The Cave of Apelles

Demographics are changing. Old families are dying out and foreign belief systems are taking over. What happens when galleries close one after another and aniconism becomes the new status quo in Western countries? Boris Koller has a grim outlook on the art world, but even more so for the future of figurative painting. As he sees it, there are no real solutions. The only thing one can do is to prepare for survival. The centerpiece for this conversation was a reproduction of "The Allegory of Painting" by Johannes Vermeer. On the shelf: (1) Ceiling of Tomb of Hafez in Iran, (2) "A Doughboy with Shoemaker" by Herbert Morton Stoops, and (3) Le Salon de 1787 au Louvre, gravure de Pietro Antonio Martini. The episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Javier Adams and Nic Thurman. *** EXCLUSIVELY for PATRONS: in the bonus material, Tuv joins Boris Koller as he starts a new landscape painting. They talk about indoor painting vs. plein air, compositional techniques that Koller has acquired from the old masters, and other painting methods. Back in the studio, Tuv challenges Boris Koller on his kitsch values with the Art & Kitsch quiz. Is he as kitsch has he claims to be? Would you like to get previews, bonus material and other benefits? Become a patron: https://patreon.com/caveofapelles/ *** Podcast available on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Spotify: https://soundcloud.com/caveofapelles https://spoti.fi/2AVDkcT https://apple.co/2QAcXD6 Visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/caveofapelles Make sure to subscribe to our channel over at BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/caveofapelles/ For inquiries — talk@caveofapelles.com

Einar Duenger Bøhn, a philosophy professor and author who defends objective values and Aristotle’s concept of techne. He explores the Sisyphus myth, argues that the potential for improvement gives life meaning, and discusses objective standards in art, craft, and moral judgment. Short, sharp takes on mastery, failure, and why improvement matters.

Why did Edvard Munch bow to Art after successfully emulating the techniques of the old masters? Perhaps the philosophy of kitsch could serve as a solution for contemporary classical painters that are trying to cultivate their virtue in a minefield of Art. But how do you differentiate between correct and incorrect kitsch signifiers? Watch Jan-Ove Tuv's conversation with the American painter Nic Thurman, an original member of the Memorosa group. Thurman studied with Jeremy Caniglia at the Creighton Preparatory School for three years before he went to study with Odd Nerdrum. He is concerned with the late style of Titian and Rembrandt, but also the early Edvard Munch. *** EXCLUSIVELY for PATRONS: in the bonus material, Tuv visits Thurman in his studio, where he is working on a large-scale composition of two lovers. They talk about technique, methods of storytelling, and lay out books on the table to compare Edvard Munch's work to Rembrandt's. Back in the studio, Tuv asks Thurman some personal questions and tests his knowledge with the "Do you know Art and Kitsch history?" quiz. At the end, Tuv presents the ten minute excerpt of the upcoming documentary on the Memorosa Group, showing Javier Adams, Sebastian Salvo, and Nic Thurman himself compete to make the best one-hour drawing. Would you like to get previews, bonus material and other benefits? Become a patron: https://patreon.com/caveofapelles/ *** The centerpiece for this conversation was four one-hour drawings by Nic Thurman. The episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Javier Adams and Sebastian Salvo. Podcast available on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Spotify: https://soundcloud.com/caveofapelles https://spoti.fi/2AVDkcT https://apple.co/2QAcXD6 Visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/caveofapelles Make sure to subscribe to our channel over at BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/caveofapelles/ For inquiries — talk@caveofapelles.com

