All About Books discussion

There a lot of discussions about art going on, on various threads at the moment, so I thought it would be nice to have somewhere to discuss favourite artists and works. (I reckon we can include sculptors etc in here also).

I love tons of different art styles and artists. Do I have to pick just a few? I feel if I name one artist people will think others have to be in the same style, and that is not the case for me. Maybe I can specify more later. And think about it, one artist may have many different styles. I don't necessarily like all of them!

One sculptor I love is Brancusi, and Giacometti and .....

I even put music on my art shelf..... Everything creative is art in my view.

Great idea, Gill! Can I put in a plea to restrict it in the main to painting and sculpture though - or at least the visual Arts? (Sorry Chrissie - I do get where you're coming from, but as you say there are so many...)

Will come back later to this thread. So pleased to not have to rack my brains any more- the poetry thread?... the non-fiction thread?... ;)

At the moment I'm on an Impressionist kick with Edward Lucie-Smith's Impressionist Women. This came about because the author is also an established poet. But although I'm enjoying the book immensely, I had expected it to be a book which might better have been entitled "Women Impressionists".

How about kicking off with your favourites, Gill?

An artist I find fascinating is Ivan Albright. I went with my husband and daughter to see a display of his work at The Art Institute of Chicago. Here is a link to his paintings. http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/...

I know they will not suit everyone, they are kind of creepy and strange and contain so many things. Ever time one looks they see something else.

I'm not very knowledgeable about art but for our housewarming present my boyfriends parents bought us a Tate membership.

Last week we went to an exhibition about Kenneth Clarke where I was introduced to a new artist I really liked, Graham Sutherland.

This week we went to the Matisse exhibition at the Tate Modern which was fabulous. So well put together.

I like modern art mostly although I have a soft spot for Turner. I like paintings by Hockney and Warhol. I also like alternative mediums such as photography and graffiti. The best exhibition ice ever been to was a couple of years ago on the use of hidden photography in war and public life. Brilliant.

I can't express an interest in religious art really although I do enjoy wondering around The National gallery.

Jean wrote: "Great idea, Gill! Can I put in a plea to restrict it in the main to painting and sculpture though - or at least the visual Arts? (Sorry Chrissie - I do get where you're coming from, but as you say ..."


Oh no problem, yours is the more common definition.

OK, here are a few artists I like: Egon Schiele, Chagall, Fernand Khnopff, Modigliani, Delvaux, Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Russian icons and Japanese scrolls. Everything the Japanese do in the field of art is amazing - on scrolls, with gardens, sculptures, textiles - just everything!

Oh yes, Chrissie! I love Japanese art. There was a fair bit in the Kenneth Clarke exhibition I mentioned.

I like Chagall a lot Chrissie. Diane, Ivan Albright is interesting - never heard of him before.

One of my favourites is Remedios Varo, a Spanish painter who fled to France during the Spanish civil war and then fled France in WWII. She was part of the circle of Surrealists active in France.

This painting is called "The Clockmaker":



http://www.eugenefischer.com/wp-conte...

Heather wrote: "Oh yes, Chrissie! I love Japanese art. There was a fair bit in the Kenneth Clarke exhibition I mentioned."

Yeah, Japanese do everything with style. The grills around the base of trees in Tokyo are beautiful; how they wrap presents is beautiful; how they serve food -think of each sushi piece!

You are a lucky duck to seen the Kenneth Clarke exhibition.

This is really weird. As I came on here I thought, who on earth can I start with, who I like but is perhaps unusual, and came up with Graham Sutherland. Then mere seconds later I saw Heather's post!! So I'm off now to track down a leaflet I know I have about his home/gallery where most of his work is on permanent display.

I've really got into Remedios Varo now, Greg, and am appalled that not one of my Surrealist books even mentions her :( She doesn't even merit an entry in the huge encyclopedia The Oxford Companion To Art.

My all-time favorite is Claude Monet. And my new-found favorite is Caravaggio :)

Well I found it, but it's all in Welsh :( Never mind, it gave me the starting place to search. They're in Pembrokeshire (where I went to watch puffins...)

Here's a link to the gallery

and here are the images

The canvasses are simple huge :)

It is too bad Jean! Some other artists in the movement were masters of self-promotion, but I get the impression she was never much interested in promoting herself. That probably has something to do with it. There's a massive standing exhibit of her work in Mexico though (where she went after France). One day I will go see it!

Maybe she will come to prominence more, much as Frida Kahlo has done :)

Alice wrote: "My all-time favorite is Claude Monet. And my new-found favorite is Caravaggio :)"

I like Monet's ponds with lilies. He did those over and over again and none are the same.

Greg, Varo's stuff that you have shown us is wonderful!!!

@Alice, I really like Caravaggio as well!

