Very Nice Indeed
It’s Nice That is a blog that showcases more than just “nice” examples of artwork; I found it to be a gateway into a world of whimsical creativity and rich diversity. A company of people that also oversees exhibitions and puts together a quarterly magazine, Printed Pages, which is filled with projects and interviews with exciting designers and artists, run the website, which itself is a platform through which five contributors share colorful and inspiring pieces or collections through all kinds of media, ranging from movie clips to sculptures.
While the site’s layout is very crisp and clean, the thumbnails giving previews of the works presented in each blog post add noise and variety, eliminating any sort of minimalistic feel. The tiled thumbnails are like little windows into lively atmospheres that introduce different cultures through amazing imagery and vibrant hues. The contributors, while aiming to promote positivity and an appreciation for artwork that is both expressive and entertaining, post subjects which are often overlooked in everyday life or are almost completely unfamiliar to an audience.
This article about a gallery of digital illustrations depicting beach-goers is one of my favorites. Jean Jullien had the idea of presenting the common but frustrating struggles that one may deal with while trying to enjoy a day by the sea. A vacationer would want to spend his times sunbathing, but would instead fry under the sun till he turns a bright shade of coral pink, or he may want to enjoy an ice cream cone which would instead melt all over his body, coloring him a gloopy mixture of fuchsia and bubblegum pink. The simplicity of these happenings is further emphasized by the way the humans are cartoonishly presented. The drawings may look like something out of the funnies from an old newspaper, but the situations are typical and the struggles are real.
It’s Nice That does a fantastic job at communicating tangible issues like global climate change while continuing to attract the attention of readers with surreal images. This article shows the photographs taken by Dae Sung Lee when she visited Ghoramara, an island in West Bengal that is literally disappearing. The photos show the members of the community standing atop small, eroded landmasses surrounded by strong, murky waters. Some of these images show the littlest of children beside fallen trees and under the scorching sunlight. Bizarre and haunting as they may be, Lee’s photographs capture the way the Bengali people are living without any dramatization while showing their beauty and their strength.
This blog is just right for those who want a daily dose of eccentricity and color, especially since the contributors post at least nine times a day and add weekly updates to their “regular” categories, a few of which are called Bookshelf, The Weekender, and Opinion. While many contemporary art blogs worship clean spaces and minimalism, It’s Nice That touches upon the amusing and the awe-inspiring.
I too found the layout of this blog site to be very clean and organized, as well as brightly colored, bring out a vibrant feel to the site. Upon viewing this site, I found one piece of work that was truly “awe-inspiring”. Stanley Donwood’s artwork is outstanding for he manages to draw the branch of every different colored tree while being able to prevent the mixing of colors among the top branches, while promoting mixing at the point where the trees separate and make a road.
On a separate note, the post depicting beach-goers was hilarious for me! The drawings do look cartoony, but there was something about them that made them more than just newspaper comics, more than just a laugh. I don’t go to the beach very often, but with the illustrations, I can feel for each character drawn and sympathize with them the struggles of being at the beach with others. Truly a great example of the point you make: that that the situations are typical and the struggles are real!
I agree with Martin’s statement that this site is very clean. The simplicity of the layout really brings out the excellent photography and keeps the work of the featured artists in the forefront. I particularly enjoyed the eccentricity of the works promoted, but the abundance of content does endanger the specialness of each post. (Graphite-coated paper sculptures are cool, but I might never see them for all the photography, other sculptures, and miniature models featured!) Additionally, the only place to find posts grouped in categories is on the bottom of the page, in really tiny print. Otherwise, new posts are all thrown at the viewer in a grid of mixed categories.
This slightly un-user-friendly interface makes this site great for entertainment, but not so wonderful for directed viewing or a narrow interest. I would consider viewing it to pass time, but its focus is to broad to truly spotlight artists.