25.13 - M1nks's task: Art Can Set You Free

[Kristina Simon]

25.13 - M1nks's task: Art Can Set You Free

The Impressionists era is my personal favourite and I have many examples around my flat ranging from prints to fridge magnets, but let us not forget the other arts. However we choose to express ourselves, art can be a way to show a little of our inner natures and, whether it be through writing, singing or the icing of a child's birthday cake, here's to the inner artist which lies in us all.

This is a TWO book task. However, due to your wild bohemian nature you can choose to repeat an option if you wish.

Required: State which option(s) you chose when you post.

Option 1. Sculptures can make the most beautiful artwork. For this task select a book which has some statuary on the cover. I will also accept things like gargoyles, face busts, ornately carved fountains and the like, so long as the carving is clear. However I won't accept such commercial rubbish as shop manikins, decorated lamps or little home decorations - those are not grand enough to be worthy of a true artiste!
Required: Post the cover/s when you post.

Option 2. Poets consider their work the highest peak of artistic achievement. Read a book (or books if you need to combine for page length) of poetry.

Option 3. Artistic expression can be found in many humble occupations, you can unlock your creative side through sewing, cooking, acting, dance, music, gardening, landscaping, even carpentry and metalwork. For this task read a book, fiction or non fiction, which you think celebrates any form of human artistry.
Required: State what activity your book celebrates when you post.

Option 4. Impressionist Art is about freeing yourself from the tentacles of a conventional world trying to hold you back. Read a book, either fiction or non fiction, which expresses the struggle for the freedom of the individual from an oppressive society.
Required: Explain how your book fits when you post.

As this is a celebration of all of the various artistic mediums, books with the genre Sequential Art (Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga) are acceptable for this task so long as they comply with standard SRC challenge rules.

[Nicola]

Artistic Creations!

1.
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

2.
Glass

3.
Creative Journal Writing: The Art and Heart of Reflection; Like Water for Chocolate; Chocolat; Clara and Mr. Tiffany; Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture; Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking; Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cartooning But Were Afraid to Draw; The Artist Unique: Inspiration and Techniques to Discover Your Creative Signature; Tough Cookie; The Wedding Quilt; ; Easy Connections

4.
The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan; The Traitor Baru Cormorant; The Color Purple; Queen; The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year; Major Pettigrew's Last Stand; Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home; Last Train to Istanbul

[Nicola]

Commercial Tat!

1.
; ;

3.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened; The Copper Sign; The Secret of Everything; The Undomestic Goddess; Hark! A Vagrant; The Goldfinch

4.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened; Bitter Blood; Saga, Volume 5; A Confusion of Princes; Night (unless further information is given); Gameboard of the Gods

[Kristina Simon]

This thread is now open!

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Would you accept Ellen Hopkins books? She writes in poetry form.

[Dee]

for option 1 - would something like a faberge egg count?

[Emily]

Wondering about The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan for Option 4.

[Tien]

For option 3, The Copper Sign ~swordsmith? Or will this fit option 4 too (girl in a man's world)?

Or would a cozy mystery with cooking fit the bill (option 3)?
I'm thinking of this series: Singaporean Mystery

[Suzanne]

Checking my choices just to be sure.

For Option 1: A Lonely Death

I have a couple of possibles for Option 3:

The Postman Always Purls Twice
Tough Cookie

In both entries to their respective series, the homespun art forms (knitting, cooking) are being featured in broadcast media (film, TV), which I would call celebrating the art forms...

[Kathy G.]

Will this work for option 3?



Thanks

[JennRenee, Moderator]

would dystopian type books work for the last option. They are about opressed societies and the rebellions or individuals who are trying to escape it.

[JennRenee, Moderator]

will this work for sculpture. The entire title is a sculpture kind of metal art kind of thing.

[Kim]

Does this fit the requirements for option 3?

Clara and Mr. Tiffany -- stained glass design

[Donna]

for option 1, how about ?

