The Art Thread (traditional visual media)

[Oberon]

Hi, all.

I asked PinkPiranha a question in her blog (would she rather attend a day at the National Gallery, or a Monster Truck Show?) which led her to comment that the Gallery would get the nod, and she would be interested in seeing what her date would like or dislike.

The more I thought about it, the more I thought it deserved a thread.

So I'll start off with something with which some of you are already familiar, which is my appreciation for the work of John Singer Sargent:



In traditional media, I tend to prefer representational pieces. I don't care if critics call it "illustration"... it's what I like. Other personal likes are Winslow Homer and Fredric Remington.

So by all means, feel free to share what you like and why, and post examples.

[PinkPiranha]

These can be found at the NC Museum of Art. I make a beeline for them because I could stare at them all day.



Jean-Baptiste Oudry, 1745

Mesmerizing. This one has been my absolute favorite since I was a little girl. Can't say why, except that I was drawn in by the primal combat.





Adolphe William Bouguereau
French, about 1880

Looks familiar.




Ubaldo Gandolfi
Mercury About to Behead Argus

ENTP like. When I was a kid, I thought he was stunning and kinda bad in a funny way. I kept staring at him, wishing in a strange way that he was real, that he belonged to me. I was a weird kid.

[PinkPiranha]

She's lovely, Oberon. Sargent was a master with eyes.

Remington, I adore. How about the Wyeths? I wish I could be just like them.

[JAVO]

Originally Posted by PinkPiranha

Adolphe William Bouguereau
French, about 1880

Looks familiar.

Alternate title: Cupid's Inefficient Pre-archery Trials

[Oberon]

Oh, the Oudry work looks like it's actually moving!

It's funny... the artist's portrayal of dynamics, motion, tension, as the dog goes after the goose... it reminds me of comic book art.

Which is not an indictment by any means.

[PinkPiranha]

The over-the-top-edness of the Oudry is what drew me to it in the first place. Plus, if you stare at it really closely, there's the shadow of a dead boar hanging by it's back legs where the stone wall is now. I like paintings with secrets.

[Oberon]

How did Bouguereau get the light like that? That cool, diffuse, white illumination?

[PinkPiranha]

Originally Posted by Oberon

How did Bouguereau get the light like that? That cool, diffuse, white illumination?

No clue. I know a few of the "old master" tricks for dealing with light, but it's really just astonishment to my mind.

The arm, leg and skin pressure is what gets me.

[Oberon]

Oh... strangely, I also have a soft spot for El Greco.



His work is more stylized by far than the others I mentioned, is perhaps better grouped with Heironimus Bosch.

With El Greco, it's all about striking contrast and Catholic themes.

[PinkPiranha]

I find Spanish art before a certain date to be dominated by almost cadaverous human subjects. Maybe a reflection of the bloody mindset at the time. Hard for me to warm up to it.