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The Picture Show
'Nanogardens' Sprout Up On The Surface Of A Penny
Engineers have figured out a way to get crystals to form rose and tulip sculptures, each smaller than a strand of hair. The gardens sprout up on a penny dipped in a salt solution. The technique is similar to 3-D printing and could one day be used to make any complex shape.
The Salt
Giant Renaissance Food People Descend Upon New York
May 19, 2013 Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a 16th-century artist who liked to play with his food, transforming it into the building blocks of many of his fantastical portraits. Artist Philip Haas has taken those portraits out of museums, reinterpreting them as colossal statues that interact with the natural environment.
Litterbugs Beware: Turning Found DNA Into Portraits
May 12, 2013 A dropped cigarette butt, a chewed-up piece of gum, a stray hair. Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg uses DNA from trash she's picked up around New York City to generate 3-D portraits of those who left it behind.
The Two-Way
Banksy Mural May Be Coming To U.S. After All
May 12, 2013 The stencil of a young boy sewing the Union Jack is the centerpiece of an exhibition in London, after which it will head to the U.S. where it is to be part of a private collection. Organizers say Slave Labour is not being put up for sale, but residents of the London neighborhood from which it disappeared want it back.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
A Fresh Answer To Vermeer's Mystery
May 10, 2013 The work of the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer has long puzzled the art world. Some of his pieces just don't quite fit. They're a little off. What gives? Author Benjamin Binstock has an idea, an idea that commentator Alva Noë finds appealing.
Monkey See
At The Met Ball, Those Are Some Crazy Dresses
May 7, 2013 The Met Ball brings out some of the highest of fashion, and Monday night, it brought boots of fire, lots of skin, and a new hair color for Anne Hathaway.
Fine Art
Family Fights Sale Of Iconic Thomas Cole Painting
May 6, 2013 While serving as governor of New York, William Seward received a Thomas Cole landscape painting as a gift for his work on the Erie Canal. Since then, its value has exploded and its caretakers are looking to sell. On Tuesday, Seward's great-great-grandson will be in court to try to stop them.
A 'Decadent And Depraved' Derby With Hunter S. Thompson
May 4, 2013 Illustrator Ralph Steadman had never heard of Hunter S. Thompson before he flew to Churchill Downs on assignment to cover the Kentucky Derby. But after an unforgettable, booze-ridden weekend with the writer, Steadman's life was never the same.
The Picture Show
One Of These Shells Is Not Like The Others
May 3, 2013 Diana Zlatanovski's Typology series showcases the intricacy of collections, and the beauty of individual objects within the group.
The Picture Show
Things Come (Very, Very) Apart
May 1, 2013 Photographer Todd McLellan dismantles common household objects, then meticulously arranges the parts to show the inner workings of everyday stuff.
Architecture
How One Family Built America's Public Palaces
April 29, 2013 The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., has a new exhibit about the soaring tile vaults built by a famous father-son team. The Guastavinos came to this country from Spain in the late 1800s, and left their mark on some of America's most important public spaces.
When Sculpting Cedar, This Artist Is Tireless And Unsentimental
April 28, 2013 Ursula von Rydingsvard is 70 years old, but she still spends eight hours a day working massive blocks of cedar into sculptures. "I don't want the cuteness associated with the wood," she says, "or even the nostalgia."
The Picture Show
A Photographer And His Friend, 'That Tree'
April 26, 2013 For one year, photojournalist Mark Hirsch took one photo a day of a towering bur oak on the edge of a cornfield in southwest Wisconsin. Over time, he says, his relationship with the project changed: "The longer I spent down there, the greater my appreciation for what a unique force [this tree] was."
The Salt
Masterpiece In A Mug: Japanese Latte Art Will Perk You Up
April 25, 2013 You think clovers and hearts are impressive? Wait till you get a load of these Japanese latte drawings. A culture that values the beauty of the ephemeral has brought us a new level of art in foam.