1;Banksy "red balloon girl"

Well this is it then my favourite piece of art currently, and if you know me well its quite obvious i was going to pick a banksy but which one, i like to think i know a lot about banksy well his inspirations and style yet i don't know his biography and i don't see the point in boring you with the rumours hearsay and speculation although its quite certain he was born in the UK.He normaly uses spray paint with cut stencils , yes he is a street artist a graffiti artist if you don't like that I'm sure there are plenty other people who agree with you and call it a mess vandalism or simply not art . i believe street art and graffiti alike give a voice to people who live in a more urban poverty driven place where normally a voice wouldn't be heard or at least given  a bit of care and attention.
but banksy is who i admire right now and throughout my teenage life in a wold where art can be considered a rich mans decadence banksy brings flare and bitter truths to the game .Banksy brought art to the masses by displaying it to the masses on walls in streets ,Bridges,residential areas he made the youth of today consider art again he comments on society on politics to consumerism and racism with a bitter Witt and a hidden truth .He has the ability to make graffiti beautiful and the quite loud
The piece of his i have chosen is called red balloon girl or hope for short it shows a black silhouette of a girl letting go of a balloon it dithers from some of Banksy's other work by being quite sad and mellow with out the humour i like this because it shows the diversity that banksy has in his portfolio and the ability he has to feel and convey emotion the message this piece sends is of letting go a love there are the words "there is always hope" next to the piece  , it can be interpreted anyway and i think that's the beauty of this work each viewer will see a different meaning feel different and all this beauty and humility in just spray paint on a lonely wall somewhere.

2;Claude monet "the water lillies"

Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840, in Paris, France. He enrolled in the Academie Suisse. After an art exhibition in 1874, a critic insultingly dubbed Monet's painting style "Impression," since it was more concerned with form and light than realism, and the term stuck. Monet struggled with depression, poverty and illness throughout his life. He died in 1926. In 1883 Monet moved from the north-west of Paris to Giverny where he lived until his death. Next to his property was a small pond which he acquired in 1893, where he created a water garden with an arched bridge in the Japanese style. In 1900 he exhibited a series of ten canvases of the pond, showing a single subject in differing light conditions. He worked on similar series representing poplars, haystacks and the façade of Rouen Cathedral during the same period.As you can see compered to the rest of the blog this painting doesn't really fitt i haven't displayed a impressionist or an artist who worked during this period and the why is simple really i could go on and on about him and his influence's but i rather talk about why i like and consider this artist bonded to my childhood .
I first saw Monet's the lily pads in class when i was eight years old our teacher probably bored with dealing with a  class of disillusioned children showed us a picture in a old art index book of one of Monet's Lillie pad series and told us to basically paint it and she would send the best into the urdd art competition so we got cracking and the funny thing is i think the loose style of a eight year old really complemented Monet's style and i won the competition ,whoop whoop. and ever since then like a smell that reminds you of you re child hood monets lillie pads remind me of a children laughing the smell of powder paint and the masterpiece the eight year old me made . I respect and envy his ability then to rebel against the norm and draw what he saw what he liked in his own style hes an inspiration even when his sight failed him he saw what others didn't .

3;Do ho suh "floor"

Do-Ho Suh was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1962. After earning his BFA and MFA in Oriental Painting from Seoul National University, and fulfilling his term of mandatory service in the South Korean military, Suh relocated to the United States to continue his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and Yale University.A contemporary korean artist his work comes from his cultural heritage his veiws on korea today and society in genral ,his work is diverse , he plays with the size and site of his pieces ,His work is dynamic in its colour veiw and position 
My favorite piece of his work while i enjoy all of his work recent and old is his piece exhibited at the international art fair may the 10th 2010."floor" a piece on which you can stand its a floor of glass held up by hundereds of little plastic people while it seems harmless and looks good and eye catchingly coloufull what i think he is questioning is todays society whether we can be individual in a world so overpopulated is it even possible or are we almost like a machine in which every part contributes to hold up society and this is what i think his pieces say by thousands of small singular pieces joined and connected to make one statement about individuality and identity , you cant deny it once you understand the concept you dwell on it for days this is why suh is third on my list 

4: Jeff koons

Jeff Koons  born in York, Pennsylvania; as a teenager he revered Salvador Dalì,  Koons attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Maryland Institute College of Art, and studied painting. After college he worked as a Wall Street commodities broker, whilst establishing himself as an artist. He gained recognition in the 1980s, and subsequently set up a studio in a Soho loft on the corner of Houston and Broadway in New York. This had over 30 staff, each assigned to a different aspect of producing his work—in a similar mode to Andy Warhol's Factory (and many Renaissance artists).

