The Amazing Stuff

We all have that one friend who groans at the thought of doing anything that could be considered a cultural experience. In fact, you might even be that friend. For these people, waiting in long lines at art museums to watch people stare (for way, way too long) at splattered canvases and paintings of naked cherubs seems like the polar opposite of a good time.

But anything can turn into an awesome experience if you have a sense of humor about it. Just ask this guy. BoredPanda user Mr. Angry decided to visit the Louvre one day (albeit begrudgingly) so he could pop some fun captions on a few of the paintings. Art snobs might be offended by the stunt, but I feel like that’s probably the point. And it’s awesome.

“Yaaaaaaaaaas, queen!”

He can’t even. He is completely unable to even.

How to not impress the ladies even a little bit.

If you’d just move out, she wouldn’t have to bother you. You’re 30. It’s time.

Preach it, brother.

Do you even lift? (Hint: no.)

Not into it.

When the weird guy at the party plays “Wonderwall” for the thirtieth time in a row and you realize that bad things happen to good people.

(via BoredPanda)

If having fun in the world’s most famous art museum is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. (But if you don’t feel like getting scowled at, maybe don’t read French painting captions with a southern accent. I might have learned that the hard way? Just kidding. I definitely did.)

Anyway, keep getting down with your bad self, Mr. Angry. We feel you.

When you think of miniatures, you might think of models, toys, and dollhouses, but in the French city of Lyon, there are miniatures that come with a huge sense of style and grandeur. They’re the miniatures at the Musee Miniature & Cinema — a specialized museum comprised of two parts. One section features incredibly lifelike miniature scenes created by artists from around the world, and the other is home to cinematic props and costumes.

The miniatures are scale models of real places.

To get them right, artists spend countless hours measuring spaces and making them into smaller models. This miniature shows a famous Parisian restaurant.

These artists focus on every last detail.

Miniatures are also traditionally used in movies, especially in the ones that were made before the advent of digital imaging.

Here’s Dan Ohlmann, museum founder and miniature artist.

He’d been building and exhibiting miniatures in small shows for a while, and when he grew tired of that, he set up this museum.

Aside from astounding miniatures, the museum is also home to a number of famous film props.

Here’s a little model from the movie Stuart Little.

These costumes are, from left to right, from the films Lincoln, The Three Musketeers, and The Last Emperor.

There’s also an animatronic dinosaur on site.

The robot from I, Robot lives here, as well.

As does the prosthetic worn by actor Ron Perlman in Hellboy.

(via Messy Nessy Chic)

In all, the Musee Miniature & Cinema is home to 100 intricate miniature scenes. To see the astounding detail in the miniatures, visitors are provided with magnifying glasses, and the cinematic section features 300 iconic props.

You can see many more of the museum’s strange and fascinating objects by checking out their website. Also be sure to keep up with upcoming exhibitions on Facebook and TripAdvisor.

Paris’ Pere Lachaise cemetery is the final resting place of some very influential people, including Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Jim Morrison, as well as countless others. Like other cemeteries, it’s full of heartfelt memorials and classic grave markers.

There is, however, one exception to the traditional rule, and it’s one that’s been causing giggles for the past 140 or so years. It’s the grave of journalist Victor Noir, who died in a duel in 1870 and whose death had political repercussions throughout the country. And whoever created it made some very interesting stylistic choices.

This is Victor Noir.

He’s happy to see you.

The grave, which shows Noir at the moment of his death, lying on the ground in street clothes, is famous for the very noticeable bulge in his pants.

It’s not clear why this was done. Was it a reference to Noir’s…active social life? We’ll likely never know.

What we do know, however, is that in the years after his death, Noir’s grave became a fertility symbol to Parisian women.

It’s believed that touching or rubbing Noir’s bulge and kissing the statue on the lips, then leaving a flower in the upturned top hat, will guarantee fertility, childbirth, and a good sex life.

Because of this, the face and crotch of the statue show considerable wear, having been rubbed shiny by countless hands — and who knows what else.

Although, because of the wear, it kind of just looks like an unfortunate stain.

In 2004, a fence was erected (ahem) around the statue to prevent these kinds of goings-on, but it was removed by popular demand.

And people still visit Noir to this day for a little quality time.

(via Messy Nessy Chic)

If you happen to visit this famous cemetery, stop by the grave of Victor Noir. He’s always happy to have visitors. Let’s keep the inappropriate acts to a minimum, though.

Do you think dandelions are just weeds? Artist Duy Anh Nhan Duc and photographer Isabelle Chapuis challenge you to think otherwise. Dandelion, their collaborative series, features the famous puffballs arranged on models’ faces and bodies, turning them into downy masks and costumes. Chapuis describes herself as being interested in chrysalis-like material and layers that both conceal and reveal what lurks inside. Duy Anh Nhan Duc‘s fascination is with all things verdant. The result is this ethereal, dreamy series.

Chapuis’ work in fashion and art photography is heavily focused on texture — specifically organic textures like fiber, cloth, and plants. The materials, which remind her of the chrysalises she loves so much, serve as a way to lend depth and transformative power to her subjects.

Happy with the results of Dandelion, the pair collaborated again on a series called Etamine. This time, instead of soft, monochromatic dandelion puffs, they used bright, vibrant flower petals from irises, carnations, and chrysanthemums. These flowers are more like bright jewelry, or even armor.

Moving to France from Vietnam at the age of 10, Duy Anh Nhan Duc found that he deeply missed the lush plant life of his home. Seeking to get back in touch with the flora of Vietnam led him to create art using plants. He describes the process of creating art as being “a bubble of oxygen.”

Both of these series have been published in magazines, and they’ve drawn considerable attention. Using natural, everyday materials, the two artists were able to celebrate both the human form and the plant world in these surreal photos. Dandelion is a quiet study of texture and the concept of growth. Etamine, with its brighter colors, looks more like a traditional fashion shoot, but shows that striking photos can be created using simple, organic materials.

You can see more work by both Isabelle Chapuis and Duy Ahn Nhan Duc on their respective websites. Also be sure to follow Chapuis on Facebook and Instagram and Duy Ahn Nhan Duc on Instagram and Facebook.

There’s a process when it comes to looking at and appreciating Bertrand Flachot‘s work and its many layers. First, there’s the photograph. The Paris-based artist uses large photos of mountains, forests, cities, and waterscapes as the foundation for his pieces. But they don’t stop there.

Working off the natural forms and lines of the photos, Flachot embellishes them with ink, creating a sketchy, threadlike version of the landscape that spills past its photographic bounds. Sometimes this includes objects that aren’t in the photo. Eventually, the boundaries of the real and the imagined, or the documented and the created, become blurred.

The result is a place that seems to be in a constant state of reimagining or reinterpreting. The photo shows the “real” place, but the lines suggest the movement, the people, and the mood that make the memory of the place come alive.

Dealing with memory and trying to recreate the past is something that hits close to home for Flachot. In 1990, his studio, and all of the artwork in it, was destroyed by a fire, leaving behind only the memories. That’s a devastating loss to any artist, but Flachot gamely pressed on, using the experience as an inspiration for a new body of work. The lines he adds to these photos are an exploration of memory and how memories affect not only the past, but shapes the present, as well.

(via My Modern Met)

Some people think of drawing and photography as being rivals in the art world, but Flachot’s work shows how they can beautifully exist together.

You can see more of Flachot’s work on his website and Facebook page.