The Art Thread

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I love Goya. He appeals to the heavy metal fan in me.

And, stlukes, maybe you could give me a little lesson on Rubens, because I just don't dig his stuff at all. It could be a purely subjective opinion that can't be changed, but that's not usually the case. When I google him, I just see a bunch of paintings of overweight, lumpy women.

[Darcy88]

I must admit to being not much familiar with Rubens. Some of his paintings are very striking. I can see what you mean St Lukes when you refer to him as "superhuman." I like art of that style and that age, but I find I enjoy more paintings that are simpler. Expressionism and impressionism and classical reliefs are what get me most. I say El Greco is my favorite painter and this is because the lines in his paintings are so sharply drawn, the figures so distinct, almost as if you are looking at a relief rather than a painting. His paintings are simple but profound, like a water well. Here are some of my favorites.

[stlukesguild]

Sir Anthony van Dyck, the star pupil and assistant of Sir Peter Paul Rubens was the first "old master" whose work I was able to seriously assess in person as the result of a retrospective exhibition in Washington D.C. The trip itself was almost as memorable as the exhibition considering that I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go with me, and so this became my first serious solo trip far from home... and in the rather sizable city that is the nation's capitol.

One of the things that had most impressed me about both Rubens and Van Dyck was their handling of drapery... and clothing in general. Quite honestly, I seriously envied the artists of the Baroque and the Rococo for the clothing they had to work with.

The two paintings by Van Dyck that truly stunned me include his Portrait of Marie-Louise de Tassis... who was decked out in such rich satins and lace that I could not help but imagine her as some fairy-tale princess...



The second... even more stunning... was his Portrait of Agostino Pallavicini. This huge canvas... shimmering in glowing reds... kept me enthralled for at least half an hour. I recognized then how a Rothko painting could seduce the viewer with nothing more than red... and red has indeed become a major element of my paintings.



How, I wondered, was I, as an artist, to compete with such visual splendors... when as opposed to these spectacular colors, satins, lace... I had nothing but blue-jeans and t-shirts to work with?!

In a painting such as this marvelous Crucifixion by Rubens (located in a small French town) the clothing takes on an almost stained-glass-like nature that must be seen in person:



There is a second crucifixion in which the clothing glows in a similar manner.



In Rubens late paintings... a great many painted for himself as he no longer needed to churn out the product for aristocrats across Europe... he was by then one of the wealthiest artists who ever lived... and a titled "Lord" in his own rite. His late mythologies are absolutely stunning and unabashedly sensuous as they shimmer with flesh tones and rich satins and lace:



In this late Madonna and Child the artist's second wife, Helena (at the right), serves as an attendant... dressed in all her finery...



Following the death of a child from his first marriage, Rubens was driven to commemorate his family... his beautiful young wife and his children... all of whom he saw were dressed in the finest clothes... with the exception of those times when he painted his wife nude.



Perhaps the painting that most made me envious... in terms of clothing... was The Garden of Love. I'm not the only one. The painting, it has been argued, spawned the whole of the Rococo.



continued...

[stlukesguild]

Undoubtedly, it is paintings such as these that eventually led me to a fascination with costume... with the costume of the burlesque:





Classic Pin-Ups:



Hollywood dress:



Tattoos:



Costumed Superheroes and Villains:







And certainly Indian... and other Eastern traditional dress:





I suspect that the glorious dress or costume is part of my fascination with opera...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMY3Ou9L5xE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utIFGyUIBo0

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Thanks for the overview, stlukes. I actually really liked the examples you gave. There definitely is a richness to Rubens' paintings.

[Mr.lucifer]

Can someone please help me understand portraits?

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

What is there not to understand?

[ftil]

Stlukesguild, I have something for you as I have noticed your obsession with nudity. Mahlon Blaine’s and Nova Venus.

Ironically, young people are not obsessed with nudity…….but it is obsession for 40+.

His drawing # 17 “Laughter become scorn, life a combat”……..expresses it all.


http://www.all-art.org/art_20th_century/mahlon1.html

[stlukesguild]

This, and Beardsley, and Rops, and Franz von Bayros are certainly what were referred to in the old 19th/early 20th century come-on: "Come on up and let me show you my etchings."

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I'm obsessed with nudity. Just sayin'.

[ftil]

This, and Beardsley, and Rops, and Franz von Bayros are certainly what were referred to in the old 19th/early 20th century come-on: "Come on up and let me show you my etchings."

I didn’t know those chaps. It is hard to call them artist. BTW, I didn’t know that Félicien Rops was a freemason and a member of the Grand Orient of Belgium.

Well, preoccupation with sex, lesbians and much more from very sick minds.

Are they your favorite?


Franz von Bayros

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ca...anz_von_Bayros


Félicien Rops

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ca...%A9licien_Rops

[stlukesguild]

...preoccupation with sex, lesbians and much more from very sick minds.

Are they your favorite?

I don't know how "sick" they were. I doubt they were any more obsessed with sex than artists of any other period... however spurred on by the times, sex had become a theme which could be tackled far more openly than in the past.

Are they favorites of mine? Far from it. My favorite artists of the period would include Manet, Degas, Monet, Odillon, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Bonnard, Vuillard, Munch, Klimt, Schiele, etc...

[stlukesguild]

Stlukesguild, I have something for you as I have noticed your obsession with nudity.

I won't deny this. As an artist the nude is my primary subject matter... and has been one of the primary themes of the whole of art. On the other hand... unless you count the near-naked Christ being taken down from the cross or a few putti, the only nudity in the post above was in Ruben's Allegory of Peace and War.

[ftil]

...preoccupation with sex, lesbians and much more from very sick minds.

Are they your favorite?

I don't know how "sick" they were. I doubt they were any more obsessed with sex than artists of any other period... however spurred on by the times, sex had become a theme which could be tackled far more openly than in the past.

Well, if you can’t see how sick is that….I can’t help you. Second, don’t project your issues upon other artists. Not ever artist was obsessed with sex. It is a big difference between sick minds of the artists I posted and a mind who appreciates beauty and love.

I won't deny this. As an artist the nude is my primary subject matter... and has been one of the primary themes of the whole of art. On the other hand... unless you count the near-naked Christ being taken down from the cross or a few putti, the only nudity in the post above was in Ruben's Allegory of Peace and War.

First, I didn't talk about you last post but we had a conversation on Public Nudity thread. Second, don’t try to hide behind being and an artist. You are art teacher, aren’t you? You know much more artists than I and you know their paintings. There is a number of painters who were psychologically challenged, and luckily, they don't constitute the majority. I don’t care if they had a talent if their art reflects their sick mind.

[Paulclem]

St Lukes - your contributions to threads with your breadth and knowledge of art are admired from the many posts I've seen complimenting you. I just thought I'd add this after reading how someone has tried to set you up.

Keep up the good work.