Friday, February 29, 2008

All About Futurism Paintings

A 20th century art movement with its’ roots in Italian and Russian beginnings, Futurism is said to have largely began with the writing of a 1907 essay on music by the Italian composer Ferruccio Busoni, and explored every medium of art to convey its’ meanings. The Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was the first to produce an article in which was summed up the major principles that became the Manifesto of Futurism in 1909. It included the passionate loathing of ideas from he past, and with that enmity of political and artistic traditions, espoused a love for speed and technology.

The philosophy of Futurism regarded the car, the plane, and the industrial town as legendary of the technological triumph of mankind over nature. With Marinetti at the helm, a few artists of the time introduced the tenets of the philosophy to the visual arts, and represented the movement in its’ first phase in 1910. The Russian Futurists were fascinated with dynamism and the restlessness of modern urban life, purposefully seeking to provoke controversy and attract attention to their works through insulting reviews of the static art of the past, and the circle of Russian Futurists were predominantly literary as opposed to being overtly artistic.

Cubo-Futurism was a school of Russian Futurism formulated in 1913, and many of the works incorporated Cubism’s usage of angular forms combined with the Futurist predisposition for dynamism. The Futurist painter Kazimir Malevich was the artist to develop the style, but dismissed it for the inception of the artistic style known as Suprematism, that focused upon the fundamental geometric shapes as a form of non-objective art. Suprematism grew around Malevich, with most prominent works being produced between 1915 and 1918, but the movement had halted for the most part by 1934 in Stalinist Russia.

Though at one point, those Russian poets and artists that considered themselves Futurists had collaborated on works such a Futurist opera, but the Russian movement broke down from persecution for their belief in free thought with the start of the Stalinist age. Italian Futurists were strongly linked with the early fascists in the hope for modernizing the society and economy in the 1920s through to the 1930s, and Marinetti founded the Futurist Political Party in early 1918, which was later absorbed into Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party.

As tensions grew within the various artistic faces that considered themselves Futurists, many Futurists became associated with fascism which later translated into Futurist architecture being born, and interesting examples of this style can be found today even though many Futurist architects were at odds in the fascist taste for Roman imperial patterns. Futurism has even influenced many other 20th century art movements such as Dadaism, Surrealism, and Art Deco styles. Futurism as a movement is considered extinct for the most part with the death of Marinetti in 1944.

As Futurism gave way to the actual future of things, the ideals of the artistic movement have remained significant in Western culture through the expressions of the commercial cinema and culture, and can even be as an influence in modern Japanese anime and cinema. The Cyberpunk genre of films and books owe much to the Futurist tenets, and the movement has even spawned Neo-Futurism, a style of theatre at utilizes on Futurism’s focuses to create a new form of theatre. Much of Futurism’s inspiration came from the previous movement of Cubism, that involved such famed artists as Pablo Picasso and Paul Cezanne, and created much of the basis for Futurism through its’ philosophy.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Art show on Nithari runs into trouble

A PAINTING exhibition at a Sector 2 Art Centre at Vaishali has sparked protest by family members for some Nithari victims. The protesters claimed some of the paintings were obscene.

An FIR has also been lodged at Indirapuram Police Station in this regard. Indirapuram Station Officer Vijay Singh said, "A case under Section 292 of the IPC (sale of obscene material) was registered last evening.

The exhibition has been put off. However, we have not arrested any person till now.

" Jhabbu Lal, father of one of the victims, said, "Karanvir, me and two others had gone to the art gallery at Vaishali after someone informed us about the exhibition. They were selling paintings for lakhs of rupees.

We know that everyone is trying to sell the Nithari tragedy to earn a fast buck but the obscene paintings hurt us the most." Karanvir said, "Last year too a painting exhibition on Nithari was organised by some at Nehru Place in Delhi.

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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Expressionsim Paintings

When speaking on buying paintings of the Expressionist movement, it is always a good idea to review what elements make Expressionism unique, and to gain an understanding of some of the artists representative of this particular artistic movement. The agreed upon intention of Expressionist artwork is not reproduce a subject accurately, but to instead portray the inner state of the artist, with a tendency to distort reality for an emotional effect. The movement is closely associated with its’ beginnings in Germany, and has a few different but overlapping schools of thought within.

The term Expressionism was first used to describe the movement in the magazine produced in 1911 called “Der Sturm”, and was usually linked to paintings and graphic work that challenged academic traditions at the time. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche later helped to define the area of modern expressionism better by clarifying the movement’s links to ancient art before any more modern interpretation had, and applied his own unique philosophy to the movement. He has been quoted stating that disordered and ordered elements are present in all works of art, but that the basic traits of Expressionism lay in the mainly disordered aspects.