[Nicola]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Would you accept Ellen Hopkins books? She writes in poetry form."

You'd have to post the book for me to check. Some books have poetry listed as a genre and they aren't actually, but if they are poetry then that should be clear.

[Nicola]

Dee wrote: "for option 1 - would something like a faberge egg count?"

No sorry Dee. Faberge Eggs are indeed gorgeous works of art but they are too small for me to accept. They are lovely decorations.

[Nicola]

Boston Kate wrote: "Wondering about The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan for Option 4."

That looks perfect.

[Sandy, Moderator Emeritus]

Would this work for option 1? ? Intricate carving on the building and heavily decorated with statues and busts.

[Bea]

For option 1: ?

[Nicola]

Tien wrote: "For option 3, The Copper Sign ~swordsmith? Or will this fit option 4 too (girl in a man's world)?

Or would a cozy mystery with cooking fit the bill (option 3)?
I'm thinking of this..."

Your first book looks more an adventure story with the swordmaking and the girl disguised as a boy being some dramatic background colour. I can't say for sure as I haven't read it, but to give you an idea to qualify as 'celebrating swordmaking' a good amount of the book should be focused on the making of swords, either designing them, talking about them or physically making them. For option #4 to qualify the girl must do more than just disguise herself for a bit of dramatic adventure. The main purpose of the book should be the fact that she is denied the ability to craft swords because she is a woman and the focus of the story is her struggle to prove herself or somehow circumvent this restriction. The book blurb sounds like it's more about political intrigue and adventure, but, if once you've read it you think it qualifies then you're welcome to say why.

For your second book again it's going to be left up to you to decide. The books should be heavily focused on cooking if they are to qualify which is difficult to tell from a book blurb. Some examples of fiction books which really celebrate cooking are Like Water for Chocolate or Chocolat.

[Nicola]

Suzanne wrote: "Checking my choices just to be sure.

For Option 1: A Lonely Death

I have a couple of possibles for Option 3:

[book:The Postman Always Purls Twi..."

Your first book is fine.

For the other two are they actually strongly focused on knitting and cooking or are they just background colour to the mystery?

[Nicola]

Kathy G. wrote: "Will this work for option 3?



Thanks"

Yes, that will be fine.

[Nicola]

JennRenee wrote: "would dystopian type books work for the last option. They are about opressed societies and the rebellions or individuals who are trying to escape it."

It depends on the book, many probably would.

[Nicola]

JennRenee wrote: "will this work for sculpture. The entire title is a sculpture kind of metal art kind of thing."

No sorry.

[Nicola]

Kim wrote: "Does this fit the requirements for option 3?

Clara and Mr. Tiffany -- stained glass design"

Yes, that certainly seems like stained glass design is a major part of the story and a real celebration of this artistic form.

[Nicola]

Donna wrote: "for option 1, how about ?"

Yes, that will do.

[Dee]

can i ask about:

- the stone gargloye-ish on the roof

[Nicola]

Sandy wrote: "Would this work for option 1? ? Intricate carving on the building and heavily decorated with statues and busts."

It probably would if it was clearer. I tried blowing the picture up but I lost all of the detail. If you have an enlargement showing the carving I'll take a look.

[Nicola]

Bea wrote: "For option 1: ?"

Fine :-)

[Sandy, Moderator Emeritus]

Nicola wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Would this work for option 1? ? Intricate carving on the building and heavily decorated with st..."

never mind - I think it should work for option 3, since architecture is surely a creative undertaking.

[Kathy G.]

Nicola wrote: "Kathy G. wrote: "Will this work for option 3?



Thanks"

Yes, that will be fine."

Thank you!

[Bea]

Nicola wrote: "Bea wrote: "For option 1: ?"

Fine :-)"

Thanks, Nicola.

BTW, did you miss post #5? I did not see your answer.

[Nicola]

Sandy wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Would this work for option 1? ? Intricate carving on the building and heavily de..."

Yes, it will definitely work there.

