Stephen King sits down in front of Hopper’s picture, “Room in New York”, to read the first chapter of his latest book, “If it Bleeds” for a YOU TUBE presentation. King refers to Edward Hopper painting pointing to the picture and saying Hopper is considered “The patron saint of social distancing”. Actually it does seem to fit some of his work.
How does Surrealism Liberate Thought? →
René Magritte’s “The Lovers” (1928) is a harrowing depiction of isolated love as the pair are kept apart by a mere shroud of fabric, preventing a fully loving embrace. Or could it have been a look into the future world of pandemic isolation?
What is the real purpose and object of art, literature, and thought? The obvious answer would be that it is communication, but the question becomes complicated when considering what communication is? Is it the message the artist intended to ask, or is it the scope of how the viewer of the art finds the answer?
Surrealism’s goal was to liberate thought, language, art, and human experience from the oppressive boundaries of rationalism. The consequence of the approach on the artists and writers was the belief that their work was revolutionary or philosophical. Neither the questions nor the answers their work presented mattered as long as the viewer was liberated to inject any variety of options for both.
A beautiful face is natural art →
Although freckles aren’t limited exclusively to fair-skinned redheads, it is fair to say that our red-headed friends get the lion’s share of freckles – and they only make up 4-5 percent of the total world population. So if you not only have freckles, but you’re also a natural redhead, then you’re pretty special, indeed.
“Those freckles make you seem like a galaxy of stars, just waiting to be explored and loved.”
― Nikita Gil
What is behind how we perceive and experience the world? →
We see only so much of the world, limited to what we each have for visiting. That means we see things not as they are but as we are. We know the world not as it is but through the individual peculiarities of our minds.
If we experience the world in black and white, that doesn’t mean it is black and white; of course, we know that it is really in color. But is it only in color? Are there other degrees of vision we may not have?
When you see the world, you enter into the biological, psychological, and sociological reality that I connected to what you see. These connections can also impact how you feel about what you think you see.
Where are our thoughts? Do they stay below the surface, or do we wear them on our faces? Our thoughts and perception about what we see are the lenses through which we view reality.
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Texture in Art can be Implied or Real →
Texture can be implied or be an essential factor in art. The surface is an art element used to bring depth and dimension. It can be told using a combination of long and short strokes but obtaining an actual texture is an important goal.
The texture is usually described as smooth or rough, soft or hard, coarse or fine, matt or glossy, and can be divided into two categories, tactile and visual textures.
Tactile textures refer to the immediate tangible feel of a surface but the texture and how it looks like it will feel if touched.
The texture is one of the seven elements of art. Understanding it fully will lead to more robust drawings and paintings. Surface - an art element that refers to how an object feels to the touch or looks as it may feel.
Smooth strokes create softness, and rough, reckless, and varied strokes convey a message of hardness. Paints can be blended, and three-dimensional effects can be made.
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Cubism Represents a Multitude of Viewpoints Yielding a Deeper Understanding →
Cubist artwork, some say, is the most influential art movement known. It changed a wide range of ideas as far as art was concerned in the 1910s and 1920s, allowing for the development of abstract modern art movements.
In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up, and reassembled in an abstracted form—instead of depicting objects from a single viewpoint, the artist shows the subject from a multitude of perspectives to represent the subject in a greater context.
Cubist art can be described as three-dimensional art consisting of geometric planes and shapes. Works of Pablo Picasso that consist of interlocking shapes and geometric planes are examples.
"The first true Cubist sculpture was Picasso's impressive
“Woman's Head”
Pop Art will show those Abstract Expressionists what real art is or isn't, they said? →
Not to be confused with Abstract Art, Pop Art was the art of popular or “material” culture and was a revolt against the status quo and the traditional views of what art should be.
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Pop art was and perhaps still is a style of art based on simple, bold images of everyday items, such as soup cans, painted in bright colors. Some say that the pop art movement started as a rebellion against the, which were considered to be pretentious and over-intense. Is putting soup cans and familiar things on the wall not pretentious?
Pretentiousness is the attempt to impress, rather than the object of the attempt. Does putting a can of soup up instead of abstract art impress folks. Perhaps the audacity of it is really more pretentious?
Andy Warhol is remembered for the artistic presentation of a picture of a Campbell’s Soup Can. Some may feel that he is really remembered for his pretentious audacity. The Pop Art approach, that he is credited with being a early leader , evolved to include pictures of consumer product labels and packaging, photos of celebrities, comic strips, and animals.
Pop Art is a genre of art characterized by an interest in popular culture and imaginative interpretations of commercial products.
Impressionistic Art often shows the impression of light
Top Picture Example small thin strokes
Impressionistic Art is a 19th-century movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, and emphasis on accurately depicting light in its changing qualities.
It emphasizes how light changes in the scene—the light changes suggesting a passage of time. Often the colors are soft rather than bold. The colors become more critical than the strokes.
The picture on the left below by Claude Monet titled Impression Sunrise is presented by small thin brush strokes, sometimes barely visible.
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Art is About Connections - Real or Implied →
Growing up, I did not think I was a good artist, but even so, I took an art class in the 9th grade. Many in the class were talented, and I wondered if I had made a mistake. Mr. Lampson, the teacher, was passionate about art, and early in the school year, he mentioned a phrase that just drove him crazy.
Even though this class and teacher did not set me on the path to greatness in art, it did get me thinking, and over the years, many things I learned told me that Mr. Lampson was right. Art does have its role and purpose, but the question of whether art reflects the artist’s feelings or if art created those feelings is still unclear. Maybe it is both?
Oscar Wilde, in his 1889 essay, "The Decay of Lying," said: “Life imitates Art, more than Art imitates Life, and what is found in life and nature is not what is there, but is that which artists taught people to find there, through art.”
Do we see what is there, or what an artist taught us to see? It has been found that people do visit what they are conditioned to see. When people are hypnotized and asked about what they saw when they walked through a room, they have very different answers than when not hypnotized. People under hypnosis can remember the number of tiles on the ceiling or even the faces on the magazines on the tables, and they can’t remember those things. Their conscious mind was not interested in them.
Mr. Lampson also showed us how a lump of clay, spinning on a pottery wheel, grasped by an artist's hands, changed into what he imagined the clay to be and said that the clay itself informed the artist through the feelings it brought. He said that the bowls and vases produced were different when finished than the first intended and that the clay could talk to us. He attempted to teach us how to listen.
Writers and artists reveal much about themselves in their work but also find a great deal waiting to be expressed.
Art Gives Feelings Shapes and Shapes Feelings →
Is the object of art to give life a shape, or is it to provide the body with a life? Does art give feelings shape or shape feelings?
How the artist communicates how the artists use line, color, and Seaford space to convey the shapes and feelings of art.
Can the painting of a flower ever surpass the original in beauty and impact? →
Did Shakespeare say that The Object of Art is to give Life a Shape but which is greater, the art or the artist’s shape? Perhaps the artist adds to the original with emphasis felt.
Pink flowers represent grace and elegance and are captured in paintings to communicate feelings.
Does the painting of a flower ever equal or surpass the original is not the question but instead, does the image add to what we had before?
Pottery Art brings the spirit of the earth to art
Clay is modeled, dried, and fired into a vessel or decorative object, usually with a glaze or finish. Clay is a natural product dug from the earth.
The potter’s spirit and the earth come together to inform us of beauty.
PS: Note to those that love Art. See the review of “Art Before Breakfast” by Danny Gregory Click Here.
Quote by Danny Gregory
“It’s ironic that people speak of artists as dreamers. I think they are the most grounded people around. Conscious and present. As an artist, you really see life, connect with its beauty, and create something that shares those observations with others. You notice things.”
Also see review of “What Is Art” by Leo Tolstoy, click here
Street Art Reviewed is in the Eye of the Beholder →
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Is Street Art Really Art?
Is the main difference between graffiti and street art the intention behind each approach? Graffiti writers are not interested in the general public understanding their artwork. They are primarily concerned with other graffiti writers who can decipher the coded tags and appreciate the writing style. This ignores the intended public impression created by graffiti which can be complex.
To assume that street art is intended for a different audience still leaves the question of whether it is art? Perhaps it is enhanced skill, but then it is likely in the eye of the beholder to decide.
Contrasts Captures and Compels our Interests in Art →
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Contrast can be a defining principle of art. When it comes to art, contrast is achieved when contrasting elements are arranged together. Although these elements might be opposites, their arrangement can still be appealing.
Opposite elements of light & dark colors, rough & smooth textures, and large & small shapes create and capture the message. For example, black is the opposite of white, so there's a contrast between black ink and white paper and the colors used together in the picture. But the difference can also happen when the two things are very different. For example, cats and dogs are a contrast, but they're not opposites.
Contrast creates its dominance, and we are drawn to where the artist wants us to go.
If it is art or graffiti, may only be determined in where it is put. →
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Does our perception of art communicate reality or just what we think the truth is? Are our emotions telling us what we see, or are they being told what to feel by what we see?
We express ourselves with the tools we have, and words, feelings, and eyes serve us well in that regard, but do our emotions and feelings convey accurate perceptions.
Art can be in various forms, shapes, colors, and textures, but the meaning will differ depending on what the viewer knows. Can the importance of art be the same for two people?
If the meaning isn’t clear or weak, the images may lack the needed complexity. Graffiti qualifies as art, but some disagree, and some feel it is only a cynical attempt at art, saying, “If art were a positive agent of change, the graffiti, being everywhere, would have made a better society for all. Of us.”
Isn’t the question really what is better, not what is art? Graffiti, a form of visual communication, usually illegal, involves an individual or group's unauthorized marking of public space.
Some say art is a human invention and...................
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Some say that art is a human invention and that nature is not art because art needs a conscious mind, and nature is not intended.
Beauty is just a part of art, but art is not always beautiful, nor does it has to be attractive to be considered art.
Some may be surprised to find that nature may indeed be conscious and occasionally turns man’s work into Art.
Art comes from Knowing When To Listen
“We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents” - Bob Ross
“A picture is a poem without words” - Horace
“Every artist was first an amateur” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Listening is an art that requires work, focus, insight, self-discipline, and skill. Art springs from knowing when to listen …………………….
See prior posts: The Texture of Art, Natural Art, Does Street Art Speak to the Marketplace, Painting is Poetry and More
The Texture of Art
The texture is used to depict depth and dimension. It is an element of two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs and is distinguished by its perceived visual and physical properties. The use of texture, along with other aspects of design, can convey various messages and emotions.
Some things feel just as they appear, called accurate or actual texture. Some things look like they are rough but are smooth. The texture created to look like something it is not is called visual or implied texture.
Does Street Art Speak to the Marketplace
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Street art is a form of the artwork displayed in a community on its surrounding buildings, streets, trains, and other publicly viewed surfaces.
So does Street Art speak to you? The marketplace says to us and business people who want to know what to do, “Listen to the Marketplace” (see essay on this in Essay Section). Should artists listen?
So is Street Art a reflection of the marketplace? Artists can listen to what it has to say and learn from it. It will tell of trends, fads, and coming changes. The artists who paint Street Art live in society, and their voice is revealing?
