I am no art expert or painter by any means, but I have always been fascinated by impressionist and especially post-impressionist paintings. The images could very easily be a real view, but are painted with a fantastical abstract twist so that they are just barely escaping reality. It feels almost as if you glanced at a beautiful view and had to paint what you saw just off the top of your head only remembering the fuzzy elements, allowing you to exaggerate the colors and fine tune details that may not have even been there in the first place.
I am interested to see how others feel about visual art. Feel free to share links to some of your favorite works!
I have a thought experiment I do sometimes (yes, I am and only child. And yes, I did grow up without high-speed internet or cable tv...) where I have to show an alien the best of human culture, and I only get to pick one of each art form: one painting, one sculpture, one photograph, one novel, etc. For painting,s, I came up with La Vie by Picasso:
I wouldn't consider Picasso my favourite painter, I don't think, but I feel this painting has so much of humanity in it.
I like the way it's figurative, but has that "fantastical abstract twist" of being entirely blue- it's melancholy because Picasso painted it after the death of his childhood friend.
The sketches in the background are interesting, too. They show the artist's progress... I feel like Picasso