Art Digest: Speak Softly, But Carry a Big Can of Paint

Art isn't just in museums anymore. It's in the streets, in the ordinary and sometimes 75 floors above ground.
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Art isn't just in museums anymore. It's in the streets, in the ordinary and sometimes 75 floors above ground. Buckle up boys and girls, this week's digest takes us on a tour of three distinct sectors of the art world: the subversive, the celebrated and the narcissistic. Off we go.

Speak softly, but carry a big can of paint

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Lonac in Koprivnica, Croatia

What was once a clandestine act of vandalism is now a celebrated form of public art, popping up across the globe. From small countries to global superpowers, street art is one thing that we all have in common.

The industrious folks over at Pixelated mined through countless photos on graffiti websites and social media networks to come up with a photo journey of street art from around the world. All 196 countries!

While browsing through the collection is certainly an enjoyable experience, it is a distinct reminder that we are all people under the same sun.

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Gabriel Abreu in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Celebrity artists being regular people

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Jackson Pollock carving a Thanksgiving turkey.

Images of artists like Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol or Pablo Picasso at work in their studios are well known. Lesser known, however, are their domestic sides.

Until now.

A new book, Artists Unframed, presents more than 100 photographs from the collections of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, all depicting famous artists in intimate, personal moments. From Pollock carving a Thanksgiving turkey to Picasso posing with his young daughter on the balcony to an Ansel Adams photo booth selfie, curator Merry A. Foresta uncovers a treasure trove of photos which could be mistaken for being in your grandparents album.

Foresta explains: "Unlike the familiar official portraits and genius-at-work shots, these humble snaps capture creative giants with their guard down, in the moment, living life."

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Pablo Picasso and his daughter Maya, 1944.

A guide to practicing safe selfies

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In the wake of 10 deaths and about 100 accidents from citizens striking lethal poses this year, the Russian government has launched a new safe selfie campaign. It comes with a handy guide of the most obvious situations in which no one should be shooting pictures of themselves (although it's debatable whether we should ever be taking selfies, in any situation).

According to the press release, police will distribute the guide to citizens at public events and to students in safety classes. The Russian Ministry has even created a page where you may submit your own cautionary selfie icon warning against "accidents among fans of extreme photography." So go forth and selfie, but try to keep away from exposed wires and pumas.

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