[Nicola]

Bea wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Bea wrote: "For option 1: ?"

Fine :-)"

Thanks, Nicola.

BTW, did you miss post #5? I did not see your answer."

#5 was answered in #15

[Bea]

Nicola wrote: "Bea wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Bea wrote: "For option 1: ?"

Fine :-)"

Thanks, Nicola.

BTW, did you miss post #5? I did not see your answer."

#5 was answered in #15"

Thanks, I did miss that.

[Suzanne]

Nicola wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Checking my choices just to be sure.

For Option 1: A Lonely Death

I have a couple of possibles for Option 3:

[book:The Postman ..."

I haven't read either of these two specific books, but based on others I've read in the series, the crafts are an integral part of the books: the Seaside Knitters series focuses on the owner and customers/knitting group of a yarn shop, and Goldie Baer in the other series is a chef/caterer - she does enough cooking in each book to feature a clutch of recipes in the back.

[Nicola]

Dee wrote: "can i ask about:

- the stone gargloye-ish on the roof"

I love me some gargoyles. All approved.

[Nicola]

Suzanne wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Checking my choices just to be sure.

For Option 1: A Lonely Death

I have a couple of possibles for Option 3:

[bo..."

The final decision will be left up to you in cases like these. If, once you read them you think that the art or craft is prominent enough to qualify as 'a celebration' then you can post it. So long as you are satisfied that it fits the meaning of the task option.

[Bea]

OK...I think I will wimp out and use the same option twice. Option 1 -

[Nicola]

Bea wrote: "OK...I think I will wimp out and use the same option twice. Option 1 - "

No wimping, you're specialising in your craft!

Approved.

[Suzanne]

Nicola wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Checking my choices just to be sure.

For Option 1: A Lonely Death

I have a couple of possibles for..."

thank you. I think I'll play it safe and go with Tough Cookie.

[Fandury]

Will these two work for option 4?

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

The protagonists wants to topple an empire and free her people from within.


Saga, Volume 5

The two main characters and their child flee from their people, as they are from two different races and their cultures do not accept their love and want to hunt them down.

[Maya]

Will these work for option 4?

A Confusion of Princes

The description on the book states that the protagonist finds out secrets about the Empire and wishes to topple it.

Night

I'm assuming this one will probably work since it's about Elie Weitzel and his life in the Holocaust, but I'm just double checking.

[Ms.soule]

Will you accept Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened for either Option 3 or 4? For option 3, I think you could argue for doodling as a form of self-expression. For Option 4, it might fit since it's about the author's struggles with mental illness and being very different from the norm.

[Heather(Gibby)]

For option 1
I have already read it, but I recommend Tehre are few cover variations that show the staute of an angel.

[Amy]

I was thinking of

Glass for Option 2

and

The Color Purple for Option 4

Will those work? Thanks!

[Kai]

Trying to narrow down a book for option 3. Would any of these work?
Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking

or The Artist Unique: Inspiration and Techniques to Discover Your Creative Signature

or Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cartooning But Were Afraid to Draw

Thanks!

[Maya]

Will this work for option 1?

[Nicola]

Fandury wrote: "Will these two work for option 4?

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

The protagonists wants to topple an empire and free her people from within.


Saga, Volume 5

The two ..."

Fandury wrote: "Will these two work for option 4?

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

The protagonists wants to topple an empire and free her people from within.


Saga, Volume 5

The two ..."

Your first book is fine but looking at the blurb for the second it doesn't give enough information to show that this is actually the prominent part of the story, their fight to be together because of societies disapproval.

[Nicola]

Maya wrote: "Will these work for option 4?

A Confusion of Princes

The description on the book states that the protagonist finds out secrets about the Empire and wishes to topple it.

Ni..."</i>

I read the book blurb for [book:A Confusion of Princes and I see nothing there which indicates an individuals struggle against an oppressive empire.

For the second, this would only work if the prisoners in question are fighting the Nazi regime. This doesn't have to be by force, but simple survival is not enough.