction and expansion of Fort Prittwitz in Ulm, the production of tableware in redbrown shards was started there in early 1947. On December 19, 1947, UK was entered in the commercial register. From 1947/1948 mainly hand-painted majolica was made. According to the Chamber of

O

M

Industry and Commerce, UK had 25 employees on January 13, 1948, mostly displaced persons from Silesia and Bohemia. Among them was the head of painting, Baroness Sybille von Rotkirch, who had studied art and painting in Berlin. As early as April 1948, the Municipal Trade Office had 50 to 60 employees. After the currency reform in 1948, there were first sales difficulties. After this crisis, the company went up again. In 1952 it took over the machine park of WMF Geislingen. In 1954, 200 employees were employed, 60 artists painted up to 1,500 of the approx. 130 items with different decors every day. The motifs were popular: fauna and flora, traditional costumes, landscapes around the Mediterranean, from


Ulm Ceramics Hand Painted Floor Vase Decor “flower”


Paris, the Orient and the Far East. Facades and interior walls of wellknown breweries, restaurants and cafés were extensively decorated with hand-painted tiles. Almost everything was made for everyday use and to beautify the apartment. In 1954, the UK was one of the largest majolica factories in Germany with 15 modern kilns (electric spiral ovens). 40% of the production was exported to Europe, the USA and Canada. For the first time, a German ceramic manufacturer reached the world market suppliers Netherlands and Italy. In 1956, the UK expanded its capacity to 17 kilns. 260 people produced 6,000 to 10,000 articles a day; the UK was the largest majolica factory in the Federal Republic. From the mid-1950s, major companies had promotional items made up to 50,000 pieces. The decoration of mass production was only possible on this scale with screen printing. The designs for this came from Ernst Konrad, who stayed at the UK from apprenticeship to retirement. Hand painting was retained for smaller quantities. UK had to expand due to operational reasons. Since this was not possible in Ulm, construction

was carried out in Neu-Ulm. The new plant was opened on July 11, 1959. After Saurs death on November 9, 1962, the authorized officer Albin Blechschmidt, the former general manager Rudolf Mezger and Hans Forstner from Neu-Ulm - a war comrade Saurs - inherited the company in equal parts. The company was converted to a limited partnership on August 30, 1963. Mezger retired in 1964 and the company’s headquarters were relocated to Neu-Ulm. In the period from 1977 to the late 1980s, sales halved. In 1985 Forstner also left the company, his son Johannes Forstner became manager. In the same year, Blechschmidt sold his share to Dr. Erich Merckle from Ulm. Together with Johannes Forstner, he took over the management. At that time there were 55 employees in the UK. Due to the cyclical decline in promotional items and imports from Asia, sales declined sharply. In 1990 the management decided to give up the business. A clearance sale took place from March 1 to March 28, 1991. On March 31, 1991, the business ended. The majority of the operating equipment was sold to ElsterKeramik GmbH in Elsterwerda .


Hand-built work made by ceramicists who approach clay as a tool for engineering silhouettes. Not pottery at all, but architecture


* Product Details on Request


VILLEROY & BOCH astl e

C e u l B COLLECTION

Villeroy & Boch is a trusted international lifestyle brand, offering sophisticated tabletop and home dÈcor products that showcase European design and expertise in ceramic production. Familyowned since 1748, 2018 marked the company's 270th anniversary as one of the largest producers of premium porcelain and ceramic products worldwide. From the tiles in New York's Holland Tunnel and on the Titanic and to custom dinnerware on the Orient Express trains and at the Vatican, Villeroy & Boch has surely left its mark on history. Maintaining its high-profile today, you may have also spotted Villeroy & Boch products in some of your favorite TV shows

and movies, such as House of Cards, American Horror Story, Ocean's Eleven and many more. It’s time for Villeroy & Boch to leave its mark on your family. Dining with loved ones is a timehonored tradition and a beautifully set table invites family members to linger awhile, making memories. Let Villeroy & Boch's sophisticated tableware become a part of new family traditions and memories that will last a lifetime! Allow us bring the feel of a charming country cottage to your tea room with this beautifully decorated premium porcelain teacup set. Villeroy & Boch Blue Castle has been retired. This is an antik collection.


* Pro


oduct Details on Request

* Product Details on Request



7

BELGIUM


CAT GOT OUR TONGUE The Strange History Behind Kattenshoet, Belgium's Cat Throwing Festival

A

t the moment, the best place in Belgium to be a cat might be Ypres, where every three years a large folkloric parade is held in the animal's honor. However, a peculiar part of the activities, the flinging of plush cats from the city's bell tower, hints at the festival's less feline-friendly origins. Once upon a time, being a cat in Ypres on the second week of Lent equaled certain death. That Wednesday, a day that became known as "Cat Wednesday,"

PIUME | 267

marks a dark page in feline history as the city's cats were rounded up and thrown off of the highest tower. Written records show the tradition goes back as far as the 12th century. In the Middle Ages, Ypres - now mostly known as a major battlefield of the Great War was a merchant town with a thriving cloth industry. Bales of wool would be shipped in from England and kept at the large 'Lakenhalle,' or Cloth Hall, along with already processed sheets, a paradise for mice and rats. The people


Modeled in unglazed ceramic, this black sculpture of a cat is sitting in a relaxed pose with ears pointed slightly to the side and slightly forward. This indicates contentment and sense of well-being. She's neither fearful nor aggressive in her posture.