"I feel like it's time to take women a little bit off the fashion-horse", says the tailor who wants to shape men into cathedrals with her new brand, "The Kitsch Collection". Eline Dragesund is a young designer from Norway whose primary inspiration for clothing is the subculture of Odd Nerdrum's painting school, as well as Ancient Greece. She despises modern body-shape solutions like zippers and polyester, and prefers classical solutions such as linen, draped around the body. In recent years, she has worked with men only. "With every man that I've worked with, he comes to me and says: 'I cannot find what I am looking for. Can you help me?'" As a result of the lack of varied design, she sees the need for "an alternative, elegant clothing style for men." The guidelines for Dragesund's brand are the same as those for kitsch painters: good handcraft, a toned down palette and a timeless mark. Starting out with Edvard Munch, she is planning to select one kitsch-person or a theme as a source of inspiration for each collection. But it is not Munch's wardrobe that interests her — rather how he paints it. For more information about Eline Dragesund's brand, please go to http://dragesund.com. The centerpiece for this conversation was The Nerdrum Shirt by Eline Dragesund and the episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Nic Thurman and Javier Adams. Would you like to get previews, bonus material and other benefits? Become a patron: https://patreon.com/caveofapelles/

How can one secure the independence of culture? Watch Jan-Ove Tuv's conversation with the Norwegian art sociologist Dag Solhjell who co-authored "On Kitsch" in 2002, subsequently publishing four volumes on cultural politics in Norway. On the basis of his recent book "Dette er kunst" (This is Art), Solhjell describes what he calls "pointing", which denotes how the Curatoriate validates something as a work of art. He also touches on «The Art Police», and describes how the State made ”Art” a natural part of our society, before contrasting the defining principles of Art with those of Kitsch. If the result is politicization of culture, should cultural politics be abolished altogether? The centerpieces for this conversation where "Running Bride" by Odd Nerdrum and a color litograph from "Les Vitraux du Musèe de Salvador Dali a Figueras". The episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Nic Thurman and Javier Adams.

What are the objective rules of figurative, narrative painting, and was originality a concern at all in the Renaissance? Sebastian Salvo re-appears on the show to talk about Masaccio, Michelangelo, and the early Renaissance masters, what Vasari wrote about them and the role of competition in Europe as the continent came out of the Middle Ages. The centerpiece for this conversation was the study for "The Wrong Path" by Sebastian Salvo. The episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Nic Thurman and Javier Adams.

"I have had mentors as well as tormentors," says Marcus Paus, the Norwegian composer, whose admiration for the craft of classical music has led to his work being frequently attacked by dogmatic modernists — among them a self-appointed nemesis, known as "the teacher who was not to be." Paus' response is to declare that he is not an ideological composer, but simply a musician who recognizes the necessity of seeing the past as a self-evident source of knowledge. In his conversation with Jan-Ove Tuv, he also talks about his education in Oslo with Trygve Madsen and in New York with Richard Danielpour, his work with film music and highlights from his own works, such as "Love's Last Rites" from his album "Odes & Elegies". Can you learn something across disciplines? By the end of their conversation, Tuv and Paus also discuss the value of Paus' friendship with painters and poets such as Christopher Rådlund and Håkan Sandell. The Centerpiece for this conversation is "Stetind" by Christopher Rådlund The episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Andrew Aviste and Seth Fite.

Watch Jan-Ove Tuv's conversation with the former academic director at the Florence Academy of Sweden, Joakim Ericsson, who swapped painting for fantasy illustrations and the gaming industry. This episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Andrew Aviste and Seth Fite.

Watch Jan-Ove Tuv's conversation with the author and former leader of the Capitalist party in Norway, Vegard Martinsen. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ayn Rand's Romantic Manifesto, we have invited Martinsen to talk about her view on aesthetics and how her philosophy could serve as an antidote to Immanuel Kant's philosophy. This episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Venjamin S. Orlov and Carl August Benneche Klevjer.

Watch Jan-Ove Tuv's conversation with the Chinese portrait painter Cheng Wu. Wu talks about his experience of coming to Europe and being told at a French art academy that his work was too traditional. He also touches on the extraordinary situation for classical figurative painting in China, as well as Li Cheng and the golden age of Chinese painting in the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD). Wu argues for an eternal mindset and Daoism — through the teachings of Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi — as a philosophic solution for painters. This episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Sebastian Salvo and Nic Thurman.