Bull and Bear
Come fill the South Sea goblet full;
The gods shall of our stock take care:
Europa pleased accepts the Bull,
And Jove with joy puts off the Bear.
Alexander Pope (1688–1744), Poet
- Known Origin Private View Exhibition
- History of the Bull and Bear Symbols
- Bull & Bear Paintings
- Augmented Reality Demos
- Examples of the Bull & Bear Artwork in Situ
- Crypto Disruption Exhibition Photos
- The Virtual Reality Opening Night
1. Known Origin Private View Exhibition
The Bull & The Bear were my 6th and 7th NFTs and were created specifically for the first ever private view NFT exhibition opening in virtual reality.
A number of art collectors had been invited to the official opening of the KnownOrigin ‘Bulls & Bears’ exhibition in VR Tuesday 21 April 2020, 12 pm (noon) PDT/8:00 pm BST at the new KO gallery in Cryptovoxels.
Invited guests were able to enjoy the Bull and Bear animations in a private gallery space and I was on hand to answer any questions. Bidding began one hour after the official opening and the exhibition was then also opened to the public.
View the Bull and Bear NFTs on the KnownOrigin marketplace. A big thanks to @moderats for winning both auctions for a total of 90.55 Eth.
2. History of the Bull and Bear Symbols
No one is entirely certain how the market symbols of the bull and the bear came into being. It’s clear that the bear came before the bull and it most likely originated with an ancient proverb warning that “it’s not wise to sell the bear’s skin before one has caught the bear.” Bearskin was shortened to bear, and the term was popularised during the world market crash of 1720.
The bull on the other hand appears to have been chosen as a fitting alter ego to the bear around the same time as the 18th century crash. Although some people think the origin could relate to the way the two animals attack with the bear swiping down and the bull thrusting up with its horns, it’s more likely that the term bull originally meant a speculative purchase in the hope that the stock price would rise and it evolved from there.
Source: Why is it called a bull or bear market by Jessanne Collins
3. Bull & Bear Paintings
Both paintings were created with oil and microcrystalline wax on canvas. The use of wax creates very textured works giving the animals and the scenes in general a real physical ‘feel’. The paintings were purchased by one collector at the 2018 Dundas Street Gallery solo exhibition ‘Crypto Disruption’.
4. Augmented Reality Demos
All artwork incorporates augmented reality and can be scanned with my AR app Artivive to engage the digital content. Note: AR videos have now been changed to the NFT animations for each of these paintings.
5. Examples of the Bull & Bear Artwork in Situ
Oil and microcrystalline wax on canvas
80 x 140 cm (31.5 x 55.1 inches)
6. Crypto Disruption Exhibition Photos
Dundas Street Gallery, October 2018
Exhibition opening night sponsored by MBN Solutions. View more photos from the exhibition here.
7. The Virtual Reality Opening Night
