Swiss artist H. R. Giger dies at the age of 74

The renowned Swiss artist H. R. Giger, passed away yesterday in a hospital located in Zurich due to injuries sustained in a fall. He was 74 years old.

Hans Rudolf Giger was a surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer. He was widely known for his creatures and sets created for Ridley Scott's Alien films. As a result, he was awarded with an Oscar for special effects in 1980.
Giger also contributed with his work for Poltergeist II - The Other Side,  Tokyo - The Last Megalopolis, among several other films, as well for the computer game Dark Seed (1995).
He also did some work for recording artists and colaborated with Ibanez Guitars  for the H. R. Giger Signature Models.

Born in 1940, Giger moved to Zurich in1962 where he studied interior and industrial design at the School of Commercial Art in Zurich (from 1962 to 1965).
He had a relationship with Swiss actress Li Tobler untill 1975, when she commited suicide. In 1979 he married Mia Bonzanigo, but the divorced a year and a half later.



The work of the American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft had great influence on H. R. Giger's art. Such is this that his compendium of images Necronomicon (there's a version with an introduction by Clive Barker) is a clear refererence to Lovecraft's made up book with the same name.
The original signed book is housed in the H R Giger museum at the Château St. Germain in Gruyères Switzerland.
Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dali, to whom he was introduced by painter Robert Venosa were inspirations sources for Gigger who was also a personal friend of Timothy Lear.

Giger started with small ink drawings, then progessed to oil painting. During his career, he worked predominantly in airbush, but also created works with pastels, markers and ink.
Much of his work depicts surreal and monochromatic dreamscapes, often with biomechanical human bodies interconnected with a mechanical world as well as alien species and nightmarish elements. Several erotic references can also be found in his works.

The H. R. Giger Museum, housed in the Château St. Germain in Gruyère, Switzerland, holds a permanent repository of his work.  The artist lived and worked in Zürich with his wife, Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger, who is the Director of the museum.

Why You Should Invest in Art instead of buying Technology (This Time)

In the last two decades or so, and in particular in the last one, the desire to own the latest tech gadget has never been as high. Be it a smartphone, an MP4 player, a 3D TV set or a game console.

Some people, quite probably a minority, buy because they need them for their activity, be it a professional one or a hobby. But most people don't stick with what they need, they'll go on buying the latest model only to make them feel good, often in detriment of other priorities or choices.

There's nothing wrong about buying technology that help us with our lives, be it the personal one or the professional one, but to keep aiming for the latest tech gadget may not be the best way to go - what about that trip that you've always wanted to make?
When you go older, you'll not remember about some smartphone that you bought, you'll remember about places that you visited, people that you met, experiences that you lived.
As the saying goes: "Die with memories, not with dreams."

Although we like to place ourselves aside from other animals (maybe not as much nowadays as before) we are still animals and share the same planet. However, the one thing that most distinguishes us is our capability to create art - there's also that theory of creating tools, but that's arguable.

Art is a testemony of cultures, feelings, single and collective interpretations. It can teach, it can provoke.
With the access to technology, artists are now able to reach a vast public through websites, blogs and social networking. But the public can also access art and contact the artists who have created it or the galleries that represent them.

Owning an original work of art isn't exclusive anymore of some and is accessible to practically anyone.
Several artists and galleries offer instalment plans and art rental services.
Sometimes they can also come up with tailored options when necessary.

Next time you think about buying some techno gadget, why not take a few minutes to discover some artists on the web and maybe acquire something that you'll enjoy for many years to come and will pass to your children?
Spend some of your spare time going to galleries, museums and cultural events.
If possible go by foot or bycicle. You'll also be doing some exercise, as well as saving money and nature.