Here’s another week of art commentary, please let me know your thoughts on the art or other comments, and I will be posting this on my MySpace as well.

This is Arnold Bocklin’s Self-portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle (oil on canvas, 1872). I like alot of Bocklin’s work, and I’m becoming a big fan of the Symbolist movement as well probably because of his work.

There is a nice sense of story to this piece, especially in the man’s interest in what the spectre is saying (or playing on the fiddle). It’s a great look on his face, like he’s getting some inside information on how to proceed. Almost like a guru over his shoulder, the spectre seems to be giving Bocklin (in the picture anyway) a plan for his next move.

I take it that the spectre is much like Bocklin’s muse. Much of Bocklin’s work is dark, and the symbolism he uses often touches on topics like war, pesitlence and horror. The spectre as muse idea is amplified by the use of the fiddle, as if giving a sweeter sound to the horror the spectre is pushing.

The layout works very well too, as the locations and color choices help bring your eye right to Bocklin first, then the spectre. Bocklin and his artistry is the centerpiece of the image, but the spectre adds an eerie layer underneath it all, more subtle in color and shading but just as strong.

Opinions?

Russ

I’ve thought about it, and not only are these posts fun but they help me grow as an artist.  In it, I pick an image from past art and give out my thoughts on it.  I’m not really an expert (though I have actually had the classes), and what I say is merely how I feel about the work.

Please let me know your thoughts on the art or other comments, and I will also be posting this on my MySpace blog as well. So, without further ado, here is the first of the new incarnation of This Week’s Art.

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This Week’s Art 4/21/07 – Grimshaw

This is John Atkinson Grimshaw’s A Moonlit Evening (Oil, 25.5 x 46 cm, 1870’s), one of my favorite pieces and a great one to start with.  For me, it’s a very inspirational piece, as it has everything I look for in a work of art.

For one, the layout of it.  Grimshaw did a fantastic job here of highlighting exactly what was needed, and leaving off details where none were required. The detail of the outer edge of the piece helps bring your eye to the softer, more open center. The placement of all of the pieces in the work is perfect, as everything leads your eye exactly where Grimshaw wanted it.

It also radically uses color, something Grimshaw often did that is stunning here. The green is startling, but somehow isn’t as shocking as you would expect.  It lends an air of the fantastic to the work, and yet because of his subtle uses of color here and there it isn’t disturbing.  Quite the opposite, the green somehow is soothing, despite it’s very abrupt feel.

Above all, as in many of Grimshaw’s works, there seems to be a story to it.  We aren’t privy to it (ok, maybe I’m the only one who isn’t), but there is a strong sense that there is something going on here.  Is it the longing of the girl to go home?  A fear of going back? A girl just stopping for the view?  It’s a great piece that keeps you interested in it far after your initial look at it.  Like all great art pieces, it gives you an emotional reaction, one that sticks in your thoughts.

Opinions?