RoR: Forum

Robert, thanks for posting the drawing.

I understand that this drawing is a study for another work. As such do you think the study carries the theme you outlined?

Here is a link to the Harnett painting: http://www.thinker.org/fam/education/publications/guide-american/slide-24.html

You made an interesting comment about drawing the bricks out of you head. That approach to art making always reminds me of a Platonic approach to art–a kind of generic ideal based on the mind’s eye but not by direct observation.

I am morbidly curious about your parody comment; are you winking at yourself?

Michael

Post 1

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 5:18am

Most parodies are making fun of the original, in a 'put-down' manner.... what I was intending was a byplay of words, for the theme/title came to me as was doing the work, even as it wasn't an actual transliteration of the original in format... but - having do done it, thought to do an actual transliteration using the witching theme and posture it in the same, or almost, as Harnett's work[s]...

As for the bricks, remember, Rand pointed out that Art is not the means to literalness, that the materials given were means to the theming.... consequently, since there was as such no need to do any specific bricks, created ones - ones which, in their patterning, lead deliberately to the whole of the work... [remember, too, brick itself is 'created stone']

There is another bit involved here, the interpretation as given in your link to the Harnett work... in that sense, yes the parody is a 'put-down', as mine is not a nostalgic rendering, but rather a setting in time and place [and myth] - sort of as if I had rendered an empty stocking hanging by the fireplace, and calling it "The Wait"...

(Edited by robert malcom on 5/05, 5:26am)

Post 2

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 7:36am

Robert: "...remember, Rand pointed out that Art is not the means to literalness, that the materials given were means to the theming.... consequently, since there was as such no need to do any specific bricks, created ones - ones which, in their patterning, lead deliberately to the whole of the work... [remember, too, brick itself is 'created stone']"

I am not sure you are sympathetic to my meaning.

Working from life has nothing to do with literalness–its has to do with freshness, vitality, nuance of color and light, unique rhythms, etc.

For example many artists "make up" colors of the face, or have almost no color at all, but the artist that uses a living model will see nuanced differences in glows, highlights, etc. The colors that they see in real life are different then what they make up in their mind. I find it is important to impart enough nuance direct from reality to give the drawing/painting a living quality.

Light in art is another aspect that if not perceived in real life tends to become artificial looking like the art from Christmas greeting cards.

I am outlining a different epistemological approach to creating art, i.e. to ground the art with perceptions to reality as a methodological starting point and going back to reality to confirm its "rightness".

Puccini had met up with Japanese people to hear and see them in real life–to get their "sense" of style and tone to use for creating Madama Butterfly. Rand arranged to ride in the cabin of a train in doing research for Atlas.

Doing things exclusively out of one’s head closes one off from reality.

Michael

Post 3

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 7:51am

Oh, rest assured, have seen many real bricks, and many times.... as for the figure, agree to some extent, in that is hard to know how the shadows fall on a figure unless very intimate with them - and wish had a model to work from, but right now am unable to do other than constructs, or leave out, allowing only the implications of humanity in the works.... besides, for me, the emphasis has always been on the theme, and how it is presented, tho now coming to want to detail the means of showing the theme more than used to...

And as for the reality part, prefer the man-made over the happenstances of regular nature, prefering the creating of the world rather than recording of it....

(Edited by robert malcom on 5/05, 7:52am)

Post 4

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 7:57am

I am very interested and a bit in awe of those with the talent. I have recently begun to (try) and learn how to draw, working in a very elementary way.

Thanks for putting your work out there for us to enjoy.

John

Post 5

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 7:59am

Would post more, except they mostly are in my files, and don't know how to URL that - even this one had originally a better photo posted with it, but the editor took the worse of the two...

Post 6

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 8:31am

I like it, Robert! I think this is the first time I've been able to see any of your work.

Post 7

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 11:23am

Robert,

When you submit these things, the links never work. When it asks for the URL of the picture, you just put the website instead of the direct link to the picture, such as:

http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/2/6579/640/After%20the%20Hauntand%20Gandering%20002.jpg

You need the direct link so the picture will show up on the front page. If you add the fields correctly, I won't have to try to pick an image myself from your site.

Post 8

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 12:11pm

If could just post, as here, would be no problem getting pics from my files.... here's corrected version.....

And this is another one - a quickie theme/titled "Afterthought"....

Along with "Setting the Stage"....

(Edited by robert malcom on 5/05, 2:34pm)

Post 9

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 1:42pm

Robert, you can get the direct access URL info for your image by right clicking on the image. Copy and paste the URL into the link field, then it should show up here.

Post 10

Friday, May 5, 2006 - 11:02pm

Robert,

None of the images in post 8 are visible. When you copy and paste into the browser window, it just creates a link. And these links are all to your local disk drive (I think), which is only visible to you. You need to make sure you're doing a copy from a version that's accessible online to everyone.

Also, Teresa is right. If you find an online copy of them, you can right click and get the image path for your submissions.

Post 11

Saturday, May 6, 2006 - 5:11am

Ok - still bumbling around at this - so much to know, and no books telling me....

Post 12

Sunday, May 7, 2006 - 7:52am