Fine Art-Auguste Rodin

To me, there is no greater sculptor than Auguste Rodin. This year, I was able to travel through Paris and see the Louvre, the Musee Marmottan of the Impressionists, the Musee d'Orsay with all the Van Goghs and thousands of other classics, but by far my favorite museum was the Musee Rodin. Rodin's goal wasn't to show the exact proportions of a figure, but to show the exact emotion of the figure. I cannot get enough of Rodin and his artwork, and I thought that I'd better share my favorite pieces with you too. Enjoy!

I believe this is the Burgers of Calais, but I'm actually not positive.

Gates of Hell. So intricate.

As you can see, The Thinker was originally a part of the Gates of Hell, but later was a piece all by itself.

Really great view of the Eiffel Tower. The whole Museum was amazing because one could stroll the beautiful gardens while observing the amazing artistry of Rodin. 

The Thinker, probably one of the greatest sculptures in all of fine art, atleast in my opinion.

I actually had to look this one up haha. It's called Ugolino, and the story behind the piece relates a man named Ugolino, convicted of treason, and kept in the Tower of Hunger in Pisa with his two sons and grandsons. He is condemned to hell after watching his children and grandchildren die, and then eating their flesh. Not a very positive story. Nonetheless, an intricate and utterly awesome sculpture.

This is the original Thinker, kept inside the main Museum building on the grounds. All the larger ones are only copies. An amazing triumph of sculpture. The idea and concept of the piece is so obviously seen in the art piece. 

Aptly named The Kiss, one of Rodin's most famous art pieces. But the next one is my absolute favorite.

"Je suis belle", or in English, I am Beautiful. The figures are so incredibly expressive, and there is so much human triumph and human appreciation in this piece. The ideal, the concept behind such a piece is so obvious, that it needs only a glance to realize his intentions. This art piece seems to reach out and tell you to love yourself, to love humanity, and to realize how great one can be. I could probably rant about how incredible this piece is, but I am glad that you at least took the time to look at it. Remember, no matter what, you are beautiful, humanity is beautiful, and we have the possibility of being great. 

Tags and Art around Europe

Thought I would post some art that I scoped around the globe while in Europe. I didn't have my camera on me at all times and I definitely missed alot, but I captured a few. Some are just hilarious, others are clearly works of art. Keep Clownin!

Cinque Terre, the Italian towns right on the Mediterranean coast. Apart from the beautiful views, one could also get a glimpse into the locals way of passing time. 

This was the lover's passageway or something like that. Sean and Amanda just looking adorable. Other than these goobers, the whole hall was graffiti'd and there were tons of locks (to represent how the love is "locked down") 

Is it just me, or do I smell the works of a prolific artist by the name of Banksy?

Keep Dreamin'! Can't kill the Dreams, only the Dreamer

Belfast, Northern Ireland.... Nice. I just couldn't help myself when I saw this.

Again, Belfast. Kind of crazy that they haven't taken this down yet. 

Thought I'd better show something enjoyable from Belfast, haha. Thought these sculptures with electronics and other appliances in their bodies were pretty neat. 

Vienna, Austria. A small passageway near the Museum Quarter. 

Cool little street tag. Vienna.

I've got some family in Tübingen, Germany (Southern Germany to be more exact), and I saw this little gem in a back alley near a bridge. 

Another cool piece I saw in a little corridor of Tübingen. Really expressive bronze statues. I'm a fan. 

At the Dublin Castle there were all these Angels depicting different things. I had been in Berlin a few years earlier and seen a similar exhibition of Bears (for Berlin). I think the artists paint them with symbols or something belonging to their country. 

Very Klimt.

Picture I took while waiting for the bus. Really cool fountain randomly in some square. 

Sculpture I saw while walking around Köln, Germany. We were there for the Karneval celebration. Great times. Absolutely great times. Whole city goes crazy.