Koons' early work was in the form of conceptual sculpture, one of the best-known being Two Ball 50/50 Tank, 1985, consisting of two basket balls floating in water, which half-fills a glass tank. (The influence on Damien Hirst's later work The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living—a shark suspended in formaldehyde in a glass tank—is unmistakable.)

Koons then moved on to "Statuary", the large stainless-steel blowups of toys, and then a series "Banality", which culminated in 1988 with Michael Jackson and Bubbles—stated to be the world's largest ceramic—a life-size gold-leaf plated statue of the sitting singer cuddling Bubbles, his pet chimpanzee. (Three years later it sold at Sotheby's New York as Lot 7655 for $5,600,000, trebling Koons' previous sale record.) 
I have chosen jeff koons balloon dog as my thourth favorite piece or art so far ,made by high chromium stainless steel transparent colour coating 121x143x45 inches 307.3x363.2x114.3cm five unique pieces blue,magneta,red,orange,yellow.
based on a balloon twisted into a dog shape it stands at about 10 meters tall . 
I first saw this sculpure in the night at the museum two film and i thought it was just a random piece of cartoon that just happened to be in the film but later i descoverd that it was a real work of art by a contraversial sculptor jeff koons famed for art as well as porn what i enjoyed about this piece in perticular was the fact that it was so simple and contemporary it didnt need a story or a dialoge or a complicated message it simply is what it is a giant balloon dog it dosnt need anything else to make it interesting to look at it still ticks all the boxes of being a good sculpture it is symetrical it has balence ,form and a representative shape it works well big or small ,so i like this piece of art for doing what it says on the tin by being uncomplicated easy on the eye full of wit and for being a giant red balloon dog. 

5:Stefen sagmeister

Born 1962 - in Austria, lives now in new york has collaborated with The AIGA and musicians , David Byrne and Lou reed. His creativity and dedication shows most in my opinion when he invited to design the poster for an AIGA lecture he was giving on the campus at Cranbrook near Detroit , he asked his assistant to carve the details on his torso with an x-acto blade and photographed the result, whats quite funny is apparently the next summer he caught sight of the poster text rising on his flesh when it tanned.
The strength of his work lies in his ability to conceptualise to come up with potent, original , stunningly appropriate ideas.
He studied engineering after high school but switched to graphic design after working on lay outs for Alphorn a left wing magazine in 1982 sagmeister won the Fulbright scholarship to study at the Pratt institute Brooklyn , humour dominated his work here for example -when his girlfriend asked him to design her business cards costing no more than a dollar each, sagmeister printed them on doller bills.
When his friend from austria came to visit , having voiced his concern that new york women would ignore him, sagmeister postered the walls of his neighbourhood with a picture of his friend under the words "Dear Girls ! Please be nice to Reini"
I personally like sagmeister because his work shows humour and bags of personality because of his dedication and freedom he has and shows in his work and finally becouse he has never given up even after three collage applications of his were rejected . He showed them. I didn't choose a certain piece of his work as he's made himself a work af art wich i reckon justifies why i have chosen him as my favorite piece of his work .
                                