This is an antique ceramic cat figurine and a fine example of black pottery belonging to the 18th century. It has a hand painted maker's mark at the bottom as can be seen and is quite finely potted. This is virtually a single and rare find from a place called Malle in Belgium, with no defects or markings.


of Ypres enlisted cats to eat the mice and keep them from gnawing holes in their livelihoods, a solution that worked perfectly at first - until their micecatchers, presented with a veritable smorgasbord, started to breed like bunnies themselves. Coupling their cat surplus with an already widespread belief that the animal was in cahoots with evil spirits, witches, and the devil, the Ieperlingen made throwing tabbies off of their 70-meter-high Belfry a mass spectacle. And while lots of other Belgian cities, such as Bruges, thought up cruel cat-torturing techniques in those superstitious days, Ypres has its modern festival to thank for reminding people of its cold-blooded past. That said, the last live feline to be chucked off the tower in 1817 did his species proud by surviving the fall and dashing off. On that hopeful note, the people of Ypres changed their ways. They wouldn't throw another cat off the bell tower for over a century, and when they finally decided to revive the age-old tradition in the 30s, they did so with stuffed toys instead of the real thing. In fact, Ypres has been making amends to the feline race for over 80 years now. May 13, 2018, was the 44th edition of the triennial "Kattenstoet," or "Cat Parade," a folkloric festival that attracts tens of thousands of cat lovers from PIUME | 271

around the globe. The afternoon sees an impressive parade with floats, giant cats, and about 2,000 local volunteers dressed in medieval garb. The highlight of the day comes when the procession arrives at the bell tower, and the jester throws plush cats into the sea of people on the market square below - whoever catches a toy gets to make a wish, even a non-catrelated one. International cat lovers come from far and wide to witness the feline splendor.

Origin of Black Pottery Malle is located in the Campine (Dutch: Kempen) region, which historically was not densely populated, and consisted of enormous heaths and marshlands, interrupted by woods and swampland. Since the Middle Ages the majority of the land in the Campine has been cultivated. Until the 18th century Oostmalle was known for its black pottery, such as "Lollepotten" which were small stoves used for room heating in winter.


Product Details Period: 18th Century Materials: Handmade Black Pottery Origin: Belgium, EU



8

SWEDEN


Handcrafted Wooden Dala Horse


A Thing of Beauty The History of the Dala Horse The image of the horse goes back thousands of years. The magic and mystique surrounding the horse inspired people to recreate their image in cave and rock paintings. Horses were highly valued and became a symbol of strength and courage. They arrived in Sweden 4000 years ago and were tamed and domesticated around that time. In the 17th century little wooden horses were sold at markets in small towns and villages in Dalarna, in central Sweden. A hundred years later wooden horses were carved by men working in the forests during long winter evenings and brought back to the village for the children to play with. This is how the little wooden horse from Dalarna became a treasured object. These simple wooden horses were

later painted in bright colours inspired by the flower patterns painted on furniture and walls in the region. During this time travelling salesmen selling traditional household items would also bring Dalahastar to use as payment for board and lodgings. They also became an important source of income for poor families. Even young children had to learn to carve wooden horses after returning home from school. The children of one such family started a small business at the ages of 13 and 15 in 1928. Their children and grand children are still producing the Dala horses to this day in a little village called Nusnas in Dalarna. Their Dalahast (also known as a Dala horse or Dalecarlian horse) has now become an authentic symbol of Sweden.



9

ENGLAND


Royal Tudor Ware Also known as Royal Tudor, est. 1828 - Staffordshire England

T

he birth of the famous English porcelain happened in the city of Stroke-on-Trent, commonly known as ëthe Potteriesí, the well-known home of the pottery industry in England since the 18th century. Thanks to its rich heritage, Tudor England porcelain has tied together all the skills, quality and expertise of a few generations of potters to create a high-class masterpiece from every piece of fine porcelain.

This pottery plate comes from the series 17th Century England and has a deep blue decor. The pattern is “Coaching Taverns”, where the central motif depicts every day life in the 17th Century. The pattern features: A Post Office, Stagecoach, People, Animals, Church Steeple, Trees, Clouds, Flowers and Tavern. This type of Blue & White Transfer-ware was developed & popularized in England, during the 1750’s, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The edge is richly decorated with floral rim. It comes with a backstamp of Coaching Taverns; Royal Tudor Ware, est. 1828 Staffordshire, England.



