A Thanksgiving Cornucopia of Art in the Tropics
Hunting for great art should be fun! (Personally, this sculpture, Miranda Tortuga is my favorite piece of public sculpture in my “adopted” hometown of Marco Island, Florida.)
Experience America’s Largest Fair — Art Basel Miami Beach — with Charting Transcendence
In spite of Thanksgiving’s abundance and my own tremendous passion for art… I feel a sense of scarcity.
I have just a few slots left for the peak weekend dates of Dec. 6-8.
Please email me as soon as possible to confirm one of those for either an individual, couple, or small group.
Because as I’ve written before, there is nothing quite like encountering contemporary art as during the pastel-tinged, seductive caravanserai that is Miami Art Week, a.k.a. Art Basel Miami Beach.
A furry, pink Porsche by street artist WhIsBe (b. 1987) seen near Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, during Miami Art Week 2023.
And it’s not just about viewing art; it’s about experiencing the art in a way that creates a higher field of consciousness.
When you sign up for one of Charting Transcendence’s tours, together we’ll navigate the bustling environment of dozens of galleries and exhibitions all in the span of a few hours.
Our tours are designed to foster connections with the work of both emerging and established artists, providing insights into their creative processes and the stories behind their works.
What sets Charting Transcendence apart from other art advisory firms is the depth and breadth of exploration of ideas that ensues from a mutual point of departure in exploring the contemporary art landscape.
Testimonials from satisfied clients, who have seen their lives transformed through meaningful art encounters and acquisitions. reflect the company’s dedication to understanding individual preferences and guiding clients toward artworks that inspire.
Charting Transcendence is here to ensure that your personal art journey is both memorable and profoundly impactful. Please confirm tour availability for Art Basel and Miami Art Week before it gets totally booked out!
Charting Transcendence’s latest client brochure, designed by artist and poet Maria Dimanshtein, who has affordable artwork for sale for this holiday season through her website.
An Artist’s Vision Helps Charting Transcendence Go Beyond the Grid
Recently in this newsletter I stressed the importance of relationships in building one’s own personal map of the universe of art and creation towards a transcendent outcome.
And to me one relationship has been particularly important in giving form to the company’s vision, concretely: our distinctive circular-grid logo on top of a starry-night, black background.
For this I am grateful to an artist (and friend) whose work has explored the nature of “the grid” and transcendent portals into the universe beyond for years now.
Maria Dimanshtein, I am an Eternal Comet (2023), Laser-cut hardboard shapes, acrylic paint, spray paint, modeling paste, half beads, 18” x 26”. Available from the artist’s studio.
As a graduate student at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York City, I met Maria Dimanshein (b. 1981), a poet and artist, born in Latvia, a country whose language I speak and where I once served as a U.S. diplomat (2007-2008).
Maria makes artwork that directly refers to her own personal journey, for she was born in the Soviet Union, a country that ceased to exist when she was 10, and later immigrated to the United States at age 17 with unresolved feelings of displacement.
What does it mean to be human in the vastness of the Universe? Through my mixed media paintings, I explore themes of loneliness, disconnectedness, longing, and hope that resonate deeply with many. I employ a variety media, integrating my poetry into my artworks; the use of language serves as a potent vehicle for reflecting on our shared humanity and fostering connection.
—Maria Dimanshtein
In time for holiday gifts to loved ones (or oneself), Maria is offering artworks for sale on her website, ranging in price from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
All prices include shipping nationwide and come ready to hang on your wall, making these excellent gifts of original art by an artist who has influenced and inspired the vision of Charting Transcendence.
Midnight at 7 pm (2023), drawing, paper, polymer clay, glitter on cradled panel. 12” x 12.” For sale from Maria Dimanshtein’s studio (website)
The Other Side (2024), laser-cut hardboard shapes, mirror, acrylic paint, spray paint. 30” x 30.” For sale from Maria Dimanshtein’s studio (website)
I/You (2023), drawing, paper, polymer clay, glitter on cradled panel. 8” x 8.” For sale from Maria Dimanshtein’s studio (website)
Big Human Molecule (2023), laser-cut hardboard shapes, photographic prints, giclee prints, acrylic paint, oil paint, silver pen, mixed media drawing, mirror. 19” x 19.” For sale through Maria’s studio (website)
On Classical Music: Mozart’s K. 551 Symphony 41 in C, Jupiter
Album cover of my (currently) favorite recording of Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C (nicknamed Jupiter) conducted by Riccardo Minasi and played by Ensemble Resonanz. A short clip of the recording can be found on YouTube or previewed on Spotify.
This weekend in Miami Beach, I attended a live performance of one of the greatest symphonies ever composed: a veritable font of dramatic intrigue, constructed out of simple, yet complexly overlapping melodies.
Miami Beach’s New World Symphony, guest conducted by violinist and concertmaster Shunske Sato, had chills running down my spine even before the finale with delectable other works by Mozart (1756-1791), Johann Christian Bach (1734-1782), and Johann Sebastian Bach (1682-1750).
My personal connection to the Jupiter Symphony (more precisely - Mozart's K. 551 Symphony No. 41 in C) started more than seven years ago when I listened to a CD from my late grandmother’s collection and deepened, mysteriously, on a late-night walk around my adopted hometown of Marco Island, Florida, when I finally tuned in to the magnificent complexity of the symphony’s structure.
The depth of dramatic intrigue and feeling throughout, especially in the final of its beautifully crafted four movements, is the reason why Romantic composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was laconic in describing it as follows:
“About many things in this world there is simply nothing to be said, for example, about Mozart’s C-Major [i.e. Jupiter] symphony with the fugue, much of Shakespeare, and some of Beethoven.”
Musicologists and audiophiles generally rank Jupiter as among the finest symphonies ever composed. Hundreds of recordings exist, although I prefer Riccardo Minasi’s trio recording along with Mozart Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major and No. 40 in G Minor as the best one to start with. I also recommend Richard Atkinson’s brilliant YouTube video explicating the complex final movement.
Indeed, when I listen to this symphony, it is almost as if Mozart is speaking nearly two and a half centuries beyond the grave; in fact, it’s almost as if he is saying to me:
I am a supreme master of my artform, demonstrating all that I have learned by trying, and failing, and trying again.
Behold what I have wrought! What power you choose to take from this is as boundless as that of all human imagination.
At least, this is what I choose to make of one of the finest and most enduring artistic creations of Western Civilization — that’s what I mean by exploring consciousness. The choice of where to start and how to get lost in the beauty of it all is up to you.
Screenshot from Richard Atkinson’s brilliant YouTube video detailing the complexity of the quintuple counterpoint that Mozart crafts in the coda of the Jupiter Symphony’s final movement, crafting a feeling that leads one deep into consciousness — a Shakespearian-level depth of drama and intrigue.
Thank you for reading and, as always, feel free to forward to fellow art lovers and connoisseurs of transcendent experiences!
Yours truly,
Matthew Blong
Founder & Art Advisor
Charting Transcendence, Inc.
mb@chartingtranscendence.com
Cell: 202-365-4231
Charting Transcendence, Inc.
125 NE 32nd St. #715
Miami, FL 34145
USA
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