Post: #101

An older artist (painted as his younger self) depicting his (mostly long-gone) family and the long-gone town of his Youth (a town bombed to oblivion during the war, but he would paint part of it in a corner of most of his paintings, a way to make the town survive in mankind's memory): Chagall's The Appearance of the artist's family

Post: #102

(10-17-2018 04:35 AM)Richard Turpin Wrote:  @Alsos, that painting by Munch of Hans Jaeger got me curious so I duck-duck-go'd it to find out who the hell Jaeger was. Turns out he was something called a Kristiania Bohemian and believed in the following nine commandments;

Thou shalt write thine own life.
Thou shalt sever thy family roots.
Thou canst not treat thy parents badly enough.
Thou shalt never smite thy neighbor for less than five crowns.
Thou shalt hate and despise all farmers, such as Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.
Thou shalt never wear celluloid cuffs.
Neglect not to make a scandal in the Christiania Theater.
Thou shalt never repent.
Thou shalt take thine own life.

Crazy fuckers. I learn something new on this forum every day.

That's apparently a parody, but the guy was an anarchist who believed in the abolition of marriage and its replacement with free love (but only within the same social class...!). Basically a hippy with better style and an equally incoherent political philosophy.

But like any landscape painting depicts what is essentially a naturally-occurring toxic waste dump of poisonous minerals, radioactive ores, and biological contaminants filled with lethal falling and drowning hazards and venomous and violent animals, the true nature of the subject doesn't have to detract from the beauty of the work.

Post: #103

I picked up a Max Mannis print today in a junk shop that instantly reminded me of this thread. Here's a few.

Max Mannis "Words Of Wisdom"

Look at the exchange of value going on here. There's no bullshit, no boredom, no banal banter. Here is a room of men actively engaged in the sharing of useful information. It's a pre-internet outback Australian RVF Everything Else Forum.



Max Mannis "The Quick Step"

Put some Australian traditional Bush Band music on in another tab and you will be literally transported through time and space into this painting.




Max Mannis "The Star Attraction"

The thirst is real.

Post: #104

Now that's graffiti.

Post: #105

Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky, Monk, 1897

Post: #106

My great great grandmother

Post: #107

These paintings are a kind of a tangent to explicit positive values. I think perfectly and succinctly summing up the human experience is a positive value in itself.

And sometimes, the only way to do that is surrealism.

Two by Magritte.

"The Human Condition"




"Portrait of Mr Edward James"

Post: #108

Fight night in New York: “Stag at Sharkey’s”
Until 1920, boxing was mostly outlawed in New York state. A loophole allowed fights to take place in athletic clubs, so many bars became on-the-fly athletic clubs in order to host matches. One of these bars-turned-clubs was Sharkey’s, a saloon on Columbus Avenue near West 67th Street.

Owned by heavyweight fighter Sailor Tom Sharkey, it’s the setting for this dark, raw 1909 painting by George Bellows. Bellows was part of the Ashcan School—a group of artists bent on depicting realistic, gritty scenes of daily life.

Bellows had a studio close to Sharkey’s; it was in the Lincoln Arcade building, then on Broadway and 65th Street. “Stag at Sharkey’s” remains one of his most popular works.

I don't know much about art, but I like to think I'm a good judge of noticing when something is special. I remember seeing the above painting in season one of Sneaky Pete. It was displayed in Bryan Cranston's office. Once I saw it I knew that whenever I purchased a house I would buy it and display it.

Post: #109

It seems like a good rule for this thread is: No modern art.

Post: #110

The Two Crowns (1900) by Sir Frank Dicksee

Quote:In The Two Crowns Dicksee portrays an English medieval prince returning home in triumph on a white horse decorated with three feathers. Wearing a golden crown, he gazes up at a crucifix, Christ's crown of thorns contrasting starkly with the jewelled headpiece and opulent armour of the prince. Although surrounded by admiring onlookers, the prince is transfixed by the sight of this representation of Christ, a vivid reminder of the lack of importance of temporal power and riches.
(https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dic...wns-n01839)

You don't need to be religious to appreciate the whole 'Ozymandias-like' tone of the painting. Memento Mori, indeed.

Post: #111

Another Frank dicksee

Funeral of a Viking

Post: #112

(07-26-2018 03:43 PM)Rocha Wrote:  Napoleon in Egypt motivating his troops "From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us."

Napoleon was 2000 years late

Post: #113

(07-19-2018 08:56 PM)MajorStyles Wrote:  I like Bocklin's Self Portrait with Death. It displays a powerful message in a simple way: the artist must continue, even though Death is watching over his shoulder. And yet he remains positive and confident...refusing to let the mystery of death overtake him.

