First post

Hi, just by way of introduction I thought I'd let you know a little bit about what you might find here. As the subtitle suggests I'll be discussing the long awaited ressurection of beauty, realism, philosophy, and the figure in the art world. Now, there may be some reading this who might think that because I support realism in art, that I don't appreciate or understand other (modern) modes of art making that have been predominant in the 20th century. I assure you that this is not the case. I love Picasso and Schiele, I am open minded to appreciating any and all art that communicates to me, that makes me feel something. But I don't believe that the Sublime can only be experienced in the absence of Beauty (Sorry, sometimes I get a little into art theory: check out Immanuel Kant for a greater explanation of this).


However, I am a figurative painter because of one major fact. Man has been painting beautiful, imaginative, symbolic, psychologically dense, essentially FLAT paintings for 40,000 years. The illusion of space in painting has only been explored for about 100 years in ancient Greece (though we have very few examples of this only some of the Fayum portraits, merely incredible descriptions) and in recent history since about 1400 when Massaccio (and others) developed a system of linear perspective and Leonardo daVinci systematized aerial and atmospheric perspective. When you compare 39,300 years of art focusing on flat design and 700 years of exploration into the illusion of depth.... I'd say that maybe we have a little more that is unsaid in this mode of expression. It seems to me that abstraction has been more thoroughly explored, especially after the 20th century!
So, in conclusion, I will be writing about any and all forms of art... probably philosophy, personal and otherwise... probably politics... probably Literature, music, etc... but I will focus on my field of expertise: Realism, oil painting, and the human figure. If any of these subjects interest you please feel free to browse, read, or e-mail me questions. Thank you and goodnight.