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Round Table"
Photoshop Artists
Digital Artist, Robert Glenn shares "Creative folks of all stripes find the making of digital art to be almost irresistible. Brilliant software--on a constant arc of improvement--permits ever more speedy and imaginative manipulation." and "While holding out the hand of democratization to all who would participate, like photography itself, it also runs counter to the role of art as commodity--digital is difficult to make rare."
He has also published some of the responses from artists, with many saying its fine, but just not as good as the real thing, while others found that Photoshop completely changed the way they work. Here's one example…
"We must realize that when a human being takes a brush and lays paint on a ground, that person joins a 35,000 year old tradition. I am no Luddite, but I know of a time when people thought that photography would spell the end of painting. It didn't and neither will Photoshop". [ The Painter’s Keys]
I have used Photoshop quite a bit and feel comfortable using it as a creative tool, but I could never imagine putting away the paintbrushes for a mouse. It's probably best used as one of several tools, rather thinking that you have to be either a digital artist or an anti technology artist. The two can be used side by side, just as pencils and photographs are used by painters.
It's almost like painting, but you don't have to wait for the paint to dry and you don't have to wash your hands when you are finished.
Source: Art News Blog
Woman Charged for Kissing a Twombly Painting
A woman was charged in France for kissing a Cy Twombly painting worth more than 2 million dollars. Sam Rindy was overcome with passion in front of the work and just couldn't help herself.
"I left a kiss," she told La Provence newspaper on leaving the police station. "A red stain remained on the canvas... This red stain is testimony to this moment, to the power of art."
Source: BBC
In-box:
Submitted by G.H. Allen, July 8
Open Casting Call for Fine Art Reality TV Series WORK OF ART
First reality television on the world of fine art -- Contestants get a chance to create artwork in a variety of disciplines such as painting, sculpting, industrial design and photography. For those of you interested in this challenge, open calls for artists will be held across the country in the upcoming weeks:
For additional information see: Bravo TV Casting
Interactivos?'10: Neighborhood Science --
Art and new techologies showcase through July 31, 2010 @ Medialab-Prado (c/ Alameda, 15, Plaza de las Letras in Madrid)
Madrid, July 2010
For information contact: Media Lab Prado
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Deserter as Dessert in Desert"
by Rodney Gee
“The Long History of Food in Art”
Whenever you come across still life paintings depicting things like bread, fruits and vegetables, you’re actually seeing the results of a long tradition of food in art.
Historical studies show that the Greeks and Romans prided themselves in the realistic depiction of food in artworks. A glass bowl of fruit was commonly included in Roman paintings to boast of the delicacies that the rich citizens of Rome enjoyed, and of the generous hospitality they had to offer.
Even farther back, archaeologists have found drawings of food on the walls of Egyptian pyramids. In ancient Egyptian culture it was believed that those drawings, through magical properties, would nourish those gone on to the after life.
Things haven’t changed much since then. . . today you will find depictions of food on the walls of restaurants, people’s homes and in hotels. We don’t necessarily believe that they nourish us like the Egyptians did but we do clearly find something very appealing, comforting almost, by having paintings of food.
Still life art during the Renaissance
During the Renaissance period, still life objects (often including food) were subtly incorporated into paintings with religious themes. Realism and meticulous detail were prized, and in the late 15th century as interest in strictly religious paintings waned, everyday objects such as vases of flowers became popular by themselves. In the 16th and 17th centuries there was increased interest in scientific examination, and as a result, inanimate objects were studied and depicted by artists in their most realistic form.
At the forefront of the food-painting movement were the Dutch realists whose impressive kitchen and market paintings featured various displays of food fare on counters and tables.
Modern still life paintings with food
French artist Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) is renowned for his numerous paintings of fruit. He enthusiastically adopted the still life genre, and his still life illustrations are viewed as a mixture of both traditional and modern—traditional because the fruits and vegetables are easy to identify, but modern because they are meant to be decorative items, not exact representations.
Cezanne’s work entitled Still Life with Fruit Basket is a good example of a stylized representation of food in art. This magnificent tableau consists of a small wooden table draped in white cloth which supports a basket containing several apples and pears. One of the most notable modern elements in this painting is that the fruit basket appears sit both on the table AND on the floor behind it.
Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) added his own particular style to the genre of still life paintings. His series of sunflower paintings are well-known, but he also produced many paintings that included food. Famous food paintings by Van Gogh include Still Life with Quinces and Lemons and Still Life with Carafe and Lemons.
Contemporary still life food paintings
For many artists, the reason for painting such ordinary objects like bread or fruit is simply to demonstrate their compositional skill, lighting techniques, or to show how well they can make these items come to life on canvas.
In the past century, artists have taken to depicting more contemporary food, too. For instance, pop artist Andy Warhol criticized or emphasized social issues by painting ordinary soup cans—and the painting by Ralph Goings entitled A-1 Sauce, is simply a collection of condiments on a table, illuminated by light from a window.
Not a traditional romantic image, certainly, but the hues, shapes and composition all work together to create an undeniable mood that captures the viewer’s attention. Whether created to express bountiful harvests, to boast the artist’s talent, or to communicate an opinion, food in art is still very prevalent today. . . and no doubt it will remain so as long as both art and food exist in the world.
Source: Donovan Gauvreau is an art historian and art therapy speaker. You can read more of his articles at: Aaron Art Prints via Empty Easel
Regarding “Modern” Art
Submitted by JD Jarvis on Monday, July 5
Comment: “Although it may be a fact that modern art is purchased today for shallow or snobbish reasons, one has to wonder why the first, so called "modern" works were made. It would be foolish to create work simply because it looks different in order to attract a market that did not yet exist and which held little promise of ever existing in one's lifetime. In fact many early modern artists suffered much scorn for their efforts. Why do this? Unless, of course, one believed that they had hold of a way of expressing something new within the emerging zeitgeist of a new period in human development or societal history.
The shape of today's art market would not be the first example in which greed, posturing and the pressure to make financial gain has brought something that was essentially positive and far-reaching to a state that is now essentially negative and shallow. One must remember that all of art history is the history of "collected art." We know very little of those artists throughout history who, with great talent and a clear, pure idea, created work that never connected with "the money" and therefore seemingly never even existed. If 'History' is written by the winners, then art history is written in check books.
I take a good degree of comfort in the supposition that modern art is in the head. This, to me, is a basic tenant in our evolving understanding of consciousness. Reality itself is in our head, subject to every nuance of individual experience, point-of-view and perception... so why not art?
This observation along with our continued cybernetic integration of technology into every aspect of our lives, thoughts and physical bodies is the emerging zeitgeist that informs my current work. Make it so... send me a dollar!” JDJ
"Still Life Room 1"
by Clay Bodvin
The Devil and Demons in Medieval Art
Art during the Middle Ages was primarily an instructional tool of Christianity, and so Hell was a frequent subject. It was shown as a cruel underground world filled with monstrosity, deformity and horrific creatures, designed to strike fear into viewers' hearts. Medieval churches were filled with detailed pictures comparing Heaven and Hell.
The portrayal of demons in Hell
In the 1400s religious art tended to follow forms suggested by Scripture and folklore, which included snakes, dragons, lions and goats. A favorite of the Medieval bestiary were bats and bat-winged creatures. Bats were considered by early Christians as ‘birds of the Devil’ because of their association with the night and similarity to rats. In panels, they symbolized fear and of the powers of darkness and chaos.
Toads (one of the Biblical plagues) and toad-like creatures were often considered demonic and characterized as unclean. Also, since toads eject poison that irritates the skin and eyes, they were used in Christian art as a symbol of death and the underworld. The pig was also unclean and a symbol of lust, greed, and gluttony.
Artists were free to select from these forms according to their fancy, so we see demons with human feet and hands but animal faces and ears; demons with hideous bodies, lizard skin, apelike heads, paws. The purpose was to frighten sinners with threats of torment, and to show how, as they shifted shapes chaotically, demons were the twisted, ugly distortions of what angelic or human nature ought to be.
Source: Tempera Workshop
This page posted July 12 2010
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