You have good taste.

Post: #114

These cats know what's up.

Post: #115

(07-19-2018 08:56 PM)MajorStyles Wrote:  I like Bocklin's Self Portrait with Death. It displays a powerful message in a simple way: the artist must continue, even though Death is watching over his shoulder. And yet he remains positive and confident...refusing to let the mystery of death overtake him.

Death is not just watching over his shoulder though. Death is playing the violin: trying to lure him, to distract him, to entertain him? Difficult to get the whole meaning.

As to the triumphant armored King on horse, below, note the woman's face (on a balcony), almost climaxing as she throws the flower petals onto his crown. Also, note that the battle flag behind the Christ's head, creates a golden crown superimposed with his thorn crown, and thus similar to the King's.



Well, anyway, by the Titian: the small David (you might add parenthesis here!), defeating through ruse and skill the massive, evil Goliath, and thanking God:

Post: #116

This one's for WIA.

The Seducer by Rene Magritte.

Post: #117

^ Is this one of those Magic Eye things where you're supposed to see a sailboat?

Post: #118

One of my favorite paintings is this one by Knud Baade, strikes similar triumphant feelings in me as Friedrich's Wanderer about the Fog.

Post: #119

Christ in front of Pilate. 1882 Munkacsy.

Christ is brought before Pilate. Blasphemy against the jews is not a crime the Romans will enforce, so the jewish leaders lie and accuse Christ of naming himself a king and betraying the Roman empire. Pilate knows that the charges are categorically false, but he doesn't seek the truth, as he mockingly asks Christ, "what is the truth?" Pilate's version of justice seeks to please the most people, a secular morale system known as utilitarianism. Pilates decision isn't a morale decision based on truth but is instead one based on political correctness. The Roman form of justice relies on what keeps the peace over what is true.

This painting should give you the chills, if you care about how philosophy is used to structure society. Today we see the same secular utilitarianism and subjective morality. When humanists talk about "their truth" instead of the truth, when the mob demands their justice in return for their peace. When you don't answer to a divine truth then you answer to the truth of man. Which might wind you up on a cross.

Post: #120

Gustave Dore - Richard and Saladin at the battle of Arsuf.

"There the king, the fierce, the extraordinary king, cut down the Turks in every direction, and none could escape the force of his arm, for wherever he turned, brandishing his sword, he carved a wide path for himself: and as he advanced and gave repeated strokes with his sword, cutting them down like a reaper with his sickle, the rest, warned by the sight of the dying, gave him more ample space, for the corpses of the dead Turks which lay on the face of the earth extended over half a mile."

Post: #121

I've always felt nautical paintings convey the underlying sense of curiosity, courage, risk and danger.



   

Post: #122

(11-20-2018 07:27 PM)aeroektar Wrote:  One of my favorite paintings is this one by Knud Baade, strikes similar triumphant feelings in me as Friedrich's Wanderer about the Fog.

Nice, there's a creature rising there in the background, maybe Ctulhu, well there isn't, it's just clouds, but your mind sees something moving there in the dark, right? Great painting. It's a little darker than the Friedrich painting. This is man looking at the primordial fear of the everlasting dark night (facing death). He has a spear even and he's alone.

Post: #123

(11-16-2018 10:32 PM)aeroektar Wrote:  

(07-19-2018 08:56 PM)MajorStyles Wrote:  I like Bocklin's Self Portrait with Death. It displays a powerful message in a simple way: the artist must continue, even though Death is watching over his shoulder. And yet he remains positive and confident...refusing to let the mystery of death overtake him.

You have good taste.

Post: #124

(11-20-2018 07:48 PM)aeroektar Wrote:  Gustave Dore - Richard and Saladin at the battle of Arsuf.

"There the king, the fierce, the extraordinary king, cut down the Turks in every direction, and none could escape the force of his arm, for wherever he turned, brandishing his sword, he carved a wide path for himself: and as he advanced and gave repeated strokes with his sword, cutting them down like a reaper with his sickle, the rest, warned by the sight of the dying, gave him more ample space, for the corpses of the dead Turks which lay on the face of the earth extended over half a mile."

The amazing thing about Dore was that he was a wood engraver, meaning he was doing the same thing as a wood cut, except he was working at the end of a piece of wood instead on the side so he could get more detail.

So he had to do every work of art in reverse and imagine the light and the dark as he dug into the wood.

To think that all of his complex compositions with subtle shadings of light and dark come from essentially the same technique as this is pretty impressive.

Post: #125

These might not all fit the theme of the thread, but while we're on the topic of Dore I'll post a few more.