Playlist - Refinery29 / View more by Riikka here

 

At the end of every quarter the Sifter highlights the top 25 ‘Pictures of the Day‘, culminating in an epic Top 100 at the end of the year (check out the ‘Top 100 POTDs for 2012‘).

It’s hard to believe there is only two weeks left in 2013! I can’t wait to see what the new year will bring. Below you will find the fourth and final installment of this quarterly compilation. All credit goes to the individual photographers and their inspiring visions of our beautiful planet.

For more information on any individual photograph, click the title or image to be taken to the original post.

*Please note the photographs themselves were not necessarily taken in 2013, they just happened to be featured as a POTD on TwistedSifter. The pictures are also listed in reverse chronological order. There is no ranking amongst the photos, they are all incredible :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicolas Jolly is a French artist working with black ink. Black and white allows him to bring additional emotion to the scene by increasing the set of chiaroscuro. There is a large concern in the compositions of his drawings. The technique he uses called ‘fingerprint’ allows him to guide the eye of the observer through the various elements of the compositions. All convolutions bring dynamic and structure, reinforcing the intense and dramatic effect.

All images © Nicolas Jolly

Gerco de Ruijter experiments with the eye of the camera in an unusual way, he photographs landscapes with a camera attached to a kite or to a large fishing rod. The intenstity of his images seems to contradict the simplicity of their creation. The absence of a horizon, our eye’s normal orientation point, creates a curious and enigmatic abstraction, by which de Ruijter’s photographs are closer to painting than to documentary photography. The viewer gets caught up in de Ruijter’s amazement with the beauty of what is practically imperceptible to the human eye but which can be made visible with help of the camera’s mechanical eye.

All images © Jäger & Jäger | Via: designboom

During his final decade, Friedrich Nietzsche’s worsening constitution continued to plague the philosopher. In addition to having suffered from incapacitating indigestion, insomnia, and migraines for much of his life, the 1880s brought about a dramatic deterioration in Nietzsche’s eyesight, with a doctor noting that his “right eye could only perceive mistaken and distorted images.” Nietzsche himself declared that writing and reading for more than twenty minutes had grown excessively painful. With his intellectual output reaching its peak during this period, Nietzsche required a device that would let him write while making minimal demands on his vision. So he sought to buy a typewriter in 1881. Although he was aware of Remington typewriters, the ailing philosopher looked for a model that would be fairly portable, allowing him to travel, when necessary, to more salubrious climates. The Malling-Hansen Writing Ball seemed to fit the bill:

In Dieter Eberwein’s free Nietzches Screibkugel e-book (an English outline is available here), the vice president of the Malling-Hansen Society explains that the writing ball was the closest thing to a 19^th century laptop. The first commercially-produced typewriter, the writing ball was the 1865 creation of Danish inventor Rasmus Malling-Hansen, and was shown at the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition to journalistic acclaim:

“In the year 1875, a quick writing apparatus, designed by Mr. L. Sholes in America, and manufactured by Mr. Remington, was introduced in London. This machine was superior to the Malling-Hansen writing apparatus; but the writing ball in its present form far excels the Remington machine. It secures greater rapidity, and its writing is clearer and more precise than that of the American instrument. The Danish apparatus has more keys, is much less complicated, built with greater precision, more solid, and much smaller and lighter than the Remington, and moreover, is cheaper.”

Despite his initial excitement, Nietzsche quickly grew tired of the intricate contraption. According to Eberwein, the philosopher struggled with the device after it was damaged during a trip to Genoa;  an inept mechanic trying to make the necessary repairs may have broken the writing ball even further. Still, Nietzsche typed some 60 manuscripts on his writing ball, including what may be the most poignant poetic treatment of typewriters to date:

“THE WRITING BALL IS A THING LIKE ME:

MADE OF IRON YET EASILY TWISTED ON JOURNEYS.

PATIENCE AND TACT ARE REQUIRED IN ABUNDANCE

AS WELL AS FINE FINGERS TO USE US.”

