Observing Art

[Caraccioli]

I was going to put this in Random Topics, but that seems to be off in another direction just now, so I thought I'd give it a chance at life on its own.

They have the Rodin/Claudelle exhibit on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts - apparently it's the only museum in the US where this will appear. Having read somewhat extensively on Rodin (quite a character, really), I wanted to see it. I was going to give it a pass until I recently came across someone who was like-minded in their desire. It was interesting to compare the works to the history and the things I knew about them.

I was awed by the startling amount of detail and expressiveness in the figures. Rodin and Claudelle put literally years into sculpting some of the larger figures. I don't know if it would be possible for an artist to do likewise today without almost becoming a hermit.

A cynical part of me wonders if that isn't why large parts of the art world has embraced modern art - which often vastly simplifies form. In its defense, I have rather gone on about Art Deco in the past - a style which greatly simplifies form. So I admit that I can enjoy that as well. Still, this display was quite entrancing.

I was particularly struck by Rodin's Danaid - a female form half buried in rock. Willfully ignoring the story of the piece, I wondered at the idea I took from it. Was she sinking into the rock in despair as her posture suggests? Or was she struggling to emerge from it? I locked the description on the placard of the true meaning Rodin imparted into the sculpture away and refuse to entertain it any further. Let it find its own entertainment!

Isn't that is what good art is about? Providing some message to the observer, no matter how far away from the intentions of the artist that meaning is? I once drew a coloured-pencil sketch of a girl sitting on a surfboard looking rather moodily aside. It is actually one of my favorite pieces. I have a meaning that I originally assigned to it, but others who have seen it have explained its meaning to them quite differently. (Sometimes much better than the meaning I had designed if for, actually.)

This often reminds me of (of all things) the Neil Diamond song Turn on Your Heartlight. My sister was a huge fan of Neil's and I was delighted to discover that this song, as Neil envisioned it, was about...E.T.! Of course, many people who have heard the song and who can appreciate Neil (like my sister) assign a completely different meaning to it and appreciate it at their level of understanding. So in a way, that may representitive of great art. (Although you will never see me put Neil in the same sentence as "great art." Well, except for that last sentence, you won't.)

[Merrydeath]

I like Rodin's work, its simple enough that you have to decide just what it means to you.

and its in the news... wonder if it was a pirate.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Entertainment...1723210,00.html

[hitman]

Hate to say it but great art is usually lost on me or at least as great art is generally explained. You see quite frankly I find nothing thought provoking about Piccaso, Monet, or the art work of Davinci. Art generally intrests me only if the subject intrests me, for instance aircraft and tall ship's in oil. This however is not to say I do not enjoy art I just find it diffrently. To me art is found in the lines of a A/C Cobra or the gull wing of an F-4u Corsair. A trible duece set up resideing between the rails of 34 high boy or the incredibaly huge radial at the front of an A-1 sky raider fill me with a joy no painting ever could. I find my solace in their idle my curiosity in their repair, and my heart ache in their destruction. It seems to some this labels me as a simpleton or pherhaps worse but then as far as I can tell any one who finds these traits in a rectangle painted two diffrent colors must have an IQ roughly equivalent to a preschooler. (I don't mean to offend with this) There is more I could and probaply should say but I'm to tired and wanna check for anything new in Twill before I pass out.

[Caraccioli]

Art. (Art Deco, actually)

More art. All depends on how you interpret it.

[Cpt Sophia M Eisley]

I am not a person who enjoys all art, though over the years, I have learned to appreciate many styles and forms. A few years back, I managed to head to an Impressionism exhibit in Denver, where I saw works by Monet, Menet, Van Gogh (I got to breathe on his self portrait), among others. That style of painting really floors me, as it's literally swirls or dots of color, which when done just right, conjur up amazing landscapes or reflections of people. It's a style I've tried doing myself, but haven't had luck with so far.

Speaking of art that ties to things I like, I came across Monet's "Seascapes, Shipping by Moonlight" (titled "Effet de Nuit" in French) at the exhibit, and that has to be my favorite of his works. It looks alot like pirate ships passing in the night, and ties to one of my favorite Disney attractions.

