Looking for cheap art? Where else but China

by Jerry Guo on

You know those innocuous paintings hanging in your average hotel room? Ever think where they came from or who painted them? Well, like most consumer products, in all likelihood they came from China, specifically a village near Hong Kong called Dafen. And they were probably painted by poor–but entrepreneurial–factory workers who dreamed of becoming successful artists in a big city (but never quite got there).

Here are some pictures from Dafen, which looks like a remarkable place. In China, what you’ve got are entire villages popping up that are devoted to manufacturing one single item. In the case of Dafen, it’s your standard Andy Warhols, Gustav Klimts, Manets, Audubons, Da Vincis, etc.

Some of the paintings are a steal. $3 for a hand-painted Vincent van Gogh (sunflowers). Others are a bit more expensive, a $350 sprawling canvas of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “The Luncheon of the Boating Party.”

Here are more shots. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

Book events and readings as a travel pursuit

by Jamie Rhein on

As a cheap entertainment option when traveling, head to a book store to catch an author talk or reading. While movies have approached $10 or higher in many cities, book store readings are usually free. If you’re in a college town or major city, your chances of a book reading happening during your trip are pretty high. I also went to book events in Singapore and New Delhi. Anywhere where there are book stores, there will be book events at one time or another.

Tonight, for example, I headed to one of the Barnes and Noble bookstores in Columbus to hear a talk by Washington Post columnist and book critic Michael Dirda. Earlier today I heard him on a local talk show, “Open Line with Fred Anderle,” thought he sounded interesting, didn’t have plans, so there I went. Dirda’s latest book is a collection of essays about the pleasure of reading classics called Classics for Pleasure.

Listening to writers read, talk about their work and answer audience questions stimulates me to think about my own perceptions of life and the world. I bought a cup of tea which cost $1.55 with tax and that was all I spent. I do normally buy one of the author’s books, but I have one of Dirda’s already and yesterday was a day of spending money elsewhere.

If you go on Barnes and Noble’s Web site, there’s a place where you type in a city, town or state, pick from a drop down menu what type of event you are looking for and it will let you know what authors are coming within a 25 mile range up to three months from now. There’s another option where you type in the name of the author and that author’s events will show up. Anne Lamott, one of the funniest, most poignant writers around, for example, has a few readings scheduled —one of them is at the Union Square Barnes and Noble. The store, pictured in the photo, has author events as a regular feature.

The Harvard Book Store also has several authors making appearances through the Author Event Series. If you’re going to be in Cambridge or Boston, head here.

Revisiting the Milagro Beanfield War

by Jamie Rhein on

John Ur has just begun a series at Intelligent Travel to highlight the movies that capture the essence of the 50 states. In today’s post he presents films shot in New Mexico that capture a particular essence of its landscape and people. It’s a great list. Being that I’m a movie hound, I can second his recommendations. I was just talking with a friend tonight about 3:10 to Yuma and I think it’s the best movie this year.

Ur’s recommendation of the movie The Milagro Beanfield War reminded me of the book. Sure, the movie is wonderful, but the book is splendid. When I read the The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols I was living in a Gambian village having my Peace Corps experience. I laughed so hard when I read parts of it, I could hardly stand how much I laughed. Great big guffaws. Tears running. I’m serious.The experience of the VISTA volunteer from somewhere on the east coat trying to adapt to living in a small village in Northern New Mexico was so much like my Peace Corps experience I was thrilled. I did not feel quite so stupid and out of place.

The volunteer tried so hard to not be offensive and fit in to the village culture that people around him were perplexed about certain things he did. They assumed his behavior was normal so they didn’t interfere with his comings or goings or offer suggestions. There were many miscommunications. I vaguely remember a guitar as a central force in one instance. One if his friends borrowed his guitar but didn’t bring it back. The volunteer was afraid to ask for it for fear of being offensive, but would look over at the guitar with longing from the inside of his house. This went on for days, as I recall. The friend didn’t know the volunteer wanted the guitar back since he didn’t ask.

Nicols had such a way of capturing the issues of culture and miscommunication that for weeks afterwards I recommended it to friends. I would put this on your list of novels to read that have an important message, but do so in such a sly and funny way that you’ll have good time while learning about how people can interact when the parameters aren’t clear. The part of New Mexico Nichols describes has not changed much either.

By the way, in the movie the VISTA volunteer was changed to a social worker of some sort because it was felt the audience wouldn’t know about VISTA since the program had ended well before the movie was made. VISTA was the domestic version of Peace Corps. Volunteers were generally sent to urban areas, reservations or rural towns that were impoverished in the U.S. to help create solutions. VISTA on a large scale ended with Reagan, however its been resurrected over the years and is now AmeriCorps. VISTA is part of the official name. The emphasis is similar, but it has a different structure from what I understand.

Cinematical is in Park City for Sundance

by Justin Glow on

Our sister site Cinematical is holed up in chilly Park City, Utah for this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and they recently posted a great set of photos highlighting the beautiful snow-covered streets and shimmering lights of the city at night. Even if you’re not a movie buff, you can’t help but wish you were bundled up, warm Irish coffee in hand, hobnobbing with celebrities and checking out a new premiere. Jealous? I know I am.

Cinematical will in Park City all week for the festival, so head over to their Sundance hub to follow the latest in movie news, interviews, and reviews.

Where on Earth, Week 41: Frank Zappa Monument, Vilnius, Lithuania

by Neil Woodburn on


Congratulations to Nuva and Oddsocks for correctly identifying this week’s Where on Earth.

It took a bit of wandering myself before I was able to find the monument featured in the above photograph, for the simple reason that government officials in post-communist Vilnius, Lithuania were hesitant to erect a bust of Frank Zappa in the center of town.

In fact, one must certainly wonder how a monument to singer Frank Zappa ever ended up in a city with which he had no connection and never even visited.

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to share some beers with one of the students responsible for this very odd monument. He explained to me in a dark Vilnius pub how he and his friends, caught up in the early 1990s euphoria of post-communist freedom, decided to honor one of their favorite American singers whom they clandestinely listened to during communism because authorities banned his decadent western music.
Amazingly, during a crazy time when all things seemed possible, the students were able to convince the city government of their worthy Zappa cause. Even more remarkable, was that the students commissioned local sculptor Konstantinas Bogdanas to create the bust. Prior to this commission, Bogdanas sculpted only what the state told him to sculpt, which was mostly Lenin statues and other heroes of the socialist revolution.

So, if you happen to be in Vilnius, seek out this ironic monument and spend a moment with the underground hero of an entirely different revolution, one which communist authorities often tried to prevent by threatening to “beat the Zappa” out of unruly dissidents.