In June 2019 Juba do Leão welcomed Mestre Toinho and Mestre Jamesson all the way from Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
This unique session was an opportunity to play with two delightful characters and masters from the Maracatu tradition and ask questions.
Read more about Juba do Leão at: http://www.jubadoleao.com
About the masters:
Mestre Toinho:
Antônio Pereira de Souza, known as Mestre Toinho, is the oldest living Maracatu Nação Mestre. He is currently the oldest active maracatuzeiro, possesses the greatest living repertoire of toadas (songs) of Maracatu Nação, besides being one of the only ones to perform the same style of baque (type of Maracatu beat) used by Mestre Luiz de França, heir to the knowledge and batuques of Leão Coroado, with whom he had a long experience. He has participated in Maracatu since he was young, counting more than 50 years of performance in the Maracatus. He met Dona Santa, the renowned queen of Maracatu Elefante, who died in 1962.
He was part of the former Maracatu Nação Cambinda Estrela, also worked in Maracatu Indiano, Maracatu Estrela Brilhante, Centro Grande Leão Coroado, Elefante, Maracatu Encanto da Alegria, and currently, is part of the Maracatu Nação Baque Forte. Mestre Toinho’s approach has a particular style, drawing on the course of his experience of batuque. The drummers who have, or have had, the chance to learn with Mestre Toinho, unanimously affirm that to play with him is to be in touch with what is most traditional in the culture of Baque Virado.
Mestre Jamesson Florentino:
Mestre Jamesson Florentino is teacher, craftsman and articulator of Maracatu Nação Baque Forte. A Maracatuzeiro from his youth, he acted as batuqueiro of Maracatu Nação de Luanda, Mestre Roberto, Maracatu Cabeça de Nêgo, Mestre Maureliano Barravento, and Maracatu Nação Cambinda Estrela. He was Mestre of Maracatu Leão da Campina and performs activities as a craftsman in the making of drums and other Maracatu instruments and in the production of skins and accessories.
One of the founders of the Maracatu Nação Baque Forte, he develops works related to education, culture and professional formation within the young Nação group, founded in 2011, with the intention of maintaining what is more traditional through the knowledge acquired with the Maracatus of the past and in coexistence with the Mestre Toinho. The union of Mestre Toinho’s vast experiences and knowledge with the active work of enriching the everyday community, imbued with the underlying meanings the practice of Maracatu as an activity of resistance by Mestre Jamesson, results in a rich meeting of both modern and timeless ways of making the Maracatu de Baque Virado.
Film by: John Grey
Translation: Juliana Pinheiro Landim & Holly Prest
Thanks: Jubacana, Juliana Pinheiro Landim, Katumba, Oldham Arts Development, Maracatu Nação Baque Forte, Timon Thalwitzer.
[…]
Let’s dive into the fascinating story behind “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” one of the most famous japanese artworks in the world. This video reveals the surprising truth about Hokusai’s masterpiece and how it was created. We explore the deep symbolism within the image, from the powerful wave to the distant Mount Fuji, and uncover how this single woodblock print profoundly influenced Western artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. Discover the incredible journey of a piece of Japanese popular art that ended up changing the course of art history across continents.
0:00 Intro
0:36 The Art of Woodblock Printing
2:14 36 Views of Mount Fuji
3:28 The Great Wave off Kanagawa
5:03 Katsushika Hokusai and His Work
6:16 The Edo Period and Foreign Influences
8:24 How the Great Wave Influenced Modern Art
11:28 Conclusion
CORRECTION:
10:22 should be “Beardsley” instead of “Breadsley” 🙂
11:08 should be “revelation” instead of “relevation” (Thanks to @c.augustin for mentioning)
[…]
Time’s Up: Only half of an old clock tower survives after an earthquake struck in Finale Emilia, Italy.
Source: Bad Spit (@badspit)
In the Irish language, we are not our emotions. We are not sad or anxious. We have sadness or anxiety on us. To say I am sad, we say tá brón orm – there is sadness on me. I am anxious, tá imní orm – there is anxiety on me. The language recognizes these as passing states, not permanent fixtures of who we are.
By Eva Baron on August 11, 2025
Photo: Birdman Photos
“I’ve met too many creative souls who have quietly abandoned their callings. This mural is for them.”
It’s not uncommon for laughter to peal through Brian Peterson’s home. For the California-based muralist and his wife, Vanessa, everyday life revolves around their three kids, who often enjoy playing with floating bubbles. That childlike wonder and joy are both at the heart of Chase Dreams Like Bubbles, Peterson’s newest project in Long Beach.
Designed for the city’s Marriott Hotel as part of the Long Beach Walls and Art Renzei public art festival, the mural sweeps across an otherwise bare facade, bringing with it a vibrant optimism. A little girl peers toward the sky with hopeful eyes, bubbles circling her as they continue their climb up the building. The work is drenched in a complementary color palette, where blue and orange tones contrast yet still build off one another. The result is a charming sense of buoyancy, mimicking the bubbles that swirl around the central figure. Even so, these bubbles represent more than just playfulness.
“As we reflected on the rich artistic culture of Long Beach, we couldn’t help but wonder how many people in this city were carrying unfulfilled dreams quietly in their hearts,” Peterson tells My Modern Met. “It was Vanessa who imagined a child chasing bubbles as the perfect metaphor for pursuing [those] dreams. What began as a family moment in our living room has become a towering visual reminder to never stop chasing what sets your heart free.” […]
More: Tallest Mural in Long Beach Encourages Chasing Your Dreams
August 8, 2025
Art
Design
Food
Kate Mothes
All images © Kenny Harris
In 1933, Alfonso Bialetti and his son Renato began to market an aluminum contraption for brewing coffee that would make an indelible mark on Italian culinary culture and beyond. Called a moka pot after the Yemeni city of Mokha, the appliance is still manufactured today by the coffee equipment company Bialetti under the name Moka Express, providing a steam-powered, filterless way to make a rich brew on the stovetop.
For Venice, California-based artist Kenny Harris, the metallic, faceted surface of the iconic maker inspires an ongoing series of lovely still-life oil paintings. Exploring color and form, the artist focuses on reflections and their effects. Delicate gradients and patterns are mirrored across the pot’s surface, sometimes blurring the boundary between the object and its surroundings.
“I find delight in searching for harmonies, lost edges, and texture variation,” the artist says. “In the end, these are color experimentations in the tradition of Joseph Albers or Albert Moore: reiteration of the same forms with different color combinations. Also, I love coffee.”
A solo show of Harris’s work titled Passage opens on September 6 at Galerie Mokum in Amsterdam, and he’s currently working toward another show in early 2026 at Billis Williams Gallery in Los Angeles. Explore more work on the artist’s website and Instagram. […]
More: Experimenting with Color and Reflection, Kenny Harris Brews Beautiful Still Lifes
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