@Jean, I hope so!

I love those Jean and I love the picture by Varo Greg.

I also love the native American artwork by Remington.
There are just so many artists, it is hard to pick favorites.

Help, Diane! I'm just getting shavers when I google "Remington"! :D

@Diane, so true!

Chrissie wrote: "Alice wrote: "My all-time favorite is Claude Monet. And my new-found favorite is Caravaggio :)"

I like Monet's ponds with lilies. He did those over and over again and none are the same."

Ooh, when I last visited Paris in 2011, I sat for over an hour in the Musee d'Orangerie just drinking in the water lilies and willows murals :)

Have you noticed where my profile picture is?! LOL And I was going to link to "Monet's bridge" here, but Goodreads hasn't let me link anything for a couple of hours, so I guess yesterday's bug hasn't quite been sorted out yet... Anyway, there are water lilies in my photos from when I was away, at the Waterlily Centre a few weeks ago. They were supplied by the same nursery who supplied Monet at Giverny.

I'm not really familiar with modern art, but I am fascinated with renaissance art. My favourite artist is Bernini (weird how this thread was set up as I just finished a presentation about him today for my religion class tomorrow).
But as I said, I'm not well acquainted with modern art. though my university does bring some modern artists' work and displays them for about a week. I go to these exhibits whenever I can. When I do get a chance, I always enjoy myself.

I'm not as knowledgeable about art as I'd like to be. My probably favorite for the last ten years has been Scottish painter Jack Vettriano; in particular https://www.google.com.au/search?q=ja... and his assorted like The Singing Butler.

But I do love Monet for the Impressonists, Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, Constable and then there's Norman Lindsay - who is possibly the only Aust artist I like. Picasso and the like do my head in; I just can't warm to their artwork.

More later as I think of them.

Alice wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Alice wrote: "My all-time favorite is Claude Monet. And my new-found favorite is Caravaggio :)"

I like Monet's ponds with lilies. He did those over and over again and none are the..."

They also have the ponds and lilies in Musée d'Orsay, the old train station. Even the building is fun.

Jean, I agree, Giverny is SO grogeous! there you see the bridge and pond and lilies, the real thing.

@Bette, Vettriano's paintings are lovely to look at - I think I have a book with his work somewhere in my house.

Jean wrote: "Help, Diane! I'm just getting shavers when I google "Remington"! :D"

Try this Jean http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=r...

Chrissie wrote: "Alice wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Alice wrote: "My all-time favorite is Claude Monet. And my new-found favorite is Caravaggio :)"

I like Monet's ponds with lilies. He did those over and over again an..."

I would have loved to wander around Musee d'Orsay too if my companion wasn't fretting all the time (she hates museums) :(

Oh you're all doing links again! Thanks for the Remington one Diane :) Not sure about horse Art - Stubbs doesn't do it for me either - though I love horses of course!

When I put my photos of The Waterlily centre on Facebook (lots more) a friend then posted his of Giverny. The difference? Not much, except that not many of his managed to have no tourists in. The bridge in particular was jam packed with bodies plus cameras. I rest my case! LOL

No, obviously I would like to visit Giverny some day. Until then I will just have to make do with Monet's paintings ;) OK no more flippancy. There's a whole room of enormous canvasses of waterlilies in the National Gallery. You feel as if you are in a garden - beautiful!

Anyone know and like Atkinson Grimshaw? Here are some of his moonlight paintings.

And now it's working, here is the English Monet's bridge :)

I do love Monet. He was my mum's favourite artist.

I have seen Jack Vettriano's paintings before but I didn't know the name of the artist. Thanks for sharing that.

A couple of links to Graham Sutherland

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/gr...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintin...

He worked a lot during the war and along with a group of other artists was responsible for documenting the war effort and some of devestation of the blitz

My absolutely favourite artist and location are Fra Angelico, and his frescoes at San Marco in Florence.
Here is one of them:



I've a couple of other favourites, whom I still need to sort links for.

Lovely Gil. I am fascinated with the old west and love reading westerns, the realism in Remington's pics is why I love them.

May I say that this thread is like visiting a museum without leaving the house. Just wonderful!

Diane S. wrote: "I love those Jean and I love the picture by Varo Greg.

I also love the native American artwork by Remington.
There are just so many artists, it is hard to pick favorites."

I've got a book from a Remington exhibition. I'll see if I can look it out, and copy some onto here.

Thanks Gil.

Gill wrote: "There a lot of discussions about art going on, on various threads at the moment, so I thought it would be nice to have somewhere to discuss favourite artists and works. (I reckon we can include scu..."

Good idea :)

I tend to like representational more than abstract art. My favorites are the Impressionists such as Monet and Mary Cassatt but I also love Turner's seascapes.