The Expressionist point of view was usually conveyed through the use of bold colors, distorted forms, and a lack of perspective. Generally, a piece of expressionistic art is one that is expressive of intense emotion, and much of this kind of artwork occurs during times of social upheaval. Though it can be argued that an artist is expressive by nature, and that all artwork is truly expressionist, there are many who consider the movement particularly communicative of emotion. Later on, artists like Kandinsky changed 20th century Expressionist work through the formation of Abstract Expressionism.

The art historian Antonín Matějček was elemental in coining the term as the opposite to the Impressionist movement as well, and though Expressionism seems well defined as an artistic movement, there have never been a group of artists that called themselves Expressionists. The movement was primarily German and Austrian, and many of the different groups of thought were based around Germany at the time. Another artistic movement that heavily influenced Expressionism was Fauvism. This kind of artwork is characterized by primitive, less naturalistic forms, and includes the works of famed painters Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse.

With this influence firmly in place, Expressionism grew into striking compositions that focused on representing emotional reactions through powerful use of color and dynamic approaches with subject matter, and seemed to counter the qualities centered on by the French Impressionism of the time. Where French Impressionism was to seek rendering the visual appearance of objects, Expressionism became an opposing movement seeking to capture emotions and subjective interpretation, and it was not important to reproduce a visually pleasing interpretation of the matter that the painting represented.

Expressionism has crossed over into many differing fields of artistic vision, with sculpture and filmmaking being primary examples today, and have influenced many people throughout the course of its’ existence as a movement in art. These visions have combined over time to create the comprehensive idea of what Expressionism has become, and many people have found this type of art very appealing and eye-catching. Throughout this century, much Expressionistic artwork has come to be representative of what art can come to be, and many people have been influenced by this very emotional artwork.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Landscape Painting Artist

There are a lot of people out there who think that landscape painting is nonsense. As a an artist, I admit that I respect them . Landscape painters are not just interior decorators, as so many people believe. Although many of our works do have their place in waiting rooms, dentist offices, and the living rooms of the middle class, nonetheless some of it is really and truly inspired work. This might all sound a bit touchy to you, the landscape artists do get touchy from time to time. After all, we are so used to not being taken seriously by our peers that it sometimes puts a chip on our shoulders.

But the fact is that I think that my art does what it is supposed to do: it makes people happy. As a landscape artist, I have specialized in pictures of sunny days, with rainbows from recently departed clouds and precipitation for many years. My work as a landscape artist depicts a type of day that, although rare, is almost universally longed for. Almost everyone has, at one point or another, seen one of these rainbows and a beautiful bright sky, and they know how much good luck and good cheer it can bring to them. Rather than painting complex emotions that might actually make someone feel worse rather than better, I paint something simple and joyous. This means that every time someone looks at the work of the landscape artists such as myself, they're going to feel good things. What is the point, after all, of art that does not make you feel happy? There is enough misery in the world as it is, if you ask me, and I would rather be a landscape artist who tries to change some of that misery to happiness during people's day to day lives.

But you tell that to the judges of so-called talent in the art world, the ones that never even look at the works of a talented landscape artist. Although the normal people know that the landscape artist is someone they can always trust to cheer them up, all of these self-proclaimed experts think that art has to be complex and original to be good. I ask you, is there any points to “good art” that only serves to make you think without heightening your mood? I really cannot think of a point to it. If I wanted to make people think, after all, I would be a novelist and not a landscape artist.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

The Fact of Portrait Artist

The history of art involves many movements which includes portrait painting, landscapes and non figurative art of modern times. The portrait artist has always been a prominent figure in the art world. Many artists have depended on money from patrons who commissioned portraits of themselves, their families and friends. Members of royalty and the aristocracy of Europe loved to pose in front of their country estates, their hunting dogs at their side.

Religious art was the dominant force in art over many centuries, with depictions of Christ and John the Baptist being favorite subjects for the portrait artist. The Renaissance was a golden period for portraits and Botticelli, Raphael and da Vinci were at the forefront. Leonardo's Mona Lisa is probably the most famous portrait in the world and no one is sure who she really was.

Dutch artists have been successful in this genre too, such as Jan van Eyck, Anthony van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt. Group portraits became popular, as exemplified in Rembrandt's Night Watch from 1642. English painters have contributed too, particularly in the works of Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds.