WOMAN WITH A PARASOL (1875)


The light constantly changes, and that alters the atmosphere and beauty of things every minute.

CLAUDE monet



OUR OFFICES www.feelberry.org

FINLAND HEADQUARTERS HELSINKI Itamerenkatu 5, 00180 Helsinki, Finland

FINLAND OFFICE PIRKANMAA Tietotie 1, 37630 Valkeakoski, Finland

INDIA OFFICE PUNE Koregaon Park Lane 7, Power Plaza 411001 Pune, India



PIUME Copyright © 2021 by Feelberry Limited All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever without the written and signed consent of the Publisher.

ISSUE THREE

SUMMER 2021 MANAGING EDITOR Rukhma Rakshit

FOLLOW US

CONCEPT DIRECTOR Anirban Rakshit

piume.in/fb piume.in/tweet piume.in/insta

CONTRIBUTE TO PIUME antik@feelberry.org

ADVERTISING & FEATURES Aishwarya, tel. +91 9545872375 aishwarya@feelberry.org

© FEELBERRY 2021


INDEX Aadim Aparna Bidasaria

46

Flowing Equines - The Flow.. Neeraj Mittra 145

Abtruse Conundrum Nivedita Pande

88

Flowing Equines - The Rising.. Neeraj Mittra 146

Anand Aparna Bidasaria

47

Focke Wulf 190 Avineer Rakshit

183

Avant Garde Hues Komal Parmar

63

Frau Trude

244

A.V.Humboldt Avineer Rakshit

178

Girl with a Pearl Earing Johannes Vermeer 289

Belgium's Cat

267

Granny

217

Bird on Branch Komal Parmar

58

Horses C.D. Mistry

131

Blue Castle Villeroy & Boch

261

Identity Aarti Zaveri

33

Chilmana Aparna Bidasaria

49

Journey in Process Aditya Dev

120

Confidences Vu Cao Dam

289

Life of my Life Neeraj Gupta

160

Connecting Deeply... Krupa Shah

68

McLaren F1 Avineer Rakshit

181

Creative Potrait C.D. Mistry

130

Northrop 5E Tiger II Avineer Rakshit

187

Creative Potrait 54 C.D. Mistry

126

Pharaoh - Contoured... Neeraj Mitra

147

Czar - The Gallop... Neeraj Mittra

141

Pharaoh - Reflections... Neeraj Mitra

148

Dala Horse

275

Praying Hands Albrecht Dürer

289

Devil's Workshop Aditya Dev

114

Purity Process Aarti Zaveri

42

Delftware Bjørn Wiinblad

212

Restropection Komal Parmar

61

Diptych Spring Puja Khastriya

93

Rishi Aparna Bidasaria

51

Divine Komal Pardeshi

60

Royal Tudor Ware

280

Divine Love Neeraj Gupta

157

Second Self 01 Aarti Zaveri

31

Doll within a Doll

235

Second Self 02 Aarti Zaveri

32

Enchanted Forest Puja Khastriya

106

Second Self 03 Aarti Zaveri

39

Ferrari 250GTO Avineer Rakshit

185

Self Portrait Puja Khastriya

91

Flower Flight Komal Pardeshi

55

Series - Mapping the... Puja Khastriya

99

Smoker

255

Flowing Equines - Emperors Neeraj Mittra 143


Solitude Nivedita Pande

79

Songs of Paradise Puja Khastriya

108

Song of the Valley Puja Khastriya

97

Speak Sweet C.D. Mistry

128

Speak Sweet 27 C.D. Mistry

138

Stallion Speak Neeraj Mittra

153

Still Life: Vase with... Vincent Van Gogh

01

Taral Aparna Bidasaria

50

Tea Time Jean Metzinger

289

The Blossoming Stone Neeraj Gupta

161

The Color of Our Nature Krupa Shah

71

The Energy Vibration Krupa Shah

69

The Pied Piper of Hameln Wagner & Ape 245 The Räuchermann of the Ore Mountain

249

The Storm on the... Rembrandt van Rijn

190

The Untold Tale Aditya Dev

115

The Vikings, The Valour and The Valhalla

225

Three Wise Men Puja Khastriya

96

Twins Puja Khastriya

103

Ulm Ceramics

258

Untitled Aditya Dev

117

Untitled Aditya Dev

122

Vintage German Hand Carved Wooden... 252 We Rise on the Shoulder... Neeraj Gupta 167 Who Gets The Chair!!! Nivedita Pande

82

Wing of a European... Albrecht Dürer

00

Woman with a Parasol Claude Monet

281

Young Hare Albrecht Dürer

289


FEELBERRY ANTIK FINLAND

PIUME

ISSUE 3 SUMMER 2021


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.