Walking through the Flea Market in Athens, Greece, and spotted this beauty, haha. 

This was right outside the old Forum in Greece. I'd be bummed if it had been on the old ruins, but it was kind of cool to be walking around the ancient site, and 100 feet away see some graffiti. Quite the contrast.

Last but not least, some protestors sleeping in the Roman Coliseum. I couldnt' read the banners, but I guess they were people who had their houses seized, and weren't happy. Again... quite the contrast. 

 

Music Is Conducive To Producing Art 2

It's too bad that some things are just too good to last.


The Fugees were an incredible group that really only lasted a few years, but their album The Score is one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time as well as one of my personal favorites. The group consisted of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras, a team that produced, sang and rapped with the best of them. It's just too bad that Lauryn Hill quit music, Pras went to jail for close to a decade and Wyclef was left to do his own solo work. Their songs such as "The Beast" and "Cowboys" as well as their covers of "No Woman, No Cry" and "Killing Me Softly" are hits even to this day, a decade later. Part reggae, part hip-hop, they had a sound which had not been heard before and has not been heard since. If you have never heard of them or have never heard their music, go get The Score immediately.


The Fugees - Killing Me Softly - DOWNLOAD

Friends In High Places

We here at The INC! are not the only talented people in the world. In fact, we're not even the only talented people we know. It's time that a couples of our compadres receive a little shine on The INC! blog.

Sam Wegman -
We've know this kid since high school and he his a really talented musician. Both in his solo work and with his band Trophy Generation, he writes and plays some really great folk/rock fusion music. If you're into Damien Rice, Elliott Smith or Glen Hansard (The singer from The Frames and the main actor in Once), you will most likely dig his music. He has done one solo album (which The INC! did the cover art for) which is available now on iTunes and he will be heading back into the studio this summer. He'll be playing shows and festivals around Seattle and Portland soon, so look him up and check him out: Sam Wegman on Facebook

Our First 3 Designs

We've been working on t-shirt designs for over a year now. We've had tons of ideas and a few set backs but at this point we've come up with some stuff that we really like. Hopefully, everybody else does too. Take a look at what we've been working on for our first batch of t-shirts. They're not all the way there yet but they're close enough to let the world take a peek. You can probably expect the finished product early this summer.

1. The "I Love College" T


2. The "To The Top" T


3. The "Logo" T

Inspirations - Black and White Photography

So Close

Put in some work last night. It's getting there. Pretty soon we'll be able to take your money and give you a t shirt in return.

- The INC!

Always Feel Like This

Nobody is there yet.

- The INC!

Music Is Conducive To Producing Art 1

Music is the best. I have music on in my room or headphones 24/7. Therefore, whenever I am drawing, painting or working on a new design, music is on. In my mind, there is no difference between a dope t shirt and a dope song. Every once and a while I'll let you know what I am listening to so you can check it out and see what's inspiring me at that moment.

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version



Nobody has ever rapped like ODB. He was super crazy and his music was too. But nobody had more fun making music than him. It's too bad he died so young but he did what he could while he could the best that he could, just the way we all should.

Download: ODB - Brooklyn Zoo

Legendary, Vienna, Simply Legendary

Here are a bunch of photos from my recent trip to Vienna. Our good friend Patrick Strobl from northern Italy was performing with his band, The Looky but no Touchy, and we went to support the cause. He was competing in a International Live Band Contest, and they totally killed it. You can check them out with this link ( http://www.myspace.com/pattyfu ). They came in 7th place, but it was a shame, because only the top 3 advanced to the finals. The worst part, was that most of the other bands were metal bands, and the judges of the contest were dressed from head to toe in black , with tattoes and piercings...go figure why they lost. The other pics are from the bars we made it out to that night, 1516 brewing pub, and Einbaumöbel, the latter which we are quite positive didn't have an actual liquor license. It was an absolutely crazy night. Anyways, enjoy the photos, and check out The Looky but no Touchy!