The Great Art Debate

[William the White]

Very nice stuff from the artists-in-residence.

[TANGODANCER]

Wow. Loving your work, Sir.

No Vulcan Bomber flying over the pub though, so points deducted for that.

[thebish]

Bloody hell - another cracking effort! This is quite a good example of where a detail - the red phone box and post box - lifts the whole thing. Not sure I can explain why that is...

cos you like summat in there to "add interest"?

[Bruce Rioja]

Wow. Loving your work, Sir.

No Vulcan Bomber flying over the pub though, so points deducted for that.

[TANGODANCER]

Took a trip back to 1813 last night and shared a glass with Fitzwilliam Darcy.

[Montreal Wanderer]

This is the reason I mentioned the Morris men. I'm seriously thinking of having a go at this.

This is all a bit spooky. You post some random picture of Morris dancers who happen to be clogging around outside the very pub Spotty is about to post his painting of.

[TANGODANCER]

This is all a bit spooky. You post some random picture of Morris dancers who happen to be clogging around outside the very pub Spotty is about to post his painting of.

No mystery Monty. Check the back posts. I checked out the local Spotski was intending to paint and saw the Morris men. Told him I was going to have a go at it. All straight-forwrd.

[Montreal Wanderer]

This is all a bit spooky. You post some random picture of Morris dancers who happen to be clogging around outside the very pub Spotty is about to post his painting of.

No mystery Monty. Check the back posts. I checked out the local Spotski was intending to paint and saw the Morris men. Told him I was going to have a go at it. All straight-forwrd.

Ah, sorry I've been away for three days and didn't check back far enough. I thought for a moment I was in the Twilight Zone.

[TANGODANCER]

A sort of impressionist watercolour of an oil painting I saw and liked.

[Raven]

Very nice indeed.

[TANGODANCER]

Since we were talking about Cat Stevens on the playing thread, had a go at a monochrome (one colour only) job, of the man. .

[William the White]

Good stuff, Tango.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

As said in the other thread, was in Copenhagen at the weekend. I'm not really an art person but some of the stuff on show was mind blowing. The city's Glyptotek (funded by the founder of Carlsberg...christ he must have run the show back in the day) is a real treat. It's focus is on historical artefacts, but when we were there it had an exhibit on French 19th/20th C painters. Wasn't expecting much, but it was so good! I lost count of the number of Cezzanne's, Manet's and Monet's on show. There was even a version of Manet's Execution of Maximillian. But my favourite on show was Millet's Death and the Woodcutter



There were also a number of Van Gogh's on show. It was interesting to see how much his brushstrokes seemed to influence Monet's later work. The paint really does jump out from the canvas. Though as an art novice this may be me talking out of my arse.

Another museum we went to was the Staten Musuem for Kunst (lol) ie. The National Gallery. This was more mindblowing for the size of the collection. There was a really excellent bit dedicated to Picasso, Mattise and Bracques and that lot, and another one dedicated to this Danish surrealist dude whose names escape me. But then there were whole other wings dedicated to European 17th C and around that, another one dedicated to modern abstract stuff (mostly shite, but some good pieces in between). You could easily lose a day in that place. I don't think we even got around two-thirds of it.

Finally, and by far the best, was the Louisana Museum of Modern Art, about 30km north of Copenhagen in a town called Hummlebaek(?). Now, I'm no curator, but for me, this was how a museum/gallery should be.

http://www.louisiana.dk/uk/Menu/Visit+L ... chitecture" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The place is laid out in a modern architecturey structure. Essentially, it is a series of wonderfully lit tunnels which roam around a park (all filled with sculptures and other works) which sits on the Danish coast, looking out to Sweden in the east. It is absolutely breathtaking just as a place, but adding in the works around you amplifies that.

You tour through contemporary Danish art, while all the time seeing hidden pieces set in the gardens. There was a pop-art temporary exhibition on, and another one (with one person's work, Tara Donavan, really impressive to me). And again, just the names which were on show...Warhol, Liectenstein, Rothko, Henry Moore, Picasso...all hidden away in thsi maze-like museum. Would go back again in a heartbeat, and would recommend to anyone who ever finds themselves over there.


Then I went to Malmo for a day and went to the city's Kontshall, which was hosting the most pretentious exhibit in the world. This helped to balance things out somewhat

Potentially going to Copenhagen first weekend in December.

How easy is the Louisiana to get to, Verbs?

[William the White]

That sounds and looks really good, mrk.

Tara Donovan Louisiana video.

http://channel.louisiana.dk/video/tara- ... -materials" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very interesting artist. And gallery.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

That sounds and looks really good, mrk.

Tara Donovan Louisiana video.

http://channel.louisiana.dk/video/tara- ... -materials" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very interesting artist. And gallery.

I made a little programme about the Pop Art exhibition currently on at the Barbican last week - I believe most of the Louisiana's prized pop art possessions are currently residing in that.

http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/e ... p?ID=14797" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bruce Rioja]

Since we were talking about Cat Stevens on the playing thread, had a go at a monochrome (one colour only) job, of the man. .

Hmm. I'm not really seeing it myself, Tango.

[TANGODANCER]

Since we were talking about Cat Stevens on the playing thread, had a go at a monochrome (one colour only) job, of the man. .

Hmm. I'm not really seeing it myself, Tango.

Ah, but you've got the Dorian Grey version there Bruce. With that, I could be painting half of Farnworth as models.

ps: If you think he hasn't worn too well, have you seen Lady D'arbanville lately?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

What is the distinction between artistic endeavour and draughtmanship? I'm currently debating with myself what painterly project to undertake next. I had decided on a still life of a dead roadkilled badger - which I think contains at least the notion of art. But, I'm now tending towards a portrait of my dog. Would that sustain any artistic credit whatsoever? Or does it merely descend to the technical draughtsman aspect of painting? What can, and cannot, be considered suitable subjects? Does the painter or the viewer decide this?

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I can't get excited about an prescriptive definition of art... there's bad art - of course there is. You will probably know if what you have produced is just sentimental guff that means nothing to anyone but you.

[TANGODANCER]

What is the distinction between artistic endeavour and draughtmanship? I'm currently debating with myself what painterly project to undertake next. I had decided on a still life of a dead roadkilled badger - which I think contains at least the notion of art. But, I'm now tending towards a portrait of my dog. Would that sustain any artistic credit whatsoever? Or does it merely descend to the technical draughtsman aspect of painting? What can, and cannot, be considered suitable subjects? Does the painter or the viewer decide this?

The great artsits have painted animals and birds, Stubbs did horses, Landseer stags and highland cattle, Audobon birds etc,etc. There are endless paintings of dogs. Everybody painted still life and portraits, land and seascapes. Answer is then, anything is acceptable as a subject, otherwise, what point cubism, surrealism and all the other isms?