Ivo Manus makes high art

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Timothy Atkinson
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Ivo Manus makes high art By Robbert Bloemendaal, art historian Being an art historian and art collector, I have

The imaging by people from the classics up to now: it is an enormous flood of beauty, ugliness, brilliant

case something that rises above all of this: the sheer being of a work of art that in itself represents an

With success: my house is filled with works that never bore me and at which I marvel daily something that

Crystal skulls Next to art, I collect the objects of power with which I do shamanic work.

Beautiful artifacts, in regard to which the material is the most important with its specific effect, like

All of them are precious companions, of whom I show four here.

1 Ivo Manus makes high art By Robbert Bloemendaal, art historian Being an art historian and art collector, I have decades of experience in image- viewing. The imaging by people from the classics up to now: it is an enormous flood of beauty, ugliness, brilliant brainwaves and servile mimicry, of humor and deep sadness, total control and hilarious blunder and in the best case something that rises above all of this: the sheer being of a work of art that in itself represents an added value to this world. Of course it is the latter category I am always looking for. With success: my house is filled with works that never bore me and at which I marvel daily something that derives naturally from representing an added value to this world. Crystal skulls Next to art, I collect the objects of power with which I do shamanic work. In regard to these objects, at some point I took the step from usual crystals to Crystal Skulls. Beautiful artifacts, in regard to which the material is the most important with its specific effect, like citrine, amethyst, labradorite and my favorite chlorite quartz. All of them are precious companions, of whom I show four here. Rainbow Shaman King Shaman Ra Stratos Citrine Amethyst Labradorite Chlorite Quartz However, they are a bit uniformly shaped, something that is the case with all thousands of skulls I have seen over the years. To be honest, I did not consider this to be strange because, well, a skull is a skull is it not? Subtle differences show their origin: Skull in 17 th century painting Brazilian Skull Chinese Skull

Every time a real skull is the point of departure, from which the

realistically as possible, the Brazilian skulls both are realistic

heads also do not escape the omnipresent scheme: For years I have

there are other ways of depicting skulls.

of a work of art that in itself represents an added value to this

Until My amazement with Ivo Until I bumped into Ivo Manus.

2 Every time a real skull is the point of departure, from which the skulls in academic painting invariably are depicted as realistically as possible, the Brazilian skulls both are realistic and symbolic and the Chinese skulls show spectacular detail, be it monotonously. Skulls and death s heads Popular depictions of skulls and death s heads also do not escape the omnipresent scheme: For years I have never wondered, apparently like the rest of humanity, whether there are other ways of depicting skulls. However, what I did know, is that skulls were not art in the sense of a work of art that in itself represents an added value to this world. To my opinion, this really was a bridge foo far. Until My amazement with Ivo Until I bumped into Ivo Manus. During my first journey through his gallery of work I fell in surprise after surprise. Not a skull was the same, every specimen being a new visualization of the concept skull.

Behold for instance the first two skulls I purchased from Ivo, or adopted

Guard Bornite None of them is even remotely human, while nonetheless being

They are not tough or aggressive, but at the same time cannot be taken

The one is jolliness itself, the other is solemn and sad.

3 Behold for instance the first two skulls I purchased from Ivo, or adopted as it is called in circles of skull guardians: Smiles Polish flint The Guard Bornite None of them is even remotely human, while nonetheless being genuine skulls. They are not tough or aggressive, but at the same time cannot be taken anything but seriously. The one is jolliness itself, the other is solemn and sad. With those traits, both of them are a focal point for feelings, contemplation and insight. AND they are in my opinion without a doubt a work of art that in itself represents an added value to this world. Before I substantiate this opinion, I first want to show some more examples of my own family of Manus Skulls: Salomon Aya Aurora Steatite Serpentine Auralite

Does Ivo make real art? To me these skulls are real art. But are they genuinely so? In order to substantiate this claim, I first want to put forward a typical art critics definition of art.

Although art certainly may beautiful and may summon emotions, it shares these traits with many other things. Varying from a green view to the famous portrait of the crying gipsy kid.

the side of the beholders provokes a new way of looking, a new outlook on the world and or himself.

4 Does Ivo make real art? To me these skulls are real art. But are they genuinely so? In order to substantiate this claim, I first want to put forward a typical art critics definition of art. Art by that definition does not evolve around being beautiful, nor around summoning emotions. Although art certainly may beautiful and may summon emotions, it shares these traits with many other things. Varying from a green view to the famous portrait of the crying gipsy kid. The definition that holds its ground best, is that art on the side of the artist is the expression of an investigation in what is possible to depict and how it can be depicted and at the same time on the side of the beholders provokes a new way of looking, a new outlook on the world and or himself. Next to that, a great amount of virtuosity and material control is a must: a bungling broddler can never make art. Finally, the work of the art must be unique, must be recognizable as only his/hers. According to this definition, and it is the best I know, the work of Ivo is art. Real art, high art. Let s go through the criteria. Investigation: a more worn out subject than death s head is hard to imagine, or it should be the gipsy kid. And what does Ivo do? He blandly produces an enormous series of variations on the theme skull that one by one offers a new outlook on that theme. And that one by one radiates a similar intensity that takes its guardian on an esthetical and spiritual adventure. At a rate of hundreds (!) of skulls per year. New way of looking: ever since I know Ivo s skulls, on the one hand I get bored to death by all normal skulls that by the thousand pass me by on the internet. An on the other hand I now see skulls and face everywhere, something that really has been switched on by the Ivo s work. Three examples of nature skulls that I have collected thereafter: Virtuosity and material control: look at the pictures in this article. Need I say more? Uniqueness: for years I ve surfed with great regularity over the whole internet and I have never seen a carver who even remotely equals the production and diversity of Ivo. Yes, Leandro is famous and varies a bit, but stays within the same scheme. And a site like Skullis does art in the Chinese way, producing

outright kitsch and there also: always the same scheme! World wide I see nobody who even may call himself colleague artist of Ivo. And that is, to put it mildly, remarkable.

5 outright kitsch and there also: always the same scheme! World wide I see nobody who even may call himself colleague artist of Ivo. And that is, to put it mildly, remarkable. And yes, also beauty and emotion: in this whole elaboration one would almost forget that the aim of Ivo is not at all to make art, but to put spiritual companions in this world! Because that is what these skulls are in particular. I call them mirrors of the soul, each of which highlights, clarifies and supports another aspect. This is emotion, this is experiencing beauty. Ivo makes real art and more. Ivo keeps on amazing And Ivo keeps on amazing me and broadening my definition of what a skull can be. Look at my last adoption, Rain of petrified wood: Talking about working with your skull! This is a skull that almost eerily makes me descend in the soul and in the grief that rules there. Even so, Rain himself is not scary, but rather gentle in all his ugliness.

6 New level And Ivo keeps on evolving. To conclude this essay, here is an example of a new level on which Ivo finds himself, a Grand Skull that majestically and monumentally displays Ivo s abilities: Satyr. Wow. Carry on the good work Ivo.

TALKING ABOUT MOVIES, -ED / -ING ADJECTIVES, EXTREME ADJECTIVES

TALKING ABOUT MOVIES, -ED / -ING ADJECTIVES, EXTREME ADJECTIVES Movie Violence Think of a few movies that you have seen recently. Now count how many of them featured weapons and death. It s pretty difficult to think of any movies that do not contain at least some guns