Art
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Love Conquers All, another story about censorship
In 1602, Caravaggio completed Amor Vincit Omnia, or Love Conquers All. It was the kind of work only Caravaggio could create: Cupid, standing with arrows in one hand, seems to tread casually over symbols of human accomplishment—armor, a lute, a lined notebook—suggesting that love supersedes all human endeavors. The painting was an instant sensation among Rome’s…
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Congratulations, You’re Now Officially an Artist!
“Dear Carlos Fentanes, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for entering this year’s International Artist Awards. We are pleased to inform you that your artwork has been shortlisted at this stage. Congratulations!” Every now and then, I get a message like this. It’s official—I’m an artist! A little thrill. A…
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The Silent Demand
I know it seems odd, as if taken from an episode of The Twilight Zone, but I assure you this was real. It began in the quiet solitude of my studio, where I was immersed in the creation of a life-sized charcoal drawing. My focus was razor-sharp, the deadline looming large. I couldn’t afford distractions.…
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Swinging for the Fences
Embracing Failure in the Pursuit of Success In the grand theater of Major League Baseball, a batting average of .250 is par for the course, while the lofty .400 club remains an exclusive enclave for the most extraordinary of players. A batting average of .500, however, is the stuff of myth—no player has ever reached…
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Ethics and Art: A Tale of Social Media Woes
Ethics, the elusive butterfly of the modern age. What is it, and how does it impact us? More importantly, how does it mess with my work as an artist? This concept is as abstract as a DeKooning painting and just as slippery. You can’t grab it and hold onto it for long; it’s free-spirited and…
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Unintentionally Censored: The Artist’s Struggle with Instagram’s AI
Over the past month, I’ve embarked on a seemingly Sisyphean task: scrubbing my Instagram account clean of any posts that the platform deems non-compliant with its vaguely articulated guidelines on sexually explicit material or something along those lines; I can barely remember what they call it anymore. Each day, without fail, Instagram flags around five…
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Is this Art? My kid can do it!
In the midst of social gatherings, I often find myself exercising restraint when the topic of art arises. It’s a subject as delicate as the threads of a spider’s web, akin to the impassioned realms of religion or politics. Unlike the latter two arenas, where opinions flow freely like a torrential river, discourse surrounding art…
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Nude of the Green Room (Homage to Bacon)
Crafting a statement for a painting can be a daunting task. What do I wish to convey? How best to articulate it? Will it resonate with viewers? These questions swirled in my mind as I embarked on this artistic endeavor. Recently, I had the privilege of showcasing my work at an Art Show of Miniatures…
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Instagram and the Holy Inquisition Algorithm
Instagram, the arbiter of digital decency, embarked on a censorship tango with my artistic pursuits – a saga that unfolded not once, but twice. The stage was set in the unassuming realm of a Canadian Erotica Themed Art Show: “A Hot Minute” a three ring erotic art show with venues in Victoria BC, North Vancouver…
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It’s Art, not Pornography.
I was invited to a Erotica themed Art Show in Western Canada, I was very excited, it’s a show that will be held in three different venues at Victoria BC, North Vancouver BC and Calgary AB it’s called A Hot Minute.I was so excited that I tried to post some of my artworks for the…
Carlos Fentanes 