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Art And Anecdotes
Entertaining · Amusing · Interesting. And Free.
1998 · Year 1 · No. 42 · Nov. 12
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Art And Anecdotes Entertaining · Amusing · Interesting. And Free. 1998 · Year 1 · No. 42 · Nov. 12 |
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please email me weekly-work@art-quarter.com with the appropriate subject) |
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Last week, I introduced Joe Doe as the featured artist of November at ArtQuest. Joe will be featured in Weekly Work throughout November, too. I chose the painting to be given away at ArtQuest as our Weekly Work last week, today I chose the work preceding it. It is a large triptych.
Triptychs were invented in the Middle Ages as altarpieces. The wings were
closed or opened according to the ecclesiastical year. A famous example is
the Isenheim Altar of Grunewald, whose right wing entitled "Resurrection"
I showed in Pablo 1.3
together with the middle plate of Beckmann's last triptych "Argonauts" under
the title "Expressionism through the Ages".
618 · Family
by Joe Doe in Gallery Beck at Art Quarter
no. 618, 97*130 cm, 38x51",
oil/canvas |
In this century, many triptychs have been painted. My favorite Max Beckmann has completed nine of them and sketched the 10th shortly before he died. In Pablo 1.4, I confronted the whole triptych of Max Beckmann with the first triptych of Joe Doe. In that issue, I tell the story how Joe came to paint triptychs in the first place.
The triptych above is Joe's last so far. Lots of people and animals crammed
together with a hero figure in central position. Most probably you expect
me to explain this painting. Indeed, I read very nice explanations of other
paintings very often myself, but I'm afraid I can't do it with this one.
514 · Horns
by Joe Doe in Gallery Clay at Art Quarter
8*6*10 cm, 3x3x4", Terracotta
on plaster socle |
All I can do is deliver a description of what can be seen. Did you discover the frog? Is it a dragon or a crocodile on the right plate? The person with the dagger, is it male or female? I count 13 faces and 5 birds. But here I stop as language doesn't seem adequate to describe what the eye can easily see.
Whenever I read a simple description of a seemingly complex painting, I feel
disappointed. It is as if the painting turned out to be a simple illustration
of an idea or story. The idea is first and the painting follows. The painting
is judged on the degree to which it is capable of illustrating the precedent
idea.
Engine
by Joe Doe in Gallery Daguerre at Art Quarter
Cibaprint |
You find this concept anywhere, not only in the fine arts. People think that the artist has a conception which is to be expressed with his specific means, being movies, music, novels or pictures. It is always the idea people are looking for. What does the artist want to communicate?
Sometimes artists really do work this way. If you are interested an example for this work setting, click here. Australian artist John Hagan tells you at lenght about his idea, how he conceived it, how he translated this idea into a painting, what he meant with it, how his painting is to be read. This painting is a triptych also. By the way, John has great lessons on all kinds of technical questions.
To me, this approach is often inadequate. Much more interesting is the following approach: The arts can be used to discover realities which cannot be found and expressed otherwise. Incidentally, this conception is not at all new. Most art from Stone Age to this day has this quality.
For example: Compare the figures of stone age women with Niki de St.Phalle's
Nanas in Weekly Work 1.39
to see what I mean. Can you tell me something about the idea these artists
wanted to express? Or did they discover something they did not know of before?
Time to close this issue, time to remind you of the November contest at ArtQuest. If you haven't done yet, surf over to ArtQuest and sign up for the draw end of November!
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I made a new screensaver with funny script screens in the vein of Niki de St.Phalle to celebrate the new start of Monday Magazine. Try it if you're on Win! Included is a comment on the new Art Editor of Monday Magazine (this screen can also be seen here).
All the best 'til next time. Yours truly,
PS: If you have enjoyed this issue, please recommend it to a friend. For
your convenience, I prepared both a mailto: link at the
top and a Recommend-It button at the bottom.
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May not be redistributed without permission. |
© 1998,1999 · Werner Stürenburg · Germany · Tel. 0(049)-5744-511-574 · Fax -575 |
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