A little less than two weeks ago, my toughest, busiest semester so far ended. Shortly after, I realized that I had neglected this blog since the semester hit the ground running in August. I have quite a few drawings that I am happy with as a product of this fall, but they have been packed and stored without being photographed amidst the hectic nature of my final week. And while those drawings won't make their online debut until the summer months, I do have a number of pages in my current sketchbook that will grace this site as soon as I get the chance to scan them.
In other (and much more exciting) news, my winter break this semester is a short one. On January 6th I'll be boarding a plane for Florence, Italy, where I'll be spending the entire spring semester studying in the Studio Art Centers International program. I'll be studying painting, High Renaissance art history, and museum studies, as well as doing any traveling possible, and a ton of museum/church hopping. My professor is requiring us to keep a sketchbook/journal of our visit, so expect excerpts from that to be posted occasionally, as well as photos of travels, and new work, and other random entries as usual.
I'm sure to find communication with the states much more difficult while abroad. Friends and relatives please find this blog to be a resource in following my travels and experiences, as I intend to be much more diligent in its upkeep than I have been in the past 4 months. I'm really looking forward to this experience, and posting about it, so keep an eye out for new things.
And on that note I'll close by utilizing the entirety of my Italian language knowledge... Grazie! Ciao! Spaghetti!
Jeff
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Venus Verticordia (detail).
30 December 2009
29 December 2009
Victorian Aestheticism
Researching for a paper on artist Frederic Leighton introduced me to a great book:
"Art for Art's Sake: Aestheticism in Victorian Painting" by Elizabeth Prettejohn.
The book includes essays on a number of Victorian painters, some of the first to express aesthetic values, and the formative characters of the Aesthetic movement, including Frederic Lord Leighton, Albert Moore, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler. The essays talk about each painter in the way that his work specifically addresses aesthetic concerns, or diverts from the academic traditions of the day, and the realism of Pre-Raphaelite painting. For anyone like myself, with an interest in 19th century Aestheticism, or even 19th century art in general, this book will be an interesting and educational read.
The essay on Frederic Leighton is really interesting for explaining his background, association with the Royal Academy in London, and the way he creates a relationship between his academic working process and aesthetic ideals. The book also gave me my first real introduction to the work of Albert Moore, whose paintings utilize repetition, rhythm, and other musical ideas in visual form, which parallel the symphonic references of Whistler. The information on his use of repetition as a compositional device was unexpectedly relevant to my own taste and ways of thinking about organizing an image and controlling the gaze of the viewer.
Frederic Leighton:
Pavonia, 1858
Icarus and Daedalus, 1869
Albert Moore:
Dreamers, 1879-82
The Quartet,1868
Apples, 1875
"Art for Art's Sake: Aestheticism in Victorian Painting" by Elizabeth Prettejohn.
The book includes essays on a number of Victorian painters, some of the first to express aesthetic values, and the formative characters of the Aesthetic movement, including Frederic Lord Leighton, Albert Moore, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler. The essays talk about each painter in the way that his work specifically addresses aesthetic concerns, or diverts from the academic traditions of the day, and the realism of Pre-Raphaelite painting. For anyone like myself, with an interest in 19th century Aestheticism, or even 19th century art in general, this book will be an interesting and educational read.
The essay on Frederic Leighton is really interesting for explaining his background, association with the Royal Academy in London, and the way he creates a relationship between his academic working process and aesthetic ideals. The book also gave me my first real introduction to the work of Albert Moore, whose paintings utilize repetition, rhythm, and other musical ideas in visual form, which parallel the symphonic references of Whistler. The information on his use of repetition as a compositional device was unexpectedly relevant to my own taste and ways of thinking about organizing an image and controlling the gaze of the viewer.
Frederic Leighton:
Pavonia, 1858
Icarus and Daedalus, 1869
Albert Moore:
Dreamers, 1879-82
The Quartet,1868
Apples, 1875
11 September 2009
29 August 2009
Interesting Article
This article is from the Guernica magazine website that I stumbled upon. It discusses President Obama's choices of art to add to the White House collection thus far in his presidency. While I'm not usually one for political discussion, this article touches on some interesting points when comparing Obama's choices to those of previous White House occupants, and what the differences might say (or not say) about their differences in leadership.
Read the article here.
Read the article here.
24 August 2009
Alex Kanevsky
A contemporary painter dealing in beautifully textured works in oil, primarily figurative but also relating to a few series. The paintings are a very interesting hybrid with similarities to Francis Bacon, Euan Uglow, and Odd Nerdrum. Bacon for their psychological weight, and the figures' interaction with the bed, chair, and bathroom; Uglow for their often fragmented and planar painting style; and Nerdrum for the repetition of figures, their cloak-like covering, and the compositional arrangement of portraits. Kanevsky seems to favor a near square format, which he handles effectively in his composition.
Images from the artist's website.
Kanevsky's paintings have a very fresh feel, which he states (in an interview) is his aim. He achieves this effect with continued reworking in which he attempts to hit his mark in one shot, and if he fails, he waits for the paint to dry and tries again. The artist has a very interesting section on his website where this process can be seen, something I've always wanted to do myself but never did. He also has a great list of links to get you searching around. It is a recommended stop for fans or fellow painters searching the web.
Images from the artist's website.
Kanevsky's paintings have a very fresh feel, which he states (in an interview) is his aim. He achieves this effect with continued reworking in which he attempts to hit his mark in one shot, and if he fails, he waits for the paint to dry and tries again. The artist has a very interesting section on his website where this process can be seen, something I've always wanted to do myself but never did. He also has a great list of links to get you searching around. It is a recommended stop for fans or fellow painters searching the web.
20 August 2009
Rosy Lamb
A painter/sculptor in Paris, using primarily plaster and oil paints. I like the effect the plaster surface has on the paintings, and she does some really interesting things with plaster frame imprints. I'm also a fan of the "unfinished" finish of some of the portraits. Although I think that relates to time constraints, it's still a good exercise in decision making and painting economy.
More of her work here.
The project she worked on called The Sleeping Author Project sounds really fun, and similar in certain ways to the portrait project I was developing. While Lamb's paintings attempted to capture the subject (a stranger) within an hour of their personal introspection or dreaming, I would want my time to be unrestrained. My painting would aim to be the physical and visual record of that time spent in the presence of the sitter (a strong personal relation or acquaintance). The process would also involve good decision making, editing, and painting economy. I anticipate my most difficult and frustrating obstacle to be the time necessary for my subjects to spend in my presence. Time is always seen as valuable and precious, something to be held onto rather than given away. Though I'd like to think my sitters would take something away from the experience on a personal level. We shall see.
More of her work here.
The project she worked on called The Sleeping Author Project sounds really fun, and similar in certain ways to the portrait project I was developing. While Lamb's paintings attempted to capture the subject (a stranger) within an hour of their personal introspection or dreaming, I would want my time to be unrestrained. My painting would aim to be the physical and visual record of that time spent in the presence of the sitter (a strong personal relation or acquaintance). The process would also involve good decision making, editing, and painting economy. I anticipate my most difficult and frustrating obstacle to be the time necessary for my subjects to spend in my presence. Time is always seen as valuable and precious, something to be held onto rather than given away. Though I'd like to think my sitters would take something away from the experience on a personal level. We shall see.
19 August 2009
Bruce Yardley
Images from The Catto Gallery.
This guy is a great painter of light. I'm not always one for landscape painting, but the composition and light effects of these are beautiful.
The shaded buildings in the background, harsh light and cast shadows of the tables and chairs here are incredibly well observed.
A great use of sun and shade to really create and fill a space with light and atmosphere.
More here.
This guy is a great painter of light. I'm not always one for landscape painting, but the composition and light effects of these are beautiful.
The shaded buildings in the background, harsh light and cast shadows of the tables and chairs here are incredibly well observed.
A great use of sun and shade to really create and fill a space with light and atmosphere.
More here.
Disappointment.
I'm so upset that I couldn't see this show of Joaquin Sorolla's work. I made it out to the Hispanic Society last semester but the work was in Madrid at the time. And if all goes according to plan (which would be great, don't get me wrong), I'll be making my way to Europe as these paintings make their way back to the States.
Even so, it's a nice little article/slideshow, and I'm glad the guy is getting some attention. He is truly underrepresented.
More of his work here.
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18 August 2009
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