Atelier Mends Art Blog

Coming in April 2012, How to Draw an Eye at learn-to-draw-art.com - check out the action-packed trailer as Artiste 007 faces her biggest mission yet:

Holy cow!  What a website!  But before we get to that, a little background...and don't hesitate to click on the image above to open it up and see things in all their glory.

The Ghent Altarpiece, also known as The Mystic Lamb Altarpiece, has been just about my favorite artwork for a couple of decades.  I still remember when I was able to see it for the first time, about twenty years ago:  it is one of the few artworks that I have seen that was even more than I had hoped for: brilliant, moving, mystical. 

But it's at risk.  At the initiative of the Getty Foundation, the Lasting Support project was founded to undertake intensive study of the work to determine whether or not full restoration treatment was necessary.  From from April 2010 to June 2011 this highly collaborative project - involving everyone from the Flemish government to a Canadian technical team head - was conducted in three main parts:  urgent conservation treatment, assessment of the altarpiece's current condition, and the preparation of an archive of technical documentation.

I actually saw the altarpiece again last year, during the project, but was lucky enough to come on a holiday when the team was not working, so we were allowed to slip in to spend a little time with the Lamb, although we couldn't see its back.  It then looked fine to me, having just as much visual and emotional impact as ever.  But in reality, there are indeed serious problems that the project revealed, and which will be dealt with in the near future

The immediate good news, however, is there is a fascinating website presenting the resulting technical documentation and findings.  This includes macrophotogrphy, inch by inch, of the entire altarpiece; infrared photography; x-radiography; cleaning tests; and study of the somewhat controversial quatrain discovered when cleaning was undertaken in the 19th century.

For a mind-boggling voyage into one of art history's greatest works, go to:

http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be/#home/sub=project

 A big moment has come for Atelier Mends:  the first Atelier Mends iPad app, uJigsawArt©, is here and available on the Apple Store for free!

The uJigsawArt© Lite Jigsaw Puzzle Games let you vividly experience jigsaw puzzle fun anywhere you can take your iPad. Break the puzzle into the number of pieces right for you; no matter where you are, actual assembly is as easy as doing a real puzzle on a table – whether you are waiting in the cash register line or taking the train to work, or hanging out on a Sunday afternoon in a park!

The uJigsawArt© Lite Jigsaw Puzzles are also a challenge to share. Time yourself and keep your top scores; save your finished puzzle and post it online; then make your friends green with envy at your crushing win by posting your final image via the app’s Twitter or Facebook buttons.

Last, the uJigsawArt© Lite Jigsaw Puzzles are also an aesthetic and educational experience – who doesn’t like to look at beautiful paintings and drawings? Here you have a whole library of great masterpieces spanning the history of art, from Medieval illumination to Post-Impressionists like Van Gogh. The pinch-and-zoom iPad function lets you can zero in on details that capture your attention.

Ten good reasons uJigsawArt© is really cool:

1. You can add your own images to the puzzle gallery from your iPad photo library or from online resources

2. You have absolutely realistic control over the puzzle pieces

3. You can turn sound effects on or off

4. You can post your finished puzzles on Facebook and Twitter

4. You can create puzzles ranging from 4~300 pieces

5. You can zoom in or move around the game table virtually

6. You have a selection of 40 HD images in the puzzle gallery to choose from

7. You can select the game table surface you prefer

8. You can save your finished puzzle images to your iPad's photo library

9. You can time yourself and track your top scores

10.  Learning art history has never been so much fun!

Want to take a look?  Click here:

http://itunes.apple.com/app/ujigsawart-lite-jigsaw-puzzle/id499561778