[hitman]

Yeah ok but really calling the Delorian anything but a mistake is really stretching it

As for painting the best artist I can think of would be Geoff Hunt who painted the cover art for all 21 Patrick Obrien novels. He and the late David Mann of Easy Rider fame pretty much account for all the artists I can name as I have yet to even contomplate being able to buy the prints advertised in my Aviation History magazines.

P.S. The first car looks to be a late twenties early Thirties coupe is it a Cord?

[Patrick Hand]

Kinda on the subject....

In comicbook cartooning, the cartoonist and the reader are both particapents in the experience.... I can draw a story, but when you read it, you add detailes, voices, sounds and the parts that were not drawn. The reader even adds detailes, and emotions to the characters that can be quite different than what the cartoonist originaly intended..... (check out Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comic" for more details )

I find it facinating..... it's just to bad that I haven't done any cartooning in a while......For awhile I was drawing dirty 8 page comix ("Tijuana Bobles") for funsies... unfortunatly when I'd show them, most men would only look at the pictures..... interestingly enough, when they would show them to thiere wives or girlfrinds, the women would read them.......OH well...........

[Caraccioli]

Yeah ok but really calling the Delorian anything but a mistake is really stretching it  

Hey, hey! HEY! It's a beautiful piece of art that unfortunately was given mechanical fuel injection and a six cylinder engine. "It's like an airplane...without wings!" (Beauty is, naturally, in the eye of the beholder.)

The first car looks to be a late twenties early Thirties coupe is it a Cord?

Close. It's an Auburn Boattail Speedster.

The reader even adds detailes, and emotions to the characters that can be quite different than what the cartoonist originaly intended.....

Yes, exactly.

Of all the more esoteric styles (other than Art Deco), I have long enjoyed, and even tried my had at, Impressionism. It can be most amazing. On a certain level, I appreciate Cubism as well, but for the most part it just didn't click with me. At least it's somewhat challenging to render, if done properly.

[Durty Mick Moon]

Caraccioli, ye are one interestin' dude.....as fer "Art", ifn ye wants te see interestin' thought provokin' art try lookin' in the mirror for awhile......now ponder that.....

[Diego Santana de la Vega]

I were an art major (I sees lines and attitudes clearly) I can't paint worth a city dumps weight but I can draw pen and ink. A teacher told me it were cause I dream in black and white....... Anyways in my third year of college I was still in 11th grade (I were a touch accelerated) anys ways I love the art history classes I had taken me favorite painter is, was and shall remain Peter Paul Ruebens any way when I finally graduated from high school mid term my senior year my draft number came up 34 and I am not a gun carrier (now don't wish me ill fates just acuz I have beliefs about killing) I had to change my major to theology (kept me from going overseas it did.) Anyways, I still draw almost every day mostly waves and tallships but only scratched out on scrap paper while talking on the phone to customers. Though if you put four paintings on a wall I'd try and guess the artist for ye......

[oderlesseye]

I dig on art the has movement and brings out the expression of the momment (emotion) bein comunicated like fer instance Remingtons works in the 1800's of the west, especially the bronse of cowboy on horseback goin down a steep hill. Eyes Think it worthy to mension A guy that posts here and does pirate paintings. He just resently had one on -e- bay I wished I had the money for. Josh Red is the Man!

[Longarm]

Art is a must unusual and elusive creature because it truly is in the eye of the beholder. I used to work in Washington, DC so I was able to go to the Smithsonian museums whenever I liked. I was always suprised at what sompeople thought was great art or at least art worthy enough to be placed in such renowned collection. I often wondered if I were to leave this in someones yard at night would they love it or accuse me of littering or worse. But I also found that the some of the pieces that I liked best my friends would go eh no big deal. Art and beauty can be found anywhere you just have to look for and enjoy it.

[tishsparrow]

i cant really get into the classic or modern art. i like the modern fantasy art. i can sit and stare at a book on faery or pirates or vampires or dragons for hours, but put me in a museum and i will zip through there like nothing.

