Posts Tagged ‘abstract art’
The Tree Tradition throughout Art
There is a unique relationship that humans share with trees—we have a codependence on earth, and throughout history trees have been used as a symbol for life and vitality. We are all familiar with the expression “the tree of life,” as well as literary analogies that have been drawn, such as “The Giving Tree” and “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” The structure of the tree is even used as a metaphor for the family dynamic.
For hundreds of years artists have captured the aesthetic beauty and cultural significance of these pieces of foliage in their work. Not only do they appear in classic, realist landscapes, but there are also a myriad of abstract tree paintings that show them in a different light. Many fads come and go in art but trees have been—and probably will continue to be—a source of inspiration for artists.
Shape, Value and Edge
If you stop to think about it for a minute, you will realize that when you look at anything, three parts are involved: shape, value, and edges. You will probably recognize the shape at once. Is it a pear, a box, or a silo (or, whatever)? The value is the color you would see if the image were reproduced in black and white. Is it inky black or almost white, or somewhere in between?
When looking at something nearby, you are probably aware of the sharp edge that exists between one shape and another. When looking at something far away, the edge between two shapes is less distinct.
In landscape paintings, what matters to the viewer is whether the distant mountains seem to be far away, and the objects in the foreground seem close. To the artist, it’s a matter of shape, value, and edge.
Landscape Paintings from Florida
It’s time for the snowbird to fly south. Having grown up in Ohio and lived a while in Illinois, I had become accustomed to winter temperatures in the -20F to +30F range. When I moved to Maryland, I loved the winters in the +20sF range. Later, I had a chance to live in Florida, where the winter temps are in the 70s and 80s. Now, that is really nice!
So I’m leaving the land of crimson, flaming orange and screaming yellow leaves which, due to a recent rain, are now almost all on the ground. My next landscape paintings will be of palm trees, live oaks, and lakes from the Land of Sunshine. However, come next spring, just like the birds, I’ll return to this beautiful land of pines, oaks, and azaleas, set up my easel, and paint ’til my heart’s content!
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.
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.