Category Archives: Europe

Homage a George Seurat

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Homage a Seurat by Jonathan Burton h/t M. Wuerker  

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Literary Dioramas

Posted on November 12, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Spanish artist Malena Valcarcel transforms abdondoned books into fanciful, poetic dioramas and book sculptures. You can see more of her lovely work, and even purchase a piece, on her Etsy site.

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Art of the Cover

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

As a book collector and a book seller, I have often purchased a book just because the dust jacket art caught my eye. In this terrific new book, The Illustrated Dust Jacket 1920-1970, author Martin Salisbury explores the transition from plain paper … Continue reading →

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Have a literary coffee

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I love this wonderful illustration by Italian artist and designer Gianluca Biscalchin.

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It Takes A Train To Cry

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German rail operator, recently decided to name twenty-five new high-speed trains after historic figures. They crowdsourced suggestions and received more than 19,000 proposals. A jury then selected the final names, including one that has some folks scratching their heads: Anne … Continue reading →

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The Norway of the year

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Every year when November rolls around I am reminded of the quote above from the great American 19th century poet Emily Dickinson. I probably first read the line during high school when I was going through that adolescent poetry phase. … Continue reading →

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Hackney not hackneyed

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I was happy to discover that London-based artist/illustrator/cartographer Jenni Sparks has released a new series of London culture maps. The highly detailed typographic illustrations are the result of a year’s research and work. Each piece incorporates Sparks’ impressions of the … Continue reading →

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See Your Sea Food Up Close In Norway

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The Norwegian architecture group Snøhetta has released images of its design for Under, Europe’s first underwater restaurant in Lindesnes, Norway. The project is set to begin construction in February 2018, with a concrete cuboid  half-submerged like a monolithic shipwreck off … Continue reading →

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Is it still street art if it’s on the highway

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

A highway rest stop may seem like an unlikely venue for a major art exhibition, but this year’s La Triennale in the Swiss Canton Valais was held at the Relais du Saint-Bernard on the A9 Autoroute  near Martigny. Some thirty … Continue reading →

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Museum Match Game

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Vienna-based photographer Stefan Draschan has been having some fun serendipitously capturing museum goers with complimentary attire matching artwork in a clever series. The images, shot in major art museums around Europe, create an amusing, aesthetic dialogue between viewer and painting.

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