Gauguin: Metamorphoses

Most of us think of Gauguin as the painter of a lush tropical paradise, populated with beautiful brown women with flowers tucked into their hair. This exhibition from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City (MoMA) documents Gauguin's experiments in other mediums in addition to paint and canvas. Over the course of his lifetime, Gauguin worked in wood carving, ceramics, lithography, wood cut printing, monotype printing, transfer drawing, as well as drawing and writing. The exhibition features individual examples of these types of work, such as Head With Horns, 1848-1903, a wooden sculpture used as a background image on the website. Also included are a set of 11 installation shots showing the work in the galleries at MoMA, and three major print series: The Volpini Suite, 1889; Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent), 1893-94; and The Vollard Suite, 1898-99. 
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2014/gauguin/home

National Film Board of Canada's interactive digital projects

For the past five years, the National Film Board of Canada has devoted 25% of its production budget to interactive digital projects. It has resulted in a series of beautiful thought provoking digital experiences.

World's most famous sustainable font

Typography is a powerful invention. It is, after all, the design mechanism that brings us the words of novelists and writers in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. But can fonts be more "sustainable" than others, wagging their greener fingers at the opulent Times New Romans of the world? Can typography hop on the eco-friendly bandwagon? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/ryman-eco_n_5192501.html

Over 300 Years Ago, An Artist Created And Documented Every Color You Can Think Of

Thanks to Pantone, the contemporary authority on all things color, we have a way of documenting the chromatic flow -- all 2,100 hues it's gleaned from the visible ends of the rainbow. But artists have been recording the depths of color for much longer than Pantone's lifespan, mixing and melding pigments to create the violets, turquoises and ambers we ogle in art history books.
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The Art of the (LEGO) Brick

It’s OK if your kid just can’t grow out of LEGO, maybe he’ll become a world famous artist one day. Sculpture by Nathan Sawayan from his “Art Of the Brick Exhibition”. http://brickartist.com/

So This Is How They Do It! Zebras Getting Stripes

The pink on a flamingo? Stripes on a zebra? Sports on a giraffe? All explained.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2014/04/19/304531931/so-this-is-how-they-do-it-zebras-getting-stripes

David Hockney's Yorkshire spring drawings

Following a minor stroke, David Hockney almost gave up on his annual Spring drawings. But when he returned to the Yorkshire Wolds, he was as inspired by the landscape as ever. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/apr/18/david-hockney-yorkshire-spring-drawings

Getty Publications Virtual Library

In the Getty Virtual Library, visitors can read and download over 250 publications made freely available from the Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute, and Getty Research Institute. Museum publications include exhibition catalogs and full issues of the Museum Journal. 
http://www.getty.edu/publications/virtuallibrary/

Culture Art and design Typography Helvetica: one font to rule them all

For the past 50 years Helvetica has dominated design. But, now its pioneer Mike Parker has passed away, is the era of this sleek, modernist typeface drawing to a close?
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/mar/04/helvetica-one-font-to-rule-them-all

Helvetica can be seen on the New York subway system and in countless other instantly recognisable logos. Photograph: Alamy

Ruby: stop-motion face painting - video

A British artist has created a video artwork entitled Ruby, which uses stop-motion animation and face paint to portray the process of rebirth and the transfer of energy. Emma Allen, from London, transforms her face through the ageing process until she resembles a white skull. Flowers, stars and even feline features are then recreated on her face. She took over 750 photographs over five 17 hours days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPYhJ26sAU

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Can anyone be creative?

We believe that creativity researchers have been asking the wrong question. We ask, “Is creativity important?” The answer is clearly yes. The real question is, “Is creativity MORE important than all of the other attributes that demand our time, attention, and resources?”
http://arts.gov/art-works/2014/can-anyone-be-creative

Google Cultural Institute

Google has partnered with hundreds of museums, cultural institutions, and archives to host the world’s cultural treasures online. 

With a team of dedicated Googlers, they are building tools that allow the cultural sector to display more of its diverse heritage online, making it accessible to all. Here you can find artworks, landmarks and world heritage sites, as well as digital exhibitions that tell the stories behind the archives of cultural institutions across the globe. http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/home

Wordless News

Every day, illustrator Maria Fabrizio posts a news-inspired image on her Wordless blog. This week, all of her pictures will be inspired by stories she hears on Morning Edition.

 Today, the story that caught her ear was a quick report about "cronuts" — a croissant-doughnut hybrid. A trademark was officially registered this week for the sweet pastry that has lured New Yorkers into long lines for months.