{"id":396,"date":"2015-05-09T11:49:26","date_gmt":"2015-05-09T15:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/?p=396"},"modified":"2016-02-14T14:05:39","modified_gmt":"2016-02-14T19:05:39","slug":"the-lifeworlds-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2015\/05\/the-lifeworlds-project\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lifeworlds Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lifeworlds<\/strong> is a long-range painting project I started in 2012. \u00a0The project started initially out of a desire to explore the square format in painting. The inspiration for this was not<\/em> Instagram as one might easily suppose, but the square format Landscape paintings of Gustav Klimt<\/a>. \u00a0I then chanced upon the evocative term “Lifeworld” in the philosophical writings of Edmund Husserl<\/a> and from the confluence of these two streams the project was born.<\/p>\n

\""Lifeworld<\/a>
“Lifeworld 1″, oil on canvas, 20×20” (approx. 50cm2). Summer, 2012. The project starts here!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, three years into the project, Lifeworlds continues to evolve and develop. I decided early on that I would continue to make square format paintings under the title\u00a0of “Lifeworld” until I felt that I had exhausted the possibilities of the format entirely.<\/p>\n

In reality, the possibilities of this form may never<\/em> be exhausted. \u00a0Therefore, I thought it best to put a cap on it: so the idea arose to work toward the completion of 108 paintings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Lifeworld<\/a>
Lifeworld 14, oil on canvas, 20×20″, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why 108<\/strong>? Those who know me and have followed my work for a while will also know of my interest in Buddhism, and the influence it’s had on my work. \u00a0108 is the number of prayer beads in the Buddhist japa mala<\/em> (a Buddhist rosary<\/a>). The number is given various meanings in Buddhist cosmology and additionally simply refers to any proverbial big number in the same way that a “myriad” (literally Greek for “10,000”) has come to stand in for anything large and virtually uncountable. \u00a0So, instead of making some infinite number of paintings, I will make 108 to represent that infinity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since one of the uses of a rosary or japa mala<\/em> is to count repetitions of chants or prayers, a\u00a0nice thing about the number 108\u00a0is that it emphasizes how\u00a0the project\u00a0becomes a\u00a0kind of prayer or meditation on the artistic process, and on the artist’s relationship with his environment — what I’m calling a Lifeworld<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\""Lifeworld<\/a>
“Lifeworld 12″ mixed media on canvas, 20×20”, 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, I see each Lifeworld as a snapshot of a particular state of mind formed when the artist encounters his subject. Although frequently quite abstract<\/strong>, each painting results from the process of observing my surroundings. The square is both the container for the composition and also one of its principal motifs.<\/p>\n

As of this writing, the newest Lifeworld pieces are numbers 32, 33 and 34,<\/strong> all completed earlier this year. \u00a0The precise imagery continues to evolve and shift, all the while remaining within the parameters of the project: square format and 20″ x 20″ (around 51cm2 — 50.8cm to be exact) in size.<\/p>\n

\""Lifeworld<\/a>
“Lifeworld 32”, oil on canvas, 20x20in., 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""Lifeworld<\/a>
“Lifeworld 33”, oil on canvas, 20x20in., 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A small note about the size: there are a couple of early Lifeworlds, numbers 5 and 7, that are actually 24×24″ (60cm2). \u00a0I was still experimenting with the parameters at this stage; I may end up going back and redoing these to fit the program.<\/p>\n

\"Lifeworld<\/a>
Lifeworld 7, oil on canvas, 24x24in., 2012.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So a big project like this needs help, which leads me to …<\/p>\n

How you can help:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A\u00a0big project and entails certain tangible challenges to the artist (not to mention all the intangible challenges!), not least of which<\/strong> are the cost of materials, the cost of studio space (ever-increasing in New York City) and the potential storage costs (108 paintings take up a lot of space!).<\/p>\n

So I’m reaching out to you — dear audience! \u00a0<\/strong>There are several ways you can help:<\/p>\n

1. Lifeworlds are for sale!<\/strong> Some have sold already. Prices currently run from $800 to $1,200 for each painting. \u00a0If you would like to see or purchase a painting (or two or three), contact me. \u00a0I do hope to mount an exhibition of all or a selection\u00a0of the paintings in the future — and how cool would it be for you to have a painting that you own in a major retrospective of my work!<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong>\u00a0I accept tips, donations, contributions …<\/strong> etc. If you’re not up to purchasing a painting at the present time, you can also contribute any amount (no matter how small) toward the project through Venmo<\/strong> (the best! No fees for you or me!)<\/a> or by clicking the paypal donate button below. \u00a0The arts has always existed through the kind generosity of its patrons.<\/p>\n