[hitman]

Art is what and where you find it I suppose. (by the way mechanical fuel injection is a glorious thing when done right. You would however be correct in stating that the Delorean got it WRONG) My real wonder to be honest is how anyon can perceive artistic taste to be a sign of intelagince. < It's obvious I ain't got none of either. By the way for no other reason than just to say it

DUSENBURG RULES

Yeah I know not as much fun as a Chevy Vs. Ford debate but still

[Caraccioli]

Actually, there is an Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg museum not far from me in Auburn, Indiana. I have never been there, but have always wanted to see it. They are all beautiful examples of Art Deco automobiles.

http://www.acdmuseum.org/

[Patrick Hand]

Hitman... what's wrong with a Delorian? I thought they were good cars.... expensive..... but high performence........ other than the drug sting against Delorian.......Hey... gotta love government entrapment......

[Caraccioli]

Ah, John DeLorean. Sorry, Patrick, he was pretty much a crook in his own right. And I owned one of his cars and thought pretty well of it.

DeLorean's biggest problem was that he was on the public dole - the UK's, not ours. He was burning through cash at an tremendous rate. He was trying to get more money from Mother England and Thatcher wouldn't give it to him; she felt the public trust had already been abused enough. So he pulled that cocaine stunt - a classic case of the ends justify the means. Of course, the investigators botched the sting badly enough to allow him to get off. Shame on them.

The car wasn't that bad. It had a some bugs initially, but what car platform from the late 70's (when it was designed) didn't? Especially one that had such a revolutionary design. (It is vastly different than the Bricklin - a car to which it is often compared. And, contrary to popular belief, there wasn't a GM component in the thing. GM hated DeLorean for writing a tell-all book about their corporate culture. He was a nasty piece of work sometimes...) Once all the safety bulletins were fulfilled, the car was reasonably reliable. More reliable than many cars released in the early 80s. And mine was still running fine when in sold it in 2003 - 21 years after it was manufactured. How many other cars from that era can say likewise?

It's biggest flaw was that it was underpowered. For such an expensive, flashy car, all it had was a V6. And despite my comments, I never had a problem with the mechanical fuel injection in 11 years. (I always worried about it, though. I didn't really understand it.)

It was also slightly overpriced. The Corvette cost something around $19K when the DMC came out in 1981 and the DeLorean retailed for $25K. The economy was also in bad shape in 1980/81 when the first ones became available. Not a good harbinger for an expensive sports car. If only it had come out in 1984, the whole story might have been different.

I still think it's a beautiful car.

[hitman]

Patrick to be frank the lines of the car just never appealed to me. (this is art we are talking about after all) Caraccioli is most likely right to say that after it's initial flaws were fixed the DMX was a good little sports car but to my eye there was just nothing in those stainless steel lines to recommend it. I also would take exception with Caraccioli's claim that it's cheif limiting factor was it's V-6. Although in natural aspiration engines there is no replacment for displacment the addition of a twin turbo setup (totally justified by it's price point and target audiance) would have pushed the DMX well into the supercar realm yet maintanied it's overall weight distrubtion (little known fact despite my love affair with the big blocks many a sports car hit's the street with a small block V-8 in fact most of the A/C Cobra's came equipped with a 302 not the pavment blistering 427 side oiler (gotta love those old FE block Fords)) For my money the best lines ever acheived by a sports car were the legandary Shelby A/C Cobra's and the Dusenburg SJ (not to mention the super rare SSJ and yes I know the bodeis were made by indcidual coach makers not Dusey but still just look at those beauts.) I'd also like to point out the engines in these machines are in many way's works of art as well. In fact they are a type of art rarely seen today designed to work as efficantly as possible with the air around them yet haveing to made within very specific parameters these old school motors (say the first flat heads till the death of the original Hemi.) are proof that great ieas need not come from "outside the box" . There is a Hot Rod cover shot of Zacherious Duntov sitting in front of several wild prototype motors that not only leave me drooling but wondering what the flow charts for those wild intakes look like. This feling is something I have never found in the realm of high class art.