Author Archives: ArtLark

February 10

Roy Lichtenstein: When Mickey Went Pop

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On the 10th of February 1962, American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein showed his first solo exhibition at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, selling out before the opening. From an artist struggling with aesthetic and financial difficulties Lichtenstein was turned into an instant success, hunted by collectors and featured in the major media. Some […]

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February 09

Fyodor Dostoyevsky and His Epileptic Nirvana’s

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On the 9th of February 1881, one of the most prolific Russian writers, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, died of complications after a pulmonary haemorrhage in Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire. On the day of his death he asked his wife to read him a passage from the Bible (Matthew 3:14-15): “But John forbid him, saying, I […]

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February 08

Inverting the Female Nude: Paula Modersohn-Becker

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On the 8th of February 1876, German Expressionist artist Paula Modersohn-Becker, the first recognised European modern female artist to paint the female nude, was born in Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Germany. Becker grew up in a well-to-do, cultured family in Dresden, was privately art tutored in Worpswede, London, Bremen and at the Académie Colarossi in Paris, trained under […]

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February 07

MONOPOLY: Board Games and Ideology

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On the 7th of February 1935, one of the world’s most popular board games, MONOPOLY, was patented by Parker Brothers. Commonly thought to be a creation of one man, Charles Darrow, the game had actually undergone a lengthy process of transformation from an educational, anti-capitalist board game to Mr Darrow’s final and most successful version […]

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February 06

Antoni Tàpies: Art Between Void and Substance

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On the 6th of February 2012, Catalan artist and art theorist Antoni Tàpies i Puig died in Barcelona at the age of 88. Following a heart attack at the young age of 17, Tàpies spent time recuperating in the mountains, which is where he first started pursuing his passion for art. He lived on and […]

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February 05

Kim Ki-young and His Korean Femme Fatales

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On the 5th of February 1998, Korean film director Kim Ki-young and his wife Kim Yu-bong were killed in a house fire in Seoul, South Korea. The death came unexpectedly and in the moment of Kim Ki-young’s artistic ‘resurrection’ and rehabilitation as one of the most significant Korean film directors. In fact, after a period […]

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February 04

Franz Reichelt: The Parachuting Pioneer and His Infamous Stunt

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On the 4th of February 1912, Austrian-born inventor and tailor Franz Reichelt, also known as the Flying Tailor, died tragically by jumping from the Eiffel Tower, whilst trying out his own creation, a coat parachute. Even though, having worked on the prototype for two years, and having had it rejected numerous times by aeronautic organisations and competitions, Reichelt had […]

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February 03

Tulip Mania: Madness in the 17th Century Netherlands

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On the 3rd of February 1637, the tulip mania collapsed in the United Provinces (now the Netherlands) as sellers could no longer find buyers for their bulb contracts. Tulip mania refers to a period in the Dutch Golden Age during which contract prices for tulip bulbs reached astronomical levels. This phenomenon resulted in all kinds […]

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February 02

Migration and State Interest: the Chinese in Gold Rush California

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On the 2nd of February 1848, less than two weeks after the discovery of gold in California, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, which secured peace at the end of the two-year American-Mexican War. This was important for the United States, which obtained several bordering states and, essentially, the ownership of California. The latter was […]

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February 01

D@d@ist Poetry by Raoul Hausmann

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On the 1st of February 1971, Austrian artist and writer, Raoul Hausmann, died in Limoges, France. He was one of the founders of Berlin Dada. Together with Richard Huelsenbeck, George Grosz, John Heartfield, Fritz Jung, Hannah Höch, Walter Mehring and Johannes Baader, he established the famous Club Dada, where all kinds of evening events, poetry […]

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