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Wow, if you’ve read this far, I really appreciate your interest. \u00a0<\/strong>A brief outline of the project (as well as some images) is available on my website<\/a>, and all of the Lifeworlds can be viewed together on my flickr account<\/a>. \u00a0I’ll continue to post future developments here. \u00a0Stay tuned!<\/p>\n

\"Lifeworld<\/a>
Lifeworld 2, oil on canvas, 20x20in., 2012.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lifeworlds is a long-range painting project I started in 2012. \u00a0The project started initially out of a desire to explore the square format in painting. The inspiration for this was not Instagram as one might easily suppose, but the square format Landscape paintings of Gustav Klimt. \u00a0I then chanced upon the evocative term “Lifeworld” in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"The Lifeworlds Project http:\/\/wp.me\/p5zpKF-6o","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,23,16],"tags":[63,7,66,65,19,62,20,21,18,64],"class_list":["post-396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-artwork-for-sale","category-studio-notes","tag-abstract","tag-art","tag-buddhism","tag-husserl","tag-landscape","tag-lifeworld","tag-oil","tag-painting","tag-paysage","tag-trees"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Winter-salon2015-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C685","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5zpKF-6o","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1094,"url":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2021\/10\/lifeworlds-update-and-gowanus-open-studios-this-weekend\/","url_meta":{"origin":396,"position":0},"title":"Lifeworlds Update, and Gowanus Open Studios this Weekend!","author":"John Azelvandre","date":"October 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been a busy couple of weeks settling into my new studio space on 18th Street in Brooklyn and getting ready for this weekend's Open Studio tour. I'll have several recent works on view during the studio tour, among them several recent Lifeworld paintings. So, I've been looking at my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Official-launch.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Official-launch.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Official-launch.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Official-launch.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":638,"url":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2016\/02\/a-new-year-well-underway-lifeworlds-continues\/","url_meta":{"origin":396,"position":1},"title":"A new year well underway, Lifeworlds continues","author":"John Azelvandre","date":"February 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello everyone from frigid New York City on this Valentine's Day 2016! I've been retooling my studio set-up and finally (last weekend) completed the first*\u00a0second oil painting of 2016 (and the next in the Lifeworld series). \u00a0So here we have it: Lifeworld 36 continues the adventure. I've also been exploring\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Skull-sketch-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Skull-sketch-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Skull-sketch-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Skull-sketch-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1382,"url":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2024\/10\/gowanus-open-studios-this-weekend\/","url_meta":{"origin":396,"position":2},"title":"Gowanus Open Studios, this weekend!","author":"John Azelvandre","date":"October 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello everyone! The Gowanus is buzzing with activity this week, as we prepare for our annual open studios. The event is happening Saturday and Sunday, October 19-20, from 12-6pm, with additional events happening in the evening. You can read all about the weekend and access the map and artist profiles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lifeworld 48, 2022.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GOS2022-8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GOS2022-8.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GOS2022-8.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GOS2022-8.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GOS2022-8.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GOS2022-8.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":668,"url":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2016\/06\/new-lifeworld-paintings-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":396,"position":3},"title":"New Lifeworld paintings online","author":"John Azelvandre","date":"June 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Lifeworld project continues, and I've recently published definitive photographs of the latest paintings in the series.\u00a0 Here they are: So I'm making [slow] progress toward my goal of 108 Lifeworld paintings.\u00a0 To read more about the Lifeworld project, click here, and to see all the Lifeworld paintings completed so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/A20160531.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/A20160531.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/A20160531.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/A20160531.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":498,"url":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2015\/06\/featured-painting-of-the-week-lifeworld-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":396,"position":4},"title":"Featured Painting of the Week: Lifeworld 2","author":"John Azelvandre","date":"June 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My apologies - It's been quite a few weeks since I've posted a \"featured painting.\" Life has a way of happening. But better late than never! This week I'm featuring Lifeworld 2, an intriguing work from 2012 -- one of the very early pieces in my ongoing Lifeworld Series. \u00a0Lifeworld\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lifeworld 2, oil on canvas, 20x20in., 2012.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/A20120809-3-800px.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/A20120809-3-800px.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/A20120809-3-800px.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/A20120809-3-800px.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10,"url":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/2014\/12\/2014-a-year-in-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":396,"position":5},"title":"2014: A year in review","author":"John Azelvandre","date":"December 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"2014 has been a good year, although I pretty much felt like I was shot out of a cannon right from the beginning. Even before I've started to put up the window dressing and what-not in this shiny new blog space, I want to give you an overview of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/A20141220-800px.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/A20141220-800px.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/A20141220-800px.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/A20141220-800px.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":648,"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396\/revisions\/648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/azelvandre.net\/artistseye\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}