Archive for October, 2009
What ‘The Joy of Painting’ Taught Me
By the time I started taking art classes late in elementary school, I was painting landscapes that blew the teacher away. He couldn’t understand how I had become so proficient at painting without any classical training. It wasn’t that I possessed any kind of extraordinary talent – but I did harbor a secret. Every Sunday morning, I woke up early to join Bob Ross for a lesson in “The Joy of Painting.”
That PBS show influenced my artistic style a great deal, and Bob was just the sort of abstract landscape painter who could teach a hopeless student like me. He had so much passion for the art form that I couldn’t help but be transfixed. Even if most of his wilderness scenes ended up looking strikingly similar, painting along with him gave me a true appreciation for the diligence and artistry behind the craft.
Egyptian Landscape Paintings
In Egypt, the landscape paintings were architectural: the Sphinx, the pyramids of the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. The fascination of Ancient Egypt still captivates modern man although the civilization existed between about 3100 B.C. and 332 B.C. and is one of the longest in history.
The Egyptians believed the Pharaoh to be immortal and indeed, he spent much of his time preparing for death. The first thing a new ruler did was to build his own tomb and stock it with every kind of delight he would need in the hereafter including clothes, jewelry, beds, food, weapons, and even chariots. Paintings of fruit adorned the walls of the pyramid so that if the dead ruler wanted fruit, it magically appeared on the table. King Tut’s tomb contained not only 4 golden chariots, but also a golden throne, precious jewels, statues of gold and ebony, and much more.
In addition to all the delights a Pharaoh might need in the hereafter, his tomb also contained a statue of the Pharaoh, because it was believed to house his soul. The statue was carved to show a very rigid figure and had to look like him, else the magic wouldn’t work. It was placed in the tomb in case the mummy was stolen or became decayed.
Much of what we know about the ancient Egyptians came after Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1799. He brought back a huge number of relics including the Rosetta Stone, which was dated about 196 B.C. . It is a slab of black basalt with the same inscription written in both Egyptian and Greek. The Egyptian language was expressed in two different scripts, hieroglyphics, the writing of the priests, and demotic, the language of the common people. Greek was the language of the foreigners who governed the country. When the common ground between the languages was finally found and the Rosetta Stone translated, we were able to learn much more about the lives of the ancient Egyptians.
Stone Age Landscape Paintings
This is the first in a small series of studies about art history. Why? Whereas history is the story of wars and conquests and power, art history is the story of the every day lives of people, their hopes, inspirations, and beliefs.
Man first began making art in the Old Stone Age, 25,000 years ago. Landscape paintings consisted of pictures on cave walls of bison, deer, horses, mammoths and boars, probably in the hopes of having a successful hunting expedition. Sculptures were made from bone, ivory, antlers or stone and are believed to be an attempt to appease the forces of nature.
It was during the Neolithic, or New Stone Age period that humans became herdsmen and farmers. Architecture, in the form of massive stones, first appeared about 5000BC. The most famous of these, Stonehenge, is believed to have been created about 2000BC. It is amazing to us to think that these ancient people could manipulate stones that large without the help of the equipment we use today.
Oil painting or acrylic?
Acrylic painting versus oil painting. What is the difference? Acrylics dry quickly and can be used straight from the tube, or diluted with water or other medium, and used like watercolors. Often a spray bottle is used to spray a fine mist over the paint on the palette in order to keep it moist. Because acrylics dry so fast, more layers can be added immediately and the painting easily modified as it develops.
Paintings that Transport You
I’m the type of person who cannot stand looking at white walls. It’s not as though my home is cluttered, but from the very first day I moved into the apartment I’ve been on the lookout for fine art to decorate the place. Most of the paintings that adorn my modest apartment are of woodland landscapes, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I’ll always be a naturalist at heart and even when I’m stuck inside the city I long to spend a few hours relaxing in the wilderness.
Simply put, the most effective pieces of art are the ones that evoke an emotional response. That’s not to say that a painting must move me to tears in order for me to appreciate it, but it should at least give me reason to pause and contemplate. Landscape oil paintings, when done correctly, transport me to another place and perhaps even another time.
Landscape Painting
Like many Art students, I began the study of Art in a studio, where the instructor would lecture, demonstrate, and answer a myriad of questions. After many years of mixing colors, painting from photos and note cards, I discovered painting out of doors. Landscape painting was for me!
At first, I must admit, it was a bit overwhelming to try to decide, from all that was out there, just what I would put on my canvas. Now that I have practiced a while, it is so exciting to find a view that catches my attention and inspires me to capture it on my canvas.
I begin with the big shapes, draw them in paint, usually raw umber, and color them whatever color comes to mind. I never know how the painting will turn out, but it is always interesting!
The Break from Realism
For most of human history, realism was the pervading influence in visual art. Even before “realism” was given a name by academics, people were attempting to document what they saw around them by painting it or sculpting it. Of course there was some imagination involved, but for the most part the rules of art were rigidly defined and few dared to stray far outside the box.
That changed to some extent in the mid 19th century, when the impressionists provided a response to the rise of photography. Suddenly paintings could not represent the physical world as well as this competing medium. Fortunately, painters were forced to imbue their art with more emotion, imaginative flourishes and outrageous colors. Abstract art took that idea to a whole new extreme. In some cases it would be impossible to guess an abstract artist’s inspiration just by studying the finished work. Other times the work will deviate only slightly from a realistic depiction.