6;Ansel adams

Adams, Ansel (Feb. 20 1902 — Apr. 22, 1984), photographer and environmentalist, was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Charles Hitchcock Adams, a businessman, and Olive Bray. The grandson of a wealthy timber baron, Adams grew up in a house set amid the sand dunes of the Golden Gate. When Adams was only four, an aftershock of the great earthquake and fire of 1906 threw him to the ground and badly broke his nose, distinctly marking him for life. A year later the family fortune collapsed in the financial panic of 1907, and Adam's father spent the rest of his life doggedly but fruitlessly attempting to recoup.
An only child, Adams was born when his mother was nearly forty. His y elderly parents, affluent family history, and the  presence of his mother's maiden sister and aged father all combined to create an environment that was decidedly Victorian and both socially and emotionally conservative. Adam's mother spent much of her time brooding over her husband's inability to restore the Adams fortune, leaving an ambivalent imprint on her son. Charles Adams, on the other hand, deeply  influenced, encouraged, and supported his son.
Natural shyness , coupled with the dramatically broken nose, caused Adams to have problems fitting in at school. In later life he noted that he might have been diagnosed as hyperactive. There is also the distinct possibility that he may have suffered from dyslexia. He was not successful in the various schools to which his parents sent him; consequently, his father and aunt tutored him at home. 
When Adams was twelve he taught himself to play the piano and read music. Soon he was taking lessons, and the ardent pursuit of music became his substitute for formal schooling. For the next dozen years the piano was Adam's primary occupation and, by 1920, his intended profession. Although he ultimately gave up music for photography, the piano brought substance, discipline, and structure to his frustrating and erratic youth. Moreover, the careful training and exacting craft required of a musician profoundly informed his visual artistry, as well as his influential writings and teachings on photography.Ansel is one of my top ten photographers his photographs are superbly positioned and are graphic and simple in form and tone although sometimes the subtle changes in tone are what make the image so wonderful and serene to look at he definitely has an eye for taking a good picture you cant deny that Ansel is a good photographer but what makes him great is his ability to make you feel emotion every time you gaze at one of his photographers his ability to grab and inspire you for you to be dumbstruck by his technique and creativity his use of monochrome photography does not take you away from the personality and depth of any one photograph. this is why Ansel Adams is in my top ten .the photograph of his i have chosen is called The road its a black and white photograph of a road in the Nevada desert the road flows horizontally down the middle leading the eye its so simply but to me its a perfect picture if you look closely you will see the one lone car on the left side of the road to me when i look at it i immediately think of loneliness and of the space and wilderness of the Nevada desert its a lovely direct piece that is what you see not many photographers are successful at being so direct that is why The road by Ansel Adams is sixth on my list of top ten. 
                                                           
                                                               

7:Jean charles de castelbajac

Born in 1950 in casablanca,morocco.He moved to france in the mid 50s .
He was one of France's new ages of ready-to-wear designers and worked with Pop Art themes such as Andy Warhol's Soup can painting, which he printed onto a cylindrical dress in 1984. 
He was also inspired by the work of designers Paco Rabanne and Pierre Cardin, on the theme of Futurism and has designed Space Age collections. Also in 1984, he designed a dress made of heavy denim material with the front shaped and painted like the crotch opening of a pair of blue jeans.While continuing to design under his own name, he simultaneously created Sportmax for the Italian house of Max Mara. 

He mixed his personal life and his interest in movies, music, art and the environment with his clothing design. Castelbajac, has created many clothes featuring printed logos, messages or images. He is famous for his chic yet rugged daywear and also for his hand-painted fabrics which did much to influence the "wearable art" garments popular during the 80's. 
While continuing his own label, he also started designing for the Paris house of Andres Courreges in the mid-90's. 
In 1997, Castelbajac designed garments for the Pope and senior ecclesiastical members of the Vatican. 

I have been interested in  Jcdc for years his fun more relatable fashion designs have interested and amused me countless time, while some of his critics say there is no place for his brash childlike designs i say its about time someone put  the word fun into fashion . Not many people can be playful with fashion and still create stunning symmetrical clothing that manages to flatter and shock at the same time.

I have chosen his kermit full frontal jacket as my favorite piece currently of his its shocking to some and critics have said its appalling to wear such a childhood icon as a carcass on a modals shoulders , I would like to say ok, but i think what he is trying to do here is ask the question how can it be wrong to wear a well know puppet animal as a jacket but to wear the skin of a real life animal is considered ok and still parades the catwalkes today. It proves how confused the fashion industry is about what it shuns and accepts and how we and them should maybe take a step back and think about what we believe and why we think that why.What he has done is shock and humour so well done jean.