Revisiting Old Hobbies

I went out salsa dancing last night. It was good to get back into dancing in general but I never knew salsa could be this much fun. It was also quite a workout. I am not joking when I say that I've lost a good 3-5 pounds in 4 hours.

Link of the day: notcot.com
What is it: a well-designed website for all (well, mostly product) design junkies. The owner has a selective yet undiscriminating eye. Showcased items range from Tetris Tiles, to a weekly Happy Hour, where clickable thumbnails redirect to actual cocktail recipes. There is truly something for everyone here.

Artist of the day: Gerhard Richter
Who is he: a twentieth/twenty-first century artist that is taking the seemingly linear development of painting into his own hands. As someone who is interested in art history, I have often found myself asking the question: what's next? Every since Giorgio Vasari, the "father of art history," chronicled the lives of artists chronologically in the 16th century, art has been seen as developing in a linear fashion. For instance, Western painting is often described by movements and counter-movements as we go from the iconic art of the Middle Ages to the classicism of the Renaissance, from Realism of the 19th century to the Abstract Expressionism of the 20th century. Painting went from symbolism to photographic renditions and back to fundamentals. We've explored pure form and pure emotion. So what is next? Richter answers the question by tracing the footsteps of what was done before him. His art spans innumerate styles and media, yet he manages each time to avoid being a simple copier. I can't say I know enough about him and his works to figure out if he's reached the next stage, but we can always wait and hope.