Matthew Reinhart's Blog, page 34

Vintage Movable Review: El Hombre

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; 

Some of the earliest movable books were medical textbooks. These encyclopedic affairs gave an overview of medical ailments and current remedies. Often times these books made their way into country doctor offices or medical schools. While the focus and illustrations varied, the format was invariably similar. A human figure was represented on a flap that could be peeled open to review the musculature level, giving way to the skeletal composition and allowing the view to work down to individual organs. These flaps are colorfully termed 'fugitive sheets' as they tend to break off at the crease and disappear from the book.

Today we get to see a fine example of this type of medical movable book with El Hombre. This Spanish edition was published in Madrid by Bailly-Bailliere in 1884. The tall folio contains 16 pages of text and one figure that the reader can dissect with a flick of the wrist. The illustration depicts a dashing mustachioed man that appears to be neutered in keeping with the morals of the era. Considering this was a medical book meant for physical education I am surprised that we are faced with a slick looking Ken doll without even a fig leave for modesty. I wonder what happened when there were medical issues that were not "covered" in El Hombre.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Crepuscular

Crepuscular \kri-PUS-kyuh-luh\, adjective

1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim.
2. (Zoology) Appearing or active at twilight.

Origin: Crepuscular comes from Latin crepusculum, twilight, from creper, dark, obscure; ultimately of Sabine origin.

Cedar Rapids bound!

Just a quick heads up - the NCCIL's brilliant traveling exhibit of Robert Sabuda's and my pop-up work, Wizards of Pop!, lands in Iowa tomorrow! I'm honored and excited to be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this weekend talking, signing & making pop-ups at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art!
When? Saturday, January 22, 2011 from about 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Where? 410 Third Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa


See you there!

- Mattthew

Warning: I'm just slightly more frightening than the T-Rex in the illustration up there

Art Show Tomorrow Night

I've been invited to participate in an art show that's up for one night only.  You read it, one night.  And it's not just art, the idea behind 'My Conjoined Twin: Round Two' is pairing up artists and writers to create a piece that's not only on the wall but in words as well.  So there will be performances and readings along with great art.
I haven't told any one about what I'm doing for the show other than I'm having a lot of fun with it and it's probably going to be a little weird.  But then it wouldn't be fun!  So if you're in the NYC area this Thursday January 20th, come out and stop by the show for some entertainment and to say 'Hi'!
My Conjoined Twin: Round Two 9pm-12:30amJanuary 20thNiagara Bar112 Ave A and 7th St
XO Jess

Word of the Day: Ruminate

Ruminate \ROO-muh-nayt\, intransitive verb
1. To chew the cud; to chew again what has been slightly chewed and swallowed.
2. To think again and again; to muse; to meditate; to ponder; to reflect

Origin: Ruminate derives from Latin ruminatus, past participle of ruminari, to chew the cud, to ruminate, to chew over again, from rumen, rumin-, throat.

History Lesson: The Frisbee

On January 23, 1957 the Wham-O toy company came out with a globally known toy-- the Frisbee.

The story goes that William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company and the students from a nearby university would throw empty pie tins to one another yelling "Frisbie".  Then in 1948, Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the disc called the "Flying Saucer" that could fly more accurately and farther than the tin pie plates. In 1958, a year after the toy's first release, Wham-O--the company behind the Hula-Hoop--changed its name to the Frisbee disc, misspelling the name of the historic pie company.

Artist Watch: Cheong-ah Hwang

Cheong-ah Hwang has been making paper sculptures since 2000.  Cheong-ah Hwang  has created very intricate and exquisite paper sculptures.  Along with some incredible "2 1/2 dimension" art work, she has also made pop ups.  One pop up project was a jungle mural in a children's room.  All the animals are hidden in the jungle and it's up to you to lift the flaps and reveal the animals.  To learn more about her and her amazing work check out her website and etsy store.
(Here are some of my favorite pieces)

Word of the Day: Scapegrace

Scapegrace  \SKAYP-grayss\, noun

1. A reckless, unprincipled person; one who is wild and reckless; a rascal; a scoundrel.

Origin: Scapegrace is from scape (a variant of escape) + grace

What's Popped Up: Snowflakes

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

It's cold here in New York and we have had our fair share of snow so far this season. While it is widely known that I am no fan of the cold, I do love snowflakes (on an individual basis only). I don't love them as much as Wilson A. Bentley, who made it a singular goal to photographs as many unique snow crystals he could get his mitts on. Bentley's images are fascinating and diverse and I treasure his many collections, so you can imagine my excitement when I learned that there was a new pop-up book inspired by his work.

Snowflakes: A Pop-up Book was released by Jumping Jack Press, an imprint of Up With Paper. (Check out the excellent video of the book here.) The seven spread book was written by Jennifer Chushcoff, with illustration and paper engineering by Yevgeniya Yeretskaya. Each page explodes in a three-dimensional sparkling winter scene complete with contemplative prose and tidbits about "Snowflake" Bentley. I had the good fortune to meet Ms. Yeretskaya shortly after her book's release. After showing the lovely constructions she also shared her appreciation for Bentley's work. I'll let this promising young paper engineer have the last word. "It was wonderful to explore the beauty and the science behind these unique individual pieces of art known as snowflakes. I hope that I've succeeded in conveying the wonder and awe of the season through to the pop-up pages of this book, and that anyone who opens it will share in the magic that lies within."

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Kitsch

kitsch \KICH\

noun
1. Art Characterized by pretentious bad taste.
adjective
1. Relating to, or characterized by, kitsch.

Origin:
Kitsch comes from German.