Art memes

[averygoodun42]

So, I've been debating whether or not to do the five favorite works meme or not because the works that spring to mind are ones that I cannot find links to, and I do not have easy access to them otherwise. Like a Sargent mountainscape that just blew me away several years ago.

But, I can think of a few pieces (or substitutes) that I would say are near favorites. Besides which, "favorite" is a tricky term, as nothing is ever fixed in place.

1. The work of Christopher Brown

Sorry, no photo here, but click on the link and go through his portfolios. Please. My favorite piece of his isn't in there, but nearly all of his work is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. The one I tried to link to (the sixth one in that slideshow) literally took my breath away when I saw it (I had already copied the link to a previous piece, but changed my mind seeing this one). He is, in my opinion, one of the best nature photographers living, and quite possibly one of the best of all time. (The fact that he's a really nice guy is just icing on the cake.) His wife, Elizabeth Black, also does fantastic work (painting), though not quite as... powerful. She does have a way with water, though. www.elizabethblackart.com


2.



Maxfield Parrish... His name is relegated to that odious title, "illustrator" which seems to be sneered at something fierce in the art world. Thing is, his work is beautiful. The fantasies he presents are richly detailed without going overboard (okay, sometimes going overboard...), his use of color is glorious and, when he brings it more down to earth as in the work above, the result is stunning. He was a master craftsman.


3.



Raymond Duchamp-Villon

This is a horrible, HORRIBLE photograph of this sculpture. Seeing the piece in person, it's amazing how he has captured the essence and movement of a horse into something that does not really resemble it. This was one of the pieces I continually went back to visit at the Art Institute of Chicago.


4.



Vermeer. His works are jewels.


5.



W.C. Piguenit
This photograph doesn't do the painting justice. The painting shimmers. It glows. It is sublime. I saw it in Melbourne when I was there, and it has stayed with me - not as it's reproduced, but as I saw it - all this time. I hope I'll be able to see it again someday.


And then keladry_lupin did davario's "myself as a teenager" meme, which inspired me to do the same.





Perhaps someday I'll do an equally quick sketch of me now, but I need to get to bed sometime before midnight. Needless to say, some things have changed, some haven't.

And now I need to go finish up the palette I'm working on... You guys had to choose the pic with the most complicated palette, didn't you? ;-D

I hope to paint the first of the three tomorrow afternoon.

Comments

[junewilliams7.livejournal.com]

wait a minnit.... Christopher Brown takes photos of landscapes, but his wife PAINTS landscapes. photography is tough work (as evident by the bad photo of Raymond Duchamp-Villon's horse sculpture) but to PAINT something in such detail - well, I'm impressed by her work.

yes, we had to choose the pic with the most complicated palette, but we have confidence in your ability!!

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Oh, her work is impressive! That's why I mentioned it. But his work... He transcends the medium. But I love both their work. :-)

Thanks. I hope the confidence isn't misplaced. ;-)