And now, some art history.

Part 1: The Laska Movement!

The Laska Movement was a subset of the impressionists, and never reached real prominence as they were frowned upon by the salons, and galleries, mostly through their own decadence, which led to small groups of Laska adherents trashing works of other notable artists. In fact the most notable occurrence was at an unveiling of a Monet, where a piece called "the whipperwill" which was reputed to be (through only eye-witnesses from the gallery unveiling) the finest work in his brief "burgundy period" which lasted April-October of 1892. About fifteen followers behind the noted Laska painter Brillheim Corveir, entered amongst the elite of the art world, and under the influence of some drug (the Laskas were known heroin users) proceeded to not only destroy The Whipperwill, but also a Cezanne, and unable to smash a sculpture by the famed Italian artisan Mirivar Alonzo, carried it off, and threw it in the Seine.

Fransis Laska was born in 1870 to wealthy vintners, and was sent to the Chateau de Vorn, nestled in the forests of Verdun, to study the fine arts. All indications were that Laska was a top notch talent, and by the time he left in 1886, he was already commanding thousands of Francs for his depictions of rustic settings, urban life, and violent seas. In fact in the cabin of Edward John Smith, the captain of the Titanic, the only hanging piece of art was the Laska oil called "Homeward" which dramatically captured the power of the seas, smashing upon an outcropping of rock, where a lighthouse stoically resisted. Nevertheless, once Laska gravitated to Paris, and while there was a buzz about this new talent which had arrived from the provinces, he quickly slipped from the polite society, and began experimenting with forms which never again caught the public eye. However, there were creations of note.

Laska's piece "Unbenumingly" was a revolutionary mixed medium piece which combined egg-tempura, fresco, and the first noted use of the sensational newsheets of Paris in collage form, which was remarkable for the juxtaposition of heavy and light materials, but was formed compositionally on a framed canvass, where the plaster of the fresco made the piece nearly impossible to frame (an unthinkable thing at the time) and no matter what steps were taken, seem to be totally impossible to hang in a level square. The few curators who would display the piece finally fixed the problem by setting it in an easel, but this infuriated Laska who took it as a slight by the displays - as if the piece was still in progress. Whether this was the case or not, it was the last time his work publicly would have any exposure.

Publicly - but wait till you hear about what this guy was doing! Stay tuned for part 2.