French Impressionist artists brought a new dimension to portrait painting, blending a realistic and individual view. Courbet, Manet, Renoir, Monet and Degas were leading examples of portrait artist, breaking down the barriers of convention of their times. Toulouse-Lautrec specialized in capturing the dancers at the theatres that he frequented. Post Impressionists such as Van Gogh and Gauguin were keen portraitists. As with a lot of artists over the years, Van Gogh struggled financially and painted many self-portraits in order to save money on hiring models.

Twentieth century movements experimented with portrait painting, especially in the case of the Cubists. Picasso, Braque and others approached portraits with a geometric method that shocked many art critics at the time. Matisse was another portrait artist who explored new techniques, applying bold colors to his figures.

One of the most collectible portrait painters of recent times is Andy Warhol and his most famous depictions are part of popular culture. He liked the patronage of the rich and famous, such as Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy. As a contemporary portrait artist, he took advantage of the mass production prints that bore his name.

Portraits fell out of favor in the latter part of the twentieth century, along with other realistic forms of art. Some artists are still celebrated in the genre however, such as the English painter, Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud.

Modern Art

When my wife suggested that I look into Modern art for our interior decorating scheme, I was pretty surprised. I was even more surprised to discover that I really had no idea what Modern art actually was until I started browsing through the artwork online. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

The first thing that comes to my mind when you mention Modern art is abstract painting. I can’t help it. The colorful images are just too closely linked to the concept of the modern age in my mind. Of course, part of the problem is that I connect “modern” with present-day. However, I guess that when it comes to art, “contemporary” is the term used for today’s projects. I think.

Anyway, I was thrilled that Modern art wasn’t comprised completely of abstract paintings and compositions that leave the lay person (like myself) scratching his head. I like to see images that are realistic and meaningful, not ones that are confusing and complex. I’m a simple gal and I want my art to be simple as well.

Fortunately, this genre is quite vast. I have found great images that were predecessors to the abstract movement but are quite easily interpreted by the eyes. There are many landscapes and portraits that are very intriguing in the realm of Modern art and I think that I am a new fan of this particular movement.

The Art Deco furnishings in some of the rooms in my home simply beckon images from the Modern art movement. I love that I can pair geometric designs in my furnishings right along with the geometric designs in the Modern art compositions that I can found. And I can still recognize what those designs actually represent.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the Modern art movement started in the late 19th century. This really appeals to the antique collector in me. While the Art Deco pieces in my home are quite old, I really love pairing interesting antiques from the 19th Century with Modern art pieces that coincide as well.

I’m glad that I took my wife’s advice. My eyes and my mind have both been opened to Modern art and I have a brand new appreciation for abstract images. I still like to keep things real, though. I’m very happy that I can still find images in Modern art that not only suit my home but suit my personal tastes as well.

Friday, February 22, 2008

History of Arts

Records of artistic expression appeared over 2 million years ago during the Stone Age. Statues of the Earth Mother Goddess of Africa and the cave paintings in France tell us what man valued and how he felt about those values. One Stone Age cave painting depicts the hunt. The subject attests to man's preoccupation with nature and his relation to it.

Following the Stone Age, we see the rise of higher political organization through conquest and the establishment of kingdoms. The art of the ancient Assyrians, Egyptians and Babylonians celebrate kings and their battles. Although this can be explained by the fact that only the powerful can afford an artist, we must also recognize that power has become the new great concern.

Simultaneous with the rise of civilization is the evolution of religion, another of man's greatest concerns. The history of religion describes man's reverence for his other worldly beliefs. As we would expect, the history of art shows the glorification of religious concerns with statues and painting portraying the gods and myths.

In the history of art, around 450 B.C., a new subject takes center stage. The place is Greece and the new subject is the natural man. Man is the measure of all things. Democracy is born. Not the king or his conquest, but the individual man is glorified. Even the gods take on human form. The human body is the object of beauty, new to the history of art, more natural in Greek art, more exaggerated in Roman art where muscular strength is a core value.

The art of the Middle Ages reverted to the motivations of the religious art of earlier times. Art is expressing man's greatest concerns. Not until the Renaissance does the natural, this worldly, man-centered universe return as man's greatest concern.

Modern art is still subject to wealth, to those who can afford it, but now it is the merchant, banker and the nobility that are glorified through art. The focus on the natural world reaches its apex in the realism of the 1800s. Evolving from realism, art begins to include man's subjective life and its part in forming reality, The Impressionism and Expressionism of the 1800s celebrates man's mental participation in reality, while the Abstract art and Surrealism of the 1900s shows man's valuation of the purely mental contribution of human mind to human reality.