Art makes fascinating study. I’m continually amazed at the varying views and disagreement between artists in every detail of painting. Some staple or tape their paper to a board before proceding, while others (and I am one of these) just let the paper float so that they can lift and blend colors or rinse off areas which are still damp when so desired. Many artists make value sketches before beginning to paint, and plan every brush stroke in advance, while others begin intuitively—letting the first blobs of paint on wet paper determine the subject of the work.
Some artists will say, “Never extend a shape to the edge of the paper or let part of an object disappear”, while others contend that disappearing shapes make a piece far more interesting. (The latter suits my taste best, as you can see in my above still life titled “Always Time for Tea.”)
Both of my samples pictured here (the top one is titled “Windows to Beyond“) defy the supposedly “set in stone” art rule which insists that light comes forward and dark recedes. Obviously the concept of advancing light and receding dark applies to the magnificent chiaroscuro (strong contrast between light and dark) works of the Old Masters which frequently featured portraits.
Recently I was treated to a traveling exhibition of Rembrandt’s self-portraits at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The face and form of the artist loomed prominently in lights and midtones, highlighted in subtle shadows and flanked by a definitive background of darks. But I am not a “master” in any sense of the word. Although I understand the chiaroscuro precept (among other art rules) I don’t consciously attempt to employ it. Rather, I just sit down and paint—and invariably my darks come forward and my lights recede.
Perhaps my darks are not true darks. My handling of watercolor evokes the medium’s transparency and ability to diffuse, but I may never replicate the incredibly rich, velvet-textured darks produced by oils. That’s okay. I greatly appreciate the skills and materials which are way beyond my ken, and I’m thankful to have even a rudimentary degree of understanding concerning the principle of light and dark. Also, quite possibly my darks come forth and my lights recede because my (perhaps one and only!) strength is COLOR. As one of my favorite contemporary artists, Charles Reid explains: vibrant color always predominates. Viva les couleurs!
I delight in reading all and any art history I can get my hands on—and there is enough of it out there to keep me entertained for the rest of my life. Most of the reading is enjoyable and informative, but I’m especially drawn to the artists who exploited color to the max—the Impressionists, Post Impressionists, and various other “Ists” of the 2nd half of the 19th Century into the early 20th. Currently my most beloved painter of that era is Matisse who shocked the Parisian art world with his blatant use of color. Matisse and his followers earned the title: Les Fauves—meaning “Wild Beasts”.
Reading about artists and art movements is, to me, like eating chocolate or maple sugar—thrilling beyond words. In fact, the reading is far better than candy! I can’t get sick on reading art history! Only more and more inspired, drawn, captivated, and excited about the entire amazing world of shape, texture, and COLOR! 🙂
Margaret L. Been ©2013
The Messy Palette . . . 