In addition to viewing several of Nietzsche’s original typescripts at the Malling-Hansen Society website, those wanting a closer look at Nietzsche’s model can view it in the video above. Felix Herbst, the video’s creator, has kindly provided a functional writing ball simulator on his website. I’d encourage you to give typing a shot—there’s something oddly satisfying about the crisp imprints made by its clattering metallic keys.

via The Malling-Hansen Society

Ilia Blinderman is a Montreal-based culture and science writer. Follow him at @iliablinderman.

Related Content:

Mark Twain Wrote the First Book Ever Written With a Typewriter

Woody Allen’s Typewriter, Scissors and Stapler: The Great Filmmaker Shows Us How He Writes

Walter Kaufmann’s Classic Lectures on Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Sartre (1960)

The Philosophy of Nietzsche: An Introduction by Alain de Botton

Download 90 Free Philosophy Courses and Start Living the Examined Life

Discover Friedrich Nietzsche’s Curious Typewriter, the “Malling-Hansen Writing Ball” is a post from: Open Culture. You can follow Open Culture on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and by Email.

by malika favre

Ashley Mackenzie is an artist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. Though she loves the challenge of creating complex conceptual illustrations, she also enjoys making concept art and decorative drawings. They mainly show surreal sceneries often comprising very profound meaning. Regarding her works she explains: ‘Our brains may never be able to fully comprehend the complexities of the universe, but knowing our limitations should not hinder exploration or contemplation.’ and ‘By undermining the nuances of human interaction the internet inadvertently encourages the free reign of negative and often destructive emotional impulses.’

All images © Ashley Mackenzie | Via: so super awesome

 

The image you see above is not a photograph. It is actually a finger painting by Kyle Lambert using the Procreate app on an iPad Air. The mind-blowing portrait of actor Morgan Freeman (original photo by Scott Gries) is made up of approximately 285,000 brush strokes and took over 200 hours to complete. The entire process was captured as a time-lapse video by Procreate, allowing you to watch 200 hours of painting in 3 minutes (embedded below).

Kyle Lambert is a UK-based visual artist that specializes in the creation of visually striking paintings and illustrations for film, television, advertising and print. Although trained as a traditional oil painter/illustrator, Kyle has become a champion for digital art. On his description page, Lambert remarks:

“One of the big reasons I decided to do this painting was to inspire other budding artists to embrace digital art. A friend of mine who is a school teacher explained to me recently that whenever he plays one of my painting videos in class, his students become noticeably more engaged and excited about creating art. The idea that more people are engaging in art because of something that I have created is amazing to me.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artist Greta Kotz works in a variety of media: watercolor, pastel, acrylic, graphite, even digital illustration.  It is interesting to note the way in which different materials convey differing atmospheres and moods.  While the watercolor form of a man may feel ethereal, the acrylic portrait of a woman suggests a physicality.  Regardless of what tools she uses to create her art, though, her style is consistent.  Kotz' compositions swirl between abstraction and realistic depictions of the human form.  They are also continually centered on the subject of each work, as well as the subtle psychology in their gestures and body language. See more of her work after the jump.

And once again the group of Japanese friends comes up with some new rrrrrrrroll gifs, which haven’t lost their creativity since our last post. As always the animated gifs show pictures of people and objects constantly rotating around their own axis. The makers photographed the pictures mainly during their common activities and aim to keep the outcome as simple as possible. Due to that the gifs don’t seem hectic though they turn perpetually – similar to a babbling brook or a roaring fire one can enjoy staring at them for hours. And here we go again.

All images © rrrrrrrroll

Tamas Dezso from Budapest, Hungary, is a fine art documentary photographer working on long-term projects focusing on the margins of society in Hungary, Romania and in other parts of Eastern Europe. His latest series ‘Notes for an Epilogue’ deals with the spiritual tradition and physical heritage simultaneously disintegrating in Romania.

Time is beginning to undermine centuries-old traditions preserved in tiny villages, in communities of only a few houses, as well as the bastions of the communist era’s enforced industrialization, which became part and parcel of Romania’s recent history. Those living in the reservations of forgetting blend with nature, exhibiting a humility inherited through generations. Urged on by modernization, they are living out their last days in evident equality of closeness to nature and, helping time, they are diligently pulling down the absurd edifices of their environment. ‘One year ago, I began photographing the scenes of a world irreversibly decaying, the transformation of a Balkan country surviving the region’s hardest dictatorship. When capturing the still recordable milieu I am examining the parallel of a general tendency and personal stories: as resilient humanity condensing into symbolic destinies takes shape in the face of mortality,’ the artist explains.

