Juliane von Kunhardt

🎨 German artist between Chicago 🇺🇸 & Grasse 🇫🇷. Mastering gouache through Tour de la Provence. Capturing landscapes, portraits, & farm whimsy with chickens

[MaaikeDx 🖌 @RembrandtsRoom]

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[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

This is such a wonderful post - thank you so much. It humbles me as I did not know how much symbolism and meaning went into this piece. I painted a reflection of this myself in the series “Feathered Masterpieces”, but I guess I should look at it again making sure not to come across too shallow. I’m actually heartbroken that - contrary to my thought - it’s not an actual wedding but rather a tribute to his beloved wife.
Thanks again!

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@Culture_Crit Ever wondered what Velázquez would think if he saw his regal subjects as chickens? ‘Las Gallinas’ flips ‘Las Meninas’ on its head with a feathery twist. Just wrapped up my show ‘Feathered Masterpieces’—it’s not your typical art exhibit. Check it out here: https://t.co/CLAwqm7FNq

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@JamesLucasIT Ancient meets modern, and not just architecturally. The Parthenon, blanketed in snow – it's not just a weather report, it's a metaphor. How often do we shroud our own foundations in the unexpected?

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

From my perspective, museums are allies, not adversaries, in the climate dialogue. My work, like the 'Colony Collapse Disorder' series, gains a voice in these spaces. Isn't it counterproductive to target institutions that amplify our most critical environmental messages? #ArtForChange #MuseumAllies

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@NewYorker @natanlast ❤️ crosswords!

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@ColeccionMMoret @museodelprado @DumbartonOaks wonderful!

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

If you're curious about 'Raging Bull' and its story, check it out on my website. There's more to see and learn there! https://t.co/S38R1bZ6z0

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

Spot the defiance: 'Raging Bull', a decade later. Same fiery gaze, same untamed spirit. Is it the canvas or time itself that's been challenged? #ArtThatDefies #TimelessChallenge #JulesKunhardt

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@ngadc She’s imagining what it would be like to have a pet dragon to heat her bathwater.

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

Wall Street's beast unleashed in my 2012 canvas - not just a market symbol but a living force. What do you see in its eyes? Greed? Pain? Rebellion? #ArtProvocation #BullMarketOrBullsWrath #JulesKunhardt

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@culturaltutor What a great piece of work you have presented here! Thank you, @culturaltutor!

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@wholemars I love what you do! One question though: why the mars handle?

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

🎨 Unleash the barnyard in your living room! Jules Kunhardt’s latest charcoal mischief - where chickens play pianos and roosters flaunt style. These aren’t your grandma’s farm sketches. Each piece a story, each stroke a rebellion. Why settle for ordinary when you can have a slice of the extraordinary? Dive in at https://t.co/JFwwGQM2mw. #JulesKunhardt #CharcoalChaos #BarnyardRevolution

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

A Nostalgic Look Back: Our Tesla Journey Began 9 Years Ago

🚗💨 How incredible is it to look back and see how far we've come? 9 years ago, I penned an article that marked the beginning of an exciting and delightful journey with our first Tesla, lovingly named "Zero." This story is not just about a car; it's about the evolution of electric mobility, our changing lifestyles, and a peek into the future that was just unfolding.

🤔 Doesn't this seem like a tale from a completely different era? Despite the playful irony in my narrative, our affection for Tesla has only deepened over the years. A big shout-out to @elonmusk for pioneering this change!

🌍 Join me in this throwback journey and see for yourself how much has changed (and how much has stayed the same) in the world of electric vehicles. Have you experienced similar changes in your journey with EVs? Share your stories, too!

#TeslaMemories #ElectricEvolution #ZeroJourney

Christmas 2014 gifted me with the best husband in the world presenting me with a TESLA car. I affectionately named it ZERO (due to its emissions). It's a fantastic gift. I've never seen him so happy. He spent half of Christmas Eve in the car parked outside, and through the window, you could see the touchscreen glowing. The next morning, our neighbors confirmed just how impressive the bass speakers were.

For over two years, my husband has been obsessed with driving without a combustion engine. He claims that the TESLA, especially as a high-end product, exhibits an extreme level of understatement. The fact that we're now contributing to environmental conservation with zero emissions convinced me that we indeed needed a new car. My husband personally knows TESLA owners from several states, all thanks to his forum chats. He's familiar with the dimensions of their garages and even the voltage of their sockets. Through him, I've learned that they're all incredibly nice people.

He's rented a TESLA Model S for test drives four times to show off this technological marvel to the family. It's genuinely impressive. It operates solely on battery power and has the sleekness of a mobile Apple computer. Its speed is so exhilarating that you feel pushed back into your seat, reminiscent of taking off in an airplane. Nowadays, we only fly when absolutely necessary, or if the luggage can't fit in the car because it consumes too much battery otherwise.

There are six of us, actually: two parents and four kids. They all comfortably fit into a TESLA, provided one of them isn't over 4 feet 11 inches tall. Our ZERO, to everyone's surprise, has two foldable seats in the trunk facing backwards. When not in use, we just fold them away, making room for luggage. In our previous car, all six of us plus a guest could fit in, along with our luggage. But that was outrageously expensive due to fuel costs, not to mention we were polluting the air.

This winter, however, we're driving to Utah for skiing, and we need all the space for luggage, so nobody can sit in the back. It's not an issue, as our kids are anyway too tall for those extra seats. Therefore, our eldest son, along with our current exchange student, flew ahead, taking our suitcases with them. We're not fussed about the extra baggage fees and flight costs because, with the Tesla, we're essentially traveling from place to place almost for free. He called us from the ski slopes in the evening; by that time, we had just left Wisconsin after seven hours of driving. The beauty of a road trip is feeling the vastness of the country.

I was relieved that we had already seen the attractions along our route last year. Back then, we could just veer off the road and stop wherever we found something interesting to see, like Mount Rushmore. That's not quite feasible with a TESLA yet, as we mostly go straight from one Supercharger to the next. My husband assures me it's only a matter of months until the country is fully equipped with Superchargers. But until then, the large touchscreen in the driver's cabin keeps us entertained with all sorts of information about landmarks and the country's topography.

Just like an airplane, the TESLA boasts the latest technology. You can discover endless interesting facts about the car and explore other models. A particular feature is the heated steering wheel and the ability to adjust each seat's temperature in three different levels with just a fingertip. We had a great time with these features while charging at a Supercharger, keeping cozy and warm. However, on the road, we can only enjoy this luxury when the outside temperature is just right, as heating consumes too much energy otherwise. Skiing in winter turned out to be a bit tricky with the TESLA's sensitivity to temperature extremes. Cold and heat can halve its battery life in no time. That's why, when it hit -13° Fahrenheit in Colorado, we simply turned off the heating, and later, even the radio.

Sometimes cars pass us only to slow down and marvel at the latest model on the market. These moments are splendid, and they warm everyone's heart. However, most gasoline drivers speed past us as we're conserving battery power, and due to our frosty windows, they can't really see us. Once, when one of us snapped a photo, my kids shouted, “Step on it, Dad!” And my husband floored it, zooming past everyone like a flash of lightning. (The Tesla can outpace a Ferrari in the blink of an eye. When I tried that during my test drive, it earned me a $200 fine and three points on my license for speeding.) This time, there was no cop behind us, but then our battery was almost drained, and we had to figure out how to make it to the next Supercharger.

Superchargers are typically located in shopping mall parking lots. The white chargers look incredibly chic, and you almost want to film yourself using them. When the charging cable connects to the car, it flashes like something out of a science fiction movie. We were surprised at how few electric cars actually use them. On our 1,650-mile trip, we encountered just one other TESLA driver.

I pointed out to my husband that a gallon of “Regular” gas had recently dropped below $2, which irked me. But he assured me that electricity prices would level out in the competition. That made me raise an eyebrow since it costs us virtually nothing to charge our TESLA. But I didn't say anything about it. This was in Grand Junction, Colorado, at the Supermall, where you can walk from Best Buy to iHop in thirty minutes – that's how vast the mall is. There, I found every fast-food and retail chain America has to offer. The sun was glorious, and I could see the snow-covered hills of a huge landfill in the distance, where we later took a family walk.

Our journey to the ski resort in Sundance traverses seven states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. (With a gasoline engine, it would've been two states fewer). On the round trip, the TESLA will have covered 3,300 miles across nine different states (because my husband, as a matter of principle, never takes the same route there and back). He'll have made a 20–40 minute charging stop at 28 different malls every 150-200 miles. That equates to: 21 hours straight of playing Minecraft, or watching all 8 Harry Potter movies, plus 5 overnight stays (including 30 complimentary conditioner bottles).

Now, my dearest husband is on his way back. Since he caught me on the way there, wistfully watching an old Ford Flex pass us by on the highway – just like the one we used to have – he bought return flight tickets to Illinois for me, our daughter, and our exchange student. He says he misses me terribly, but I know he prefers co-pilots who don't tire of continuously calculating accelerations on slopes and side winds. Those who, even after a 13-hour drive, still want their legs snug against the walnut paneling of the world's fastest and most energy-efficient car. So, for the past two days, I've been luxuriating in my own bed with a deliciously bad conscience, while the rest of my family subsidizes the hotel industry emission-free. Soon, I'll head to the garage to inspect the other part of my Christmas present: my very own home fueling station. The docking point for ZERO, my new friend and companion.

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@wholemars Fluffy stacks, a tempting bluff, Bite by bite, till you sigh, "I'm stuffed!"

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

Not as in

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

When we venture into the realm of politics, it's not easy to balance left and right without falling altogether. Raising questions is important, as is seeing the other side, and the ability to change a standpoint. But at the end of the day, we need to take a stand—on what ground, though?
Personally, I do this exercise daily. I ask myself: where do I stand firm on this or that, and through which lens am I reading the news today, when each outlet is trying to pull me to their side?

I choose the lens of Jesus’ perspective on humans because He didn't stop loving them when the politics of the world back then offered nothing but confusion, fear, personal profit, and hate. Not much has changed since then.

He chose forgiveness. With Jesus, I can stand firm. Well, at least I can hold on to Him. #myrock #keepyourbalance #stayfirm #therightperspective
#chicken

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

@guilhermagacho @JamesLucasIT @culturaltutor 😅

[Juliane von Kunhardt @JulesKunhardt]

In the face of God's grand canvas at Rüfi Alp, do we realize our own insignificance? Painted in 2016, this piece is my homage to the overwhelming force of creation that dwarfs us. #InAweOfTheDivine #ArtMeetsNature #SwissSerenade #NatureInTurmoil