1. Bill Gold’s Seminal Film Posters
While many might not be immediately familiar with the name Bill Gold, his work will be recognizable to just about any film enthusiast. The creative passed away yesterday at 97 years old, but his artwork lives one in his countless seminal film posters. The mind behind iconic movie posters for legendary films like A Clockwork Orange, Casablanca, Barbarella, The Exorcist and so many more, Gold’s work is diverse and shows he was a master of his trade. Along with quotes from the man himself (“I know what movie posters should look like, instinctively”), The Guardian has put together an overview of some of his best work. See more there.
2. Good, Bad, and Terrible GDPR Emails
Today is Day Zero for GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which is the European Union’s new privacy regulations—the new policy for any companies that use European residents’ personal information. The most visible result of this has been the countless emails you have probably been receiving, the majority beginning with, “We value your privacy…” FastCo has gathered what they are calling the good, the bad and the repetitive of these messages. One of the most pragmatic from Everlane reading, “The thing about privacy policies? Nobody reads them.” Find out more at FastCo.
3. Customizable 3D Lighting for Portrait Mode Pics
Thanks to some very clever tech, the team at Apollo have created a 3D lighting app logically named Portrait Lighting that will unlock the potential of your Portrait mode photos. Only available for iPhone X, 8 Plus and 7 Plus (as earlier versions don’t support Portrait mode) the app offers the ability to select a light source and then customize it entirely—plus you can add up to 20 light sources. Of course users can also adjust temperature, saturation, brightness and more, yet the most impressive feature here is how realistic the results are. Read more at 9to5 Mac.
4. The Secret Behind Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” Move
For decades viewers have watched Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” leaning dance move in awe. The “biomechanically impossible” act (which Jackson debuted in 1987) has the dancer leaning at a remarkable 45-degree angle—from the ankle—all the while keeping his body straight. No bending at the knees, nor the hips, it was (and remains) a beguiling sight. Unveiling the magic, however, neurosurgeons at Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh say Jackson made it possible thanks to his immense core strength and some fancy shoes. “A v-shaped slit in the bottom of each heel of his spats slotted onto a strong nail or ‘hitch member’ driven into the ground, allowing the dancer to pivot and lean further forward, for the gravity-defying move.” Read more at BBC.
5. Farewell to Robert Indiana, Creator of LOVE Sculptures
Pop artist and creator of iconic LOVE sculptures, Robert Indiana has passed away at 89 years old. The reclusive artist created a lifetime’s worth of art, but remains best known for his stacked-letter pieces (originally made for a Christmas card commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art in 1965) which appear all over the world—from the Philippines to Colombia to Quebec—in various languages. In later years, Indiana famously wanted to be alone and lived a reclusive existence some 15 miles off the coast of Maine. That said, his friend and former publicist Kathleen Rogers, says “He was a better guy than he’s been portrayed as being. He was reclusive, cantankerous and sometimes difficult. But he was a very loyal, loving man. He was the architect of love.” Read more at The Guardian.
6. Good, Bad, and Terrible GDPR Emails
Today is Day Zero for GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which is the European Union’s new privacy regulations—the new policy for any companies that use European residents’ personal information. The most visible result of this has been the countless emails you have probably been receiving, the majority beginning with, “We value your privacy…” FastCo has gathered what they are calling the good, the bad and the repetitive of these messages. One of the most pragmatic from Everlane reading, “The thing about privacy policies? Nobody reads them.” Find out more at FastCo.
7. Medusa’s Depictions Through History
Medusa—a monster, a gorgon, a dangerous woman—with her snake hair, is an instantly recognizable subject throughout history. In art, fashion and pop culture, she has been portrayed in countless ways, but around 2,000 years ago Medusa got a makeover: “Her androgynous features were increasingly feminized; mustache stubble was replaced by smooth cheeks, fangs concealed by shapely lips.” This monster was transformed from almost comedically hideous to a wildly dangerous, sexual beauty. She kept being transformed and was, perhaps, the first famous “femme fatale” in culture. While her evolution is fascinating on its own, it also says a lot about how society’s views of women. “Google any famous woman’s name… along with the word ‘Medusa’—all of them have been photoshopped onto famous renditions of the Gorgon,” says Artsy’s Abigail Cain. “The fears embodied by Medusa are two-pronged: the sexually independent woman is dangerous, but so, too, is the politically independent one.” Read more at Artsy.
8. Farewell to “Cloudsmith” Artist Geoffrey Hendricks
Best known for sky imagery in his paintings, objects, installations, and performance pieces, “cloudsmith” artist (and teacher at Rutgers University for 47 years) Geoffrey Hendricks passed away at 86 years old. A major part of the avant-garde Fluxus movement of the ’60s—a genre which was experimental and helped to open up conversations surrounding the “meaning” of art—Hendricks was a significant part of the New York art world, despite not being a household name. He and his wife Bici Forbes were married for a decade before having their “Flux Divorce” at their Manhattan home, Hendricks saying, “By the time of our 10th wedding anniversary… it was like, ‘Well, what should we do? Because we’re both gay.'” This public art performance was just one of Hendricks’ remarkable works, which bended the ideas of traditional art.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.