All images © Tamas Dezso

antoine renault

samantha french

via

bashirsultani submitted

———

Siri

ashley mackenzie

lacarpa:

Girl in strips

by

Tomasz Zawistowski

Burrowing owl (North America - Discovery Channel)

 

 

 

In this breathtaking photograph by Benh Lieu Song we see an aerial view of the Meskendir valley (and Gorëme in the far back part), in Cappadocia, central Turkey, where hot air balloon tours and trekking are quite popular.

Cappadocia lies in eastern Anatolia, in the center of what is now Turkey. The relief consists of a high plateau over 1000 m in altitude that is pierced by volcanic peaks. The boundaries of historical Cappadocia are vague but results in an area approximately 400 km (250 mi) east–west and 250 km (160 mi) north–south. [Source]

The area is a popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological, historic, and cultural features. The most important towns and destinations in Cappadocia are Urgup, Goreme, Ihlara Valley, Selime, Guzelyurt, Uchisar, Avanos and Zelve. Among the underground cities worth seeing are Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Gaziemir and Ozkanak. The best historic mansions and cave houses for tourist stays are in Urgup, Goreme, Guzelyurt and Uchisar. [Source]

According to My Destination, Meskendir Valley is a total length of 4400 m (2.73 miles) and is situated near Ortahisar. The entrance is located via a camping site on the Ortahisar-Goreme road. A slow comfortable walk throughout the valley will take approximately 3 to 4 hours. Within the valley is the Meskendir Church which is worth a visit.

 

 

 

 

Carl Jara aka Grain Damaged is an award-winning, professional sand sculptor from Cleveland, Ohio. Jara says he has known since high-school that he wanted to be an artist. After studying Illustration and Graphic Design at the Myers School of Art, Jara realized he did not want to become an illustrator or graphic designer and that his true passion was sculpting.

Over nine world championships later and it’s clear Jara was right to pursue his desire to sculpt. In addition, Carl is also an Exhibits Artisan/Technician at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History where he helped install Sue, the largest T-Rex ever found.

To see more of Carl’s incredible sand sculptures, be sure to check out his Flickr page as he documents not only his own award-winning work, but also the other amazing entries at the world-class competitions he attends every year.

 

 

Gold Medal and People’s Choice award at Hampton Beach 2013

 

Gold Medal World Championship, People’s Choice Medal, and Sculptors’ Choice Medal. 2008 World Championships at Harrison Hot Springs, BC, Canada

 

Silver Medal at 2013 World Championships in Chelsea Heights, Atlantic City, NJ, USA

 

Gold Medal at 2012 Tournament of Champions at Steel Lake, Federal Way, WA, USA

 

 

 

Silver Medal and People’s Choice at Texas Sand Fest 2013 in Port Aransas, Texas, USA

 

Bronze Medal at Treasure Island 2010 at Boca Ciege, St. Petersburg, FL, USA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seen here are painters atop the Woolworth Building in New York City in 1926. Just looking at this photo makes my stomach churn and palms sweat. How is that guy just standing on that spire like that?

The Woolworth Building at 233 Broadway in Manhattan was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and was completed in 1913. At 241.4 m (792 ft) in height, it remains one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States, even after a century. Not only that, but it is also one of the oldest skyscrapers in the United States and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. [Source]

A reverse image search on Google and Tineye did not unearth a source for this image. If you know who took this classic photo, please advise in the comments!

 

 

 

‘Daydream’ is an audiovisual installation by Nonotak Projects that generates space distortions. Relationship between space and time, accelerations, contractions, shifts and metamorphosis have been the lexical field of the project. This video of the installation aimed at establishing a physical connection between the virtual space and the real space, blurring the limits and submerging the audience into a short detachment from reality. Lights generate abstract spaces while sounds define the echoes of virtual spaces. ‘Daydream’ is an invitation to contemplation. The frontality of the installation leads the visitors to a passive, observing and hopefully understanding position.

osatosh:

(via Untitled | Satoshi OTA web)

SHIBARI-series by hiroki otsuka

one line drawings by quibe | tumblr