Claude J Greengrass
Well-known member
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- 277
I never thought too much about Franz Kline. I knew he was famous for his large format black and white paintings. Then one day it hit me. Do the antithesis of Kline. Whereas one of his B&W works could be 5 foot on a size, paint similar but only 5 inches. This was the result of a couple of days work.
16 small tributes pasted on a 22x30 sheet of watercolour paper. "A Tribute to Franz Kline"
16 small tributes pasted on a 22x30 sheet of watercolour paper. "A Tribute to Franz Kline"
Iain
2 eyes.
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- 2,847
As well as elephant, I see hints of a harem with the veil, the bloomers, and curled toed shoes. It should be compulsory to go shopping in those, particularly during a pandemic.
john
Well-known member
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Regarding the OP... sorry, but I don't know why you admire that painting. 
Like most ab ex work it's a mess. Sure there is some color and form but it's a sloppy dashing of paint by some drunk. Yeah, it's fun for the artist, heck I've drunkenly splashed paint also. Great fun. I'm really expressing my drunken state well.
Sometimes I think we admire some paintings simplybecause we saw it before, and something resonates.
A little bit of remembering brain matter gets a jolt and we like it because of the subconscious familiarity.
Togo back to what Musket said, sometimes I think I like "sloppy" abstracted paintings because I think it's something I can do. Like I better not let myself to like Vermeer too much because, damn, I can't do that and besides it's too much work. If all one has is a hammer everything looks like a nail. That's sort of one reason I recently tried some real realism. To get me off the hook of this possible bias. Now that it's out my system I doubt I'll do it again. Abstraction is both more fun for me to do and to look at.
But the drunken ab ex slaps of paint? Like in the OP? No. Sorry as much as I try to like that stuff it just doesn't grab me. I guess I need just little more structure and less chaos. Like John's example above.
Why do we like certain kinds of art? May as well ask why we are who we are. They are related.
Like most ab ex work it's a mess. Sure there is some color and form but it's a sloppy dashing of paint by some drunk. Yeah, it's fun for the artist, heck I've drunkenly splashed paint also. Great fun. I'm really expressing my drunken state well.Sometimes I think we admire some paintings simplybecause we saw it before, and something resonates.
A little bit of remembering brain matter gets a jolt and we like it because of the subconscious familiarity.
Togo back to what Musket said, sometimes I think I like "sloppy" abstracted paintings because I think it's something I can do. Like I better not let myself to like Vermeer too much because, damn, I can't do that and besides it's too much work. If all one has is a hammer everything looks like a nail. That's sort of one reason I recently tried some real realism. To get me off the hook of this possible bias. Now that it's out my system I doubt I'll do it again. Abstraction is both more fun for me to do and to look at.
But the drunken ab ex slaps of paint? Like in the OP? No. Sorry as much as I try to like that stuff it just doesn't grab me. I guess I need just little more structure and less chaos. Like John's example above.
Why do we like certain kinds of art? May as well ask why we are who we are. They are related.
J
JohnEmmett
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Nufocus
Hey John, different strokes for different folks.
I’d love to see one of your abstract pieces.
Here is another cliche: a picture is worth a thousand words.
Thank you in advance.
I’d love to see one of your abstract pieces.
Here is another cliche: a picture is worth a thousand words.
Thank you in advance.
J
JohnEmmett
Christmas 3970 Artist John Emmett
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Nufocus
Allow me to disagree. I believe that it’s a combination of both. Let’s leave the “spilling the guts” thingy for a moment or two. Expressionism in all its forms is purposely intended to evoke certain emotions.
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Nufocus
Hang on a sec here, I’m a little confused. I thought that John and John Emmett were NOT one and the same....Was I wrong?
J
JohnEmmett
I don't know
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Nufocus
Ha ha.....
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Nufocus
These are very interesting. The whole idea is interesting in fact.
john
Well-known member
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Yes, if everyone agreed on what is good art it would be a boring world. I'm afraid I got too opionated again. But you did ask why you liked that painting.
You're not alone. Many people like Kline and similar. I happen to like this painting, which most people hate.. 
Stella Vine
I'm really a bored landscape painter so I did this painting earlier this year at the start of the pandemic to try something different. Not very ab exy but it's as close as I get. I needed more bourbon.
P. Barrie
Well-known member
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- 802
The Abstract expressionist painters I like, all had early training and accomplishments in realistic, figurative work. Franz Klein included. Others of such that come to mind, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Klee,
Helen Frankenthaler, Diebenkorn, and so on. I feel that in order to successfully abstract, an artist should have felt some measure of success with technical skill and craft in figurative expression.
How can one gain “freedom from representational qualities in art”, unless they were first enrapt in it?
Helen Frankenthaler, Diebenkorn, and so on. I feel that in order to successfully abstract, an artist should have felt some measure of success with technical skill and craft in figurative expression.
How can one gain “freedom from representational qualities in art”, unless they were first enrapt in it?
J
JohnEmmett
little realism is necessary to understand and go beyond
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Nufocus
Yes, if everyone agreed on what is good art it would be a boring world. I'm afraid I got too opionated again. But you did ask why you liked that painting.
Stella Vine
I'm really a bored landscape painter so I did this painting earlier this year at the start of the pandemic to try something different. Not very ab exy but it's as close as I get. I needed more bourbon.
I like it a lot John!! With or without bourbon!
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Nufocus
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Nufocus
So true!!
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Nufocus
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Nufocus
SLG, with much due respect, you chose the absolute wrong example here. Vincent work is so much about visual “gut spilling” and/or “soul exposing” by means of gestural brush strokes, arbitrary coloring, heavy texture and more, that only a viewer who’s completely unable of emotional reaction will be left unaffected. What Vincent applied to his canvases is obviously the result of what he’s been through in his short life, but it is completely unnecessary to know the details thereof in order to feel what needs to be felt while viewing his work.
