I am constantly surrounded by artwork, whether it be at school, at a local coffee shop, or even in my own dorm room. I believe all works of art have a quality of beauty to them. When I look at artwork, I always find the ones that are the most colorful and the most mysterious to be the most exciting. I find this a lot with Monet's paintings. He's the first one that comes to mind when I think of a painting that is colorful.
1900; Musée d'Orsay(Museum of Orsay), Paris
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a French impressionist painter. This painting is a Monet's own depiction of his Garden at Giverny, his water-garden, part of which is pictured below.
Another painting I have always enjoyed is Woman With A Hat by Henri Matisse. It's full of color and it's quite mysterious as well.
1905; Woman With A Hat
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of color. He is considered to be a leading figure in modern art. I love the use of color in here because it leaves us to believe that the woman is mysterious or misunderstood. The real emotion is not conveyed because the face is not all one color; neither is the rest of the painting.
One other painting I've never quite understood is The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali.
1931; The Persistence of Memory
Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali is a Spanish surrealist painter. I love the concept of the pocket watches melting in this painting. I've interpreted it as meaning that time is not rigid or strict in nature. I gather this from the other images in the painting as well.
I love The Tilled Field by Joan Miro. I feel like it came straight out of a cartoon.
1923; The Tilled Field
Joan Miro
Joan Miro is a Spanish surrealist paintor, sculptor, and ceramicist. This picture reminds me of a Cartoon Network TV show, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The creatures in here look like they would be on that show. The colors aren't vivid in this as in the rest of my examples, but I love how mysterious it is
Rebekah, I liked your selections. They are quite colorful and I like colorful, too. Monet is so beautiful and tranquil that it is good to look at to induce a restful mood. The Matisse is also interesting. I'm not familiar with it, but I do like it.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder about the Dali. It was painted in 1931 and the world was a very different place then. The colors he chooses reflect the general world outlook at the time which wasn't very positive. The melting watches go along with the other distortions and questionable combinations of objects. The duck-like image is obviously dead, or at least not alive, the tree on the platform (why is it on a platform without dirt?) is dead. The water and the cliffs are in determinant as far as life or no life is concerned and I really don't know what the platform is back behind the tree. I think it would help to think in 1930's style, but right at the minute, as I sit here with my laptop typing in comments to pictures of paintings on my LCD screen that you pulled off the internet, I'm not really into thinking that way. Maybe I should put on "The Big Sleep" to set the mood. . . .
No lie . . . I almost posted that same exact Matisse painting. And I also love Monet. The colors are so rich and vibrant. As for Salvador Dali, I can never decide if I like his works are not. If you find his works interesting, you should definitely visit The Dali Museum in St. Pete. They have a plethora of his works on display and tons of information about the individual pieces. Even the building itself is surreal.
ReplyDelete@Jane, I wonder if the duck-platypus is more ambiguous -- perhaps it's sleeping? How could memory persist beyond death?
ReplyDeleteI agree about the cartooniness of the Miro. Do you know the Looney Tunes cartoons of the late 30's that are based on this look?