CThru.com Presents Tony Ward Studio

Title: Heal Thyself

Posted on June 3, 2012

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Editor’s Note: To see more Mikel Elam Paintings, log on: www.MikelElam.com.

Photo: Ryan Feit

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Ryan Feit

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……….Anywhere you look, the writing’s on the walls. Even in the most beautiful of settings, the government has made their mark. However, the dream of a prosperous, independent nation crumbles along with the colorful branding of the revolution.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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The iconic symbol of the Revolution still embellishes Havana. The “Che” decorates everything from walls to cups of coffee. Nowhere else in the world does a face represent a nation as it does in Cuba.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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Some pictures are so powerful that they don’t even need a caption, just a translation: “All Cubans Should Learn to Shoot and Shoot Well.”

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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Some of the propaganda is subtle. Just the stamp of the revolution and a few birds bolstering the Cuban flag. It makes one think that democratizing Cuba would be just as easy as a simple fresh coat of white paint.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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Then again, some of the propaganda is not so subtle. Once in a while, Castro’s pure hate for America and its leaders is truly in your face. It makes one wonder whether communism will simply die with him.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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But the reality is, Socialism is engrained in the people. They’ve lived it for so long that some simply don’t know any better. But whether it really is here today, tomorrow and always is yet to be written.

About The Author: Ryan Feit is enrolled in the MBA program: Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.
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Editor’s Note: To read more articles by Ryan Feit, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Love

Posted on May 10, 2012 BY A.H. Scott

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……….It’s ironic that some of those who are most vocal against same sex marriage are those who have dinosaur bones in their own closets. Archbishop Timothy Dolan, here in NYC, said that ‘it’s a sad day for the children’. WTF?!!!! Now, I know I’m probably going to feel a little pitchfork in my butt for saying that. But, c’mon, Catholic Church. You above all other institutions want to talk about sin. Look inward instead of outward for what sin truly is. And, then there’s Mitt Romney who says “I believe marriage is between one man and one woman”. And, when I heard him say that, I was waiting for him to add ..”I believe marriage is between one man and one woman….and one woman….and another woman. WTF? That’s the history of Romney’s own ancestors of multiple wives. And, of course, Newt (Mr. Married Again and Again) Gingrich. And, all the other hypocrites down the line speak morality for themselves only. So, those who have all these rights already (and never have to enter a court to validate them) are always bitchin and moanin about the destruction of the institution of marriage, if gay men and lesbian woman get married would live by the words they love to always spout; show some Christian compassion and brotherhood and – LET LOVE RULE..!!”

Copyright 2012

About The Author: Editor’s Note: To read more of A.H. Scott, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Mt. Laurel Cemetery

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Jake Liberatore

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……….Every photograph captures the image of people, places, or things; forever sealing that which could otherwise be heard and not seen in a visible entity. Although photographs may distort what really existed in the brief moment of exposure, rarely do they fail to provide the belief that whatever scene is captured on film truly did exist in some form. As Susan Sontag, legendary writer, On Photography wrote, “whatever the limitations or pretentions of the individual photographer, a photograph — any photograph — seems to have a more innocent, and therefore more accurate, relation to visible reality than do other mimetic objects.” Indeed, there is a prevailing thought that photos capture reality in a unbiased way, but photographers have as much room for interpretation as do conventional visual artists. The ambiguity in every photograph grants it meaning, and therein lies it’s message.

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Mt. Laurel Cemetery

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This pair of photographs taken at Mt. Laurel cemetery in Philadelphia, ostensibly illustrates the slow decay of man’s once beautiful, yet humble tribute to the dead. The faces of the once intricately detailed statues, worn down throughout the decades to almost unrecognizable, half-human forms, project from blurred backgrounds of leafless trees. While a viewer could reasonably interpret the supposed bleakness of the photographs as a projection of malaise upon man’s all too obvious mortality, the intent of the pair was to contrast such mortality with the only thing that is eternal: the afterlife. Without any indication or suggestion of what characterizes an afterlife, the images of the statues represent an omnipresent watchful eye on the living from the dead; a guide through life, which is simultaneously the longest thing we ever experience and yet an insignificant grain in the sands of time.

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Jacob Liberatore: Self-Portrait 2012

Copyright 2012

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About The Author: Jake Liberatore is a sophomore studying Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2014.

A Life Left Behind

Posted on April 20, 2012

www.TonyWardStudio.com

Posted on January 20, 2012 – Copyright 2012

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Self-Portrait 2011

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Tony Ward

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……….I would like to thank all of the contributors, friends and colleagues who have supported TWS over the course of an extraordinary year of growth. You have made this a very special year for the audience that follows TWS. Your contributions have been most inspiring. I look forward to the coming year with great enthusiasm, anticipation, and the expectation that our audience will continue to grow and expand – well in to the new year and years to come.

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I would like to especially thank my colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania for providing an exceptional venue to share information, and most importantly, the students who have taught me the joy and importance of teaching. Happy New Year!