However, I find sculpture more to my taste than paintings. I love Degas' horses, Calder's mobiles, Rodin, and many of the ancient Greek sculptures.

Now that Leslie mentions sculpture, I love the beautiful craft of classic Greek sculpture. There's a couple museums in Los Angeles (Getty museums) that focus on Greek art, and I enjoy seeing the sculptures there every few years or so. One of Heracles is especially spectacular.

Greg wrote: "Now that Leslie mentions sculpture, I love the beautiful craft of classic Greek sculpture. There's a couple museums in Los Angeles (Getty museums) that focus on Greek art, and I enjoy seeing the sc..."

I loved the Getty museum when I was living out there!

I am totally with you Leslie! The Getty and Getty Villa are fantastic, and unbelievably, free admission!

Getty Villa: http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/

Getty: http://www.getty.edu/museum/

Statue of Lansdowne Herakles at Getty Villa:

Gill, I only know about Fra Angelico because a character in a French movie (Purple Noon - Plein Soleil) purchases a book of Fra Angelico paintings. After seeing the movie, I looked up the paintings online. LOL. My knowledge of paintings and the visual arts is spotty and haphazard, but I do love visual arts!

Heather, thanks for the Graham Sutherland links - a new painter for me to discover! I like a lot of them, particularly 'The Deposition.'

Chrissie wrote: "OK, here are a few artists I like: Egon Schiele, Chagall, Fernand Khnopff, Modigliani, Delvaux, Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Russian icons and Japanese scrolls. Everything the Japanese do in the field o..."

I remember seeing an interesting movie about Modigliani that tells his rivalry with Pablo Picasso.

Alice wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Alice wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Alice wrote: "My all-time favorite is Claude Monet. And my new-found favorite is Caravaggio :)"

I like Monet's ponds with lilies. He did those over ..."

Oh my, what a pain in the butt!

And that is interesting abut the rivalry between Modigliani an Picasso. They are different but still both so talented. Picasso changed so radically and tried so many different styles and mediums.

Chrissie, I've never seen any works of Modigliani, but I can't say I like Picasso's "cubism" style :)

Alice, Modigliani's portraits are fantastic.

I don't like Picasso's cubism either. He spent time in Provence and you can see a statue in one of the villages there. I cannot remember which it was. I like his creativity and that is one thing I also like about Matisse; when he grew blind he didn't stop painting but changed to his more simplistic style. Real artists just cannot stop painting, no matter what! I like all of Matisse's styles.

I also like Calder.

Matisse is just brilliant. At the exhibition I went to this week it showed you some of his less well known cut outs. Even though his cut outs look simple, some of them have been found to have other 1000 pin holes in them, showing how he kept rearranging to meet perfection

@Alice, @Chrissie, I like Modigliani; his art feels distinctive and unique. When I look at a painting in a museum and think it's a Modigliani, I'm usually right.

I've never seen the movie. Do you remember the title?

@Alice, the work of his that I've seen isn't as abstract as much of Picasso's work. To my completely untrained and clueless eye, he reminds me a little of the primitivists. I'm sure others can correct me. You can see some of his works on Wikipedia (click on the gallery tab): http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo...

I think Picasso went though more styles and periods than any artist I know! There's something there for everyone!

Interesting how we are picking out individual artists. I meant to say what a truly wonderful present that was, Heather! Perfect for your new location and a fascinating gallery - in my top 5 I would think. Hope you get to see the place in Wales - and thanks for your links to Graham Sutherland too. I don't know his war works as well as the large canvasses. And the National Gallery is great for Turner! I agree with your Mum's choices :)

I also love the Paris Impressionist museums mentioned. And a little gallery in St. Ives, Cornwall which was Barbara Hepworth's studio and home.
Link here

Also interesting the idea of types of Art - Leslie saying she preferred representational Art rather than Abstract. When I was at Art College (not theoretical studies) abstract was very much the vogue. I tended to have a broader view even at the time, but now find I particularly like figurative Art, as this can include all the Surrealists too, with a fantasy element. Though I admire many many artists.

I am a big fan of modern art, and, to a slightly lesser extent, contemporary art. My favorite painting is The Treachery of Images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe) by Rene Magritte.

"
I saw it at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art a couple of years ago, and I was totally taken in by it - the message it sends and, especially, how clean it looks. I love the way this bright, straightforward image throws all your perceptions into disarray.

Greg wrote: "@Alice, @Chrissie, I like Modigliani; his art feels distinctive and unique. When I look at a painting in a museum and think it's a Modigliani, I'm usually right.

I've never seen the movie. Do you ..."

Chrissie, thanks for the link (I had an earlier peep already; he was another artist with a tragic end!). I'm afraid I can't remember the movie title. Andy Garcia played Modigliani.