Things I have learned in my life so far by Stefan Sagmeister

I incidentally found that the rock star of graphic design (it's a bit limited using this term, he certainly has crossed that, but anyway) have recently published this book sprung from his own diary notes and the same titled talks he gave.



The DIY cover is very clever.
Looks like an extended execution from his previous work on Rolling Stones' 'Bridges to Babylon' album cover.

Here's the list of what he learned in his life so far.

To me, writing a blog is equivalent to keeping a diary.
It does support my personal development.
I'm glad I did.

Love is noise

I was slow to know that The Verve has it's fourth album (titled "Fourth") out on August.
I was even slower to know that they actually reunited last year.
Maybe I was buried by so many things other than what's happening in the music scene.
Here's the single "Love is noise."
It makes me want to jump up and down a bit.
Love the bizarrely mixed odd scenes in the music video, especially the North Korean parade.
Critics often accuse some bands of lacking progress or repeating themselves.
But for The Verve, we can forgive them.
Just love their original sound and hope they never change.

Buzz around Giorgio Morandi

I said earlier in my older post that Giorgio Morandi might not be very well-known.
I think I was wrong, or he and his paintings are getting more and more popular.
A new book on him ranked fifth on Amazon's recent best selling artist book list.
His retrospective exhibition is currently held at Metropolitan Museum.
And it's been reported on style magazines.
Following my own painting of toilet rolls appearing beside his on Google image search, a blogger Marisa Polin has put it on her blog along side... well, you know who.
Very flattered.
I'm going to do another experiment: put another still life up here and see what will happen.
It's "Three Jugs" I painted months after the toilet rolls, in a much realistic way as I was fascinated by the reflections.
It's now in the Museum of Modern Art, Frankfurt...
No, just joking. It's few miles away, on the wall of my uncle's house.
As a gift to him many years ago.
This is not a good photo of it. A lot of subtle colours has lost.
I wish I can see it real again, some time, in the future.

Silly Hoarding

Talking about hoarding, just round the corner another shop is under construction.
A watch shop, and they too try to do something with their hoarding.
You can see they are trying very hard to be smart.
But fell flat. Very flat.
This kind of pretentious crap really annoys me.
Who is responsible for this, the client or the creatives? I'm not sure.
The message I've got here is that either they thought the passersby are really stupid or they are.
"We don't know exactly when we will open. But it will be on time."
In advertising, making a paradoxical statement can win you some attentions, but it has to be conveying a sensible truth.
Nonsense remains nonsense, whatever rhetoric you throw in.
"Before opening we have to work 24 hrs a day. Like IWC watches."
Oh really? I don't see you working this morning when I'm on my way to work, not to mention at night.
Just what sort of thinking is this?
Silly. Liar.

Conceptual-art-like Hoarding

This is the most (and probably the only, as far as I can remember) interesting hoarding I've seen in Hong Kong.
A lot like a piece of conceptual art.
Drawing attentions from passers-by.
It's a new shop under renovation, near where I work.
Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay, if you want to pay a visit.
I wonder what kind of shop it is.
I will be really surprised if it sells fans.

The Emperor Qianlong's Review of the Grand Parade of Troops

Another week of heavy workload.
Thank goodness we got a Chung Yeung Festival day off.
I went to the Sotheby's auction show held in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
I planned to see the Contemporary Chinese Art session which was closed.
Instead there were some masterpieces of Chinese ceramics and works of art on show titled "Legacies of Imperial Power".
I was captivated by one piece – the Dayue tu (大閱圖), Emperor Qianlong's Review of the Grand Parade of Troops.

15 meters long. Meticulously painted.
It depict the emperor reviewing his troops which consists of astounding numbers of soldier on horseback – 16,000, I was told. (Save your trouble, you'll never be able to count.)
No larger than thumb size, one by one in formation, like duplications you can do on computer today. (Each is unique on close examination.)
No Western perspective representation here.
That somehow makes it look surprisingly modern.
It was sold for 67,860,000 HKD, around 8.7 million USD.
15 percent less than expected.
Blame the financial crisis, Sotheby's.
Or should I say the Émile Guimet family – former owner now.
How was such remarkable national treasure in the hands of a French collector?
Well, legal robbery.
By the French army officials in 1900 when the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing.
The French was controlling the Shouhuang Hall on Mt. Jing.
You can guess what was in there.