ART - not just pretty pics

[sminicooper]

On a slightly different note here's a picture of Dulwich in the 1870s. A bit less countryside there now! (And the railway closed in the 1950s)

 

[petetrades]

Discard the old regimes, failed ideologies
Draw the lines and start again
Build towers that pierce the sky
The figurehead of individual minds
Horizons unlimited and unified

 

[sminicooper]

Discard the old regimes, failed ideologies
Draw the lines and start again
Build towers that pierce the sky
The figurehead of individual minds
Horizons unlimited and unified

Almost as beautiful as The Donald

 

[Pat494]

An interesting article by Bloomberg about Victorian pictures.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...dy-but-this-is-the-best-deal-in-art-right-now

 

[tomorton]

Oh dear!!!

Man 'slashes National Gallery masterpiece with screwdriver'

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/...h-mr-and-mrs-william-hallett-the-morning-walk

Restoration will no doubt take some time as they're having to start from scratch.

 

[timsk]

Restoration will no doubt take some time as they're having to start from scratch.

I feel sorry for any gallery staff not involved in this incident, i.e. those on a lunch / tea break, on leave or just in another part of the gallery and unaware of what was going on. They're going to need therapy.

Being a gallery attendant must be a contender for the dullest job on the planet; nothing ever happens! For those involved with this incident - it will be a career defining high - they'll never witness anything like it again. From now on, the best they can hope for is to tell someone off for using a camera flash. Between now and when they retire, that'll be the highlight of their day. Deadly boring - I don't know how they do it.
Tim.

 

[petetrades]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...llboard-faces-death-threats-article-1.3003413

The woman behind a billboard featuring President Trump and dollar-sign swastikas says she is facing death threats for her art.

 

[Atilla]

http://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/2060/...r-A-Portrait-Of-Her-Dog-She-Can-t-Even-Be-Mad

 

[petetrades]

Both artistic photos above are fine examples of natural selection resulting in exquisite artistic creations.

 

[Pat494]

I feel sorry for any gallery staff not involved in this incident, i.e. those on a lunch / tea break, on leave or just in another part of the gallery and unaware of what was going on. They're going to need therapy.

Being a gallery attendant must be a contender for the dullest job on the planet; nothing ever happens! For those involved with this incident - it will be a career defining high - they'll never witness anything like it again. From now on, the best they can hope for is to tell someone off for using a camera flash. Between now and when they retire, that'll be the highlight of their day. Deadly boring - I don't know how they do it.
Tim.

Probably making millions trading on their smartphones ?

 

[petetrades]

One could easily get lost in these cat eyes for hours.

 

[tomorton]

Restoration will no doubt take some time as they're having to start from scratch.

Yes Tim. Restoration will no doubt take some time as they're having to start from SCRATCH.

 

[Atilla]

Topical work of Art!

 

[timsk]

In an earlier post I said that IMO Hockney is arguably Britain's greatest living artist. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have said greatest living male artist. Sadly, sexism exists in art as much as it does in other walks of life and women are woefully underrepresented in the art world. Needless to say, they can make great art just as well as any man. One women who exemplifies this and, IMO, is arguably Britain's greatest living female artist - is Paula Rego. (She's Portuguese by birth, but married a Brit and now lives and works in London.) You don't need to know anything about art to know that she's a supreme talent. With every brushstroke, her drawings and paintings simply ooze skill, quality and passion.

There was a brilliant documentary about her on the BBC last night - made by her son - Nick Willing. It's a fascinating account of her life and work, and even those who don't much care for art or know anything about it will be gripped by her story and the extraordinary power of her paintings: Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories.

Suffice to say, I recommend it highly. Enjoy!
Tim.

 

[Mr. Charts]

In an earlier post I said that IMO Hockney is arguably Britain's greatest living artist. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have said greatest living male artist. Sadly, sexism exists in art as much as it does in other walks of life and women are woefully underrepresented in the art world. Needless to say, they can make great art just as well as any man. One women who exemplifies this and, IMO, is arguably Britain's greatest living female artist - is Paula Rego. (She's Portuguese by birth, but married a Brit and now lives and works in London.) You don't need to know anything about art to know that she's a supreme talent. With every brushstroke, her drawings and paintings simply ooze skill, quality and passion.

There was a brilliant documentary about her on the BBC last night - made by her son - Nick Willing. It's a fascinating account of her life and work, and even those who don't much care for art or know anything about it will be gripped by her story and the extraordinary power of her paintings: Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories.

Suffice to say, I recommend it highly. Enjoy!
Tim.

Thank you for that, Tim. I'll watch it.
Having said things about Maggi Hambling earlier in this thread I went to see her open her exhibition at the Marlborough in Mayfair a few weeks ago and have modified my opinion of her work - or at least some of it ! Here are two of the best ones.
Richard

 

[Pat494]

Thank you for that, Tim. I'll watch it.
Having said things about Maggi Hambling earlier in this thread I went to see her open her exhibition at the Marlborough in Mayfair a few weeks ago and have modified my opinion of her work - or at least some of it ! Here are two of the best ones.
Richard

Decadent rubbish in my humble opinion.

 

[timsk]

Decadent rubbish in my humble opinion.

Hi Pat,
Maggi Hambling is a very well known and highly regarded painter. I mean no disrespect to Richard's photographic skills, but I think you need to give artists the benefit of the doubt and go and see their work in real life before arriving at such a stinging judgement. And if you do that, you are likely to arrive at one of three conclusions:
1. You like the work you see.
2. You're ambivalent about it.
3. You don't like it.

The above is very simplistic and can become much more complicated. For example, I don't like Francis Bacon - but I recognize fully that he's a brilliant painter. But let's keep it simple for now. I don't think I'd ever describe any artist's work as 'decadent rubbish' - for two reasons.

Firstly, assuming by decadent you mean self indulgent (as opposed to characterizing or reflecting a state of moral or cultural decline), then I'd say that all art falls into this category. Indeed, anything and everything other than the basics required for living fall into this category - so one could describe all non essential luxury items are 'decadent'. Therefore, I put it to you that the word decadent isn't a very useful or meaningful way to describe a work of art.

Secondly, to call an artist's work 'rubbish' is the domain of critics and commentators (and possibly other artists) who have spent years studying the subject and have a deep understanding of it. I barely come into this category myself!

So, here's a challenge for you. Go to a real gallery and look at real paintings and sculpture. This is important as you'll get a very different impression than you will by looking at reproductions or images on the web. Then ask yourself which of the three categories above best describe your feelings about the work you're looking at. It doesn't much matter which one you choose. What does matter is that you look at the work really carefully and then try and specify why you feel as you do. What is it about the work you do or don't like? Is it the colours, the textures of paint or the subject matter etc? Be specific. Really analyse your feelings. The more you do, the deeper your level of critical thinking will be and the greater your understanding and appreciation will be. You may well stick to your initial gut feeling that you don't like it - but you won't dismiss it as 'decadent rubbish'.

So, as the threads OP, assuming (and may be I'm wrong here) you want to get a little more from the thread than a half smile at silly pictures comparing Trump's hair to a cat - I urge you to look more carefully at art and to think more critically about it. Try it, and you may start to view it in a new light and enjoy it much more than you do at present.

Tim.

 

[Atilla]

Decadent rubbish in my humble opinion.

I agree with Timsk Pat and wondering what you mean by decadent rubbish?

I recall sitting in some reception area with a big abstract painting as such below and my thoughts at the time were;

- I like this sofa it's very comfortable. Wondered how it would look in my lounge?
- The walls were white and made me think of a visit to the dentist
- The painting on the wall pulled me in and I was captivated by it. Couldn't make out what it was supposed to be but started looking for shapes and patterns I could recognise.

Anyhow point is I lost track of time in the painting until I was called up.

I remember the moment looking at the painting but not the painting it self. It was all about the painting and its influence on me at that moment and I could say we had a good chat but I wouldn't recognise the face or the name much like another human I may have encountered.


Boring story no doubt but thought I'd share

 

[Pat494]

So glad that someone likes that sort of art.
I try to respect your taste although I don't share it.
Who knows maybe there is hope for me to have a go.
Debating whether I shall throw the paint from say 5 feet or flick it on.
Suggestions welcome.

 

[Atilla]

So glad that someone likes that sort of art.

I try to respect your taste although I don't share it.
Who knows maybe there is hope for me to have a go.
Debating whether I shall throw the paint from say 5 feet or flick it on.
Suggestions welcome.

Don't hold back Pat, just simply say what you mean. I'm teflon coated.