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Eye of the beholder...
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Message
Posted
Ever wondered just what goes through the mind of people who don't paint when viewing the work of those who do? Yes, it's a funny question to ask on an art forum, but I have a daughter and a grand-daughter who paint, and quite a tribe of those I refer to as the "pretty picture" audience who pick up my sketch books and are the main reason for my question, which could only be answered by artists and painters, so I don't ask generally. I just tend to watch their faces as they flip through in seconds what I've spent hours doing.
Yes, some of the works meet with approval, in the sort of chocolate boxy category , oh I don't do very much of that, I'll admit, but art appreciation seems to stop beyond birds, dogs and grandkids....or is it all just me being too critical? For every Munch there are ten Constables and every Picasso ten flower pots...(-: .....
Posted
If some of those who don't paint, commenting on the work of those who do, didn't say (meaning to offer praise) "ooh, it's just like a photograph!" I'd have slightly more faith in their visual acuity and intelligence. Sometimes also, I suspect that certain art critics (who, by and large, don't paint) see rather more in a painting than was ever intended: like the wine connoisseur who affects to find "notes of tobacco and chocolate" in a bottle of Merlot.
Posted
I agree Jim. I think most want a photo of their dead dog turned into an oil painting or something pretty that matches their decor.
I decided after a long spell of being completely blocked that I was only going to paint things that I want to paint in a way that I want to and not be swayed by other people. I do get a bit of "I prefer your realistic paintings" from some people. I know they meant it as a compliment but it was heartbreaking to me to paint a still life and have someone say it looks like a photo. My mother sometimes screws up her face and says "different" that means she hates it.
Posted
I hate mmm look ok , and when you explain what you have done it’s a total blank look and oooh I see , not you don’t so don’t say it. I much prefer someone saying I don’t like it that the condescending mm look nice , I’m waiting for the what’s it supposed to be. I won’t even start on the looks like a photo brigade or I will get banned for bad language.
Posted
And of course, my very pet hate question ( none of this is aimed at our forums of course)"Who is it supposed to be?" I really want to howl abuse, particularly when I've already stated my work is versions of people, objects and not photographs. Some people do brilliant portraits, I don't, or want to. I'd rather have no comments at all than some of the inane rhetoric I immediately associate with Charles Chinstroker and co (yes girls, there are plenty Catherine de Bourge's around too .) . A favourite comment of my own is that not every woman looks like Jean Simmons, or all men look like Gregory Peck, so why paint them that way. If that's what you want, buy a camera. The very worst painting in the universe is someone's art, so it has value.
Thanks for listening to my mini rant. (-:
Posted
I think it helps if you explain (to the beholder) what you're trying to achieve. Abstracts in particular tend to provoke this kind of discussion. I know some believe that a painting should always speak for itself, but I don't buy this. My appreciation of others' paintings increases enormously when I dig into what they're doing. e.g. Ad Reinhardt's slow-burn 'black' canvases that actually resolve into colours when stared at for a minute or so, or Pierre Soulages (different) use of just black paint to create a range of values due to interaction with light. There are lots of other examples (the most obvious perhaps being explaining cubism).
Posted
I can certainly relate to those who hate "looks just like a photograph". The ever decreasing group I think I've just dropped out of is all about meticulously copying photographs, any photograph, only one works from her own landscape photographs and does alter so that they look like paintings. She did some wonderful clouds and told me that one of the others criticised them because they didn't look just like the photograph! No-one liked my paintings as they weren't copies, and of course they didn't like abstract anyway.
Another thing I have difficulty with. I like to comment on paintings in the Gallery that I like, without feeling that I should be going into the sort of detail that some others do so well. Especially as living in another time zone most of the comments have been made by the time I get to the Gallery, however I still want to show appreciation. I have a rather limited range of comments, I often feel that they are rather inadequate but they are sincere. Does anyone have some opinions on gallery comments?
Posted
This morning my twitter feed showed me Annunciation by Orazio Gentileschi. Before I picked up a paintbrush I would have passed it by as another religious picture...(meh)
But now, I am astounded at the beauty and skill of it. Now I know how difficult it is to achieve such a work. Let alone the fact of materials available back then.
It's here in case you're interested:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3AOrazio_Gentileschi_-_Annunciation.JPG
Posted
This morning my twitter feed showed me Annunciation by Orazio Gentileschi. Before I picked up a paintbrush I would have passed it by as another religious picture...(meh) But now, I am astounded at the beauty and skill of it. Now I know how difficult it is to achieve such a work. Let alone the fact of materials available back then. It's here in case you're interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3AOrazio_Gentileschi_-_Annunciation.JPG
Edited
by Jim Morris