Kel1st and Yu, Florence Italy Masterclass Week 4: Art for Art’s sake.

We want to thank everyone at the Accademia D’Art Firenze  in Italy for their willingness to allow a recording into the Art studio so that we were able to send all the files of the MP4 of 15th Century Michael Angelo style techniques we set out to look at because we wanted to see if there was a way to find a common methodology between Graffiti and Chinese Calligraphy painting .

Thank you to the instructor from the Scuola Da Leonardo Da Vinci Firenze for graciously providing the instruction. She was a wonderful Fresco Conservation Expert who is working on the team, restoring the  Santa Maria Novella Cathedral in Florence.

San Marco Square, Florence

We were very fortunate to witness both techniques in close proximity and via modern technology! All this enabled Masterclass exchanges to happen across different timezones! But before we conclude these series of Art blogs, we also wanted to thank Professor Chan who was able to remind us of the importance of something beyond just Mastery of Art!  Thank you for his epic attempt to remind us of the values of kindness and mutual respect.

Calligraphy work of Grandmaster Li Bai

Professor Chan ( a Hong Kong based, Southern Chinese Calligraphy Free Style Professor) who  gave both Kel1st’s techniques and Yu’s ability to incorporate Taoist and Buddhist values into everyday subject matter…..some very positive feedbacks! We hope to learn more from Chinese Calligraphy Grandmasters like Grandmaster Li Bai 李白 and Grandmaster Dufu 杜甫, in the future.

During his time Kel1st launched his iphone App. and made a number of  videos that displayed his Wild style techniques and his love of combining art history and technology.

We also wanted to thank Ms. Linda Catalan for being a genuine Art lover who valued, “Art for Art’s sake” because she did the things that real  patrons of the art do:

Calligraphy work of Grandmaster Dufu

a) She was willing to walk the journey beside the artists and maintained an open mind throughout the most challenging of circumstances. b) Her support and generosity for the artists and technicians involved were not just about donating money. She took the time to find out what each individual may or may not need and she connected with her heart and her wisdom to give, not what was “assumed” to be needed but what was TRULY needed. Having done that, she gave without any hesitation or expectation of return. We did not always see eye-to-eye but we communicated and learned to undertand one another. We were not superwomen. We had moments when we were fed up. Times when we were stressed. Situations where we felt out of our depth and we supported one another unflinchingly.

In the same way we want to thank our host, everyone including the Accademia D’Art for their unwavering courage in being a place that was more than just an art studio, art school or a preparation for the gifted wishing to enter the prestigious Accademia Del Belle Arte, Firenze.

What they gave was an openness and a willingness towards Sharing of Creative Knowledge and Technical Support. What they gave was far beyond the fees charged for the use of the 15th century creative space. They gave of their time, their expertise and their willingness to foster creative talents from worldwide in whatever way that was needed.

 They gave their feedbacks honestly in an objective way. That is the best of Italian Renaissance School.

Of course, this summary would not be complete without an acknowledgement of those who furthered the arts, in the shadow of the unknown. Kel1st, in his apple interactive app. about the history of wild style, tried to explain that his work was not in anyway a detraction from the efforts individuals like the 1970’s generation of Graffiti writers gave, unflinchingly and at times risking everything they had to further Creative Freedom from all around the world. They did not do it out of pride nor out of a wish to be famous, celebrated or for monetary gains because in the beginning none of those options were available!

2Many2Name was dedicated to all the graffiti writers who created the young modern art movement that many from the Antiquity and Ancient Art traditions are reaching out to understand the source of Graffiti’s creative drive.

We cannot complete this blog without mentioning  Maria Paphiti, who is an expert  in Byzantine Art as well as Russian and Greek Icons. She came to meet the world current no.1 experts on the Verification of Leonardo Da Vinci’s works. She is a world record holder for finding and authentication of the highest priced icon sold in auction, formerly owned by Tsar Nicholas II and a former deputy department head at Christie’s in London.

In her busy schedule we managed to meet for 2 hrs and what we talked about was not money or the market. We shared our passion for Art; for bringing fusion innovation into new light in the world and hers for the art of El Greco and Leonardo Da Vinci.

We shared a common love for the Art and the Aesthetic value it inspires in the world. It is important to have experts that can identify the difference between substantive masterpieces and media generated hypes.

We want to give special thanks to British Architect Robert Cohen and Scottish DJ  Mark Mackenzie, who in their own professions seek to bring such extreme opposites  as Graffiti and the application of Fine Art into Commercial art projects, into light.

We  mentioned in Week 3 blog  the tension of our creative differences, but at the core; We did it to further the Art.

Let us let history decide if our art bears the test of time.

We are  honoured to be mere players in this moment in Art history where many questions are left unanswered like :

“Will we ever get all the work we aspired to done?”

“Will there be  any future fusion exhibitions?”

The only Answers we can give  honestly  and we hope it is not presumptious to also suggest this Baseline by which we all measure our future achievement is:

Did we uphold this simple Latin Motto:

ARS GRATIA ARTIS

(ART FOR ART’S SAKE) If we may be so bold as to venture a guess…

We think most of us who are truly artists in our souls, gave it our Finest efforts.

May the “Art” Force be with everyone!

For

All those who came before us and all those who will come after us,

in the Universal Creative Continuum that we are honored to be a part of.

RESPECT

from

Cecilia.W.Yu 

余詠詩

East-West Fusion International Visual Artist. Social entreprenuer.

and

Randy Rodriguez 

(aka Kel1st)

Graffiti Wild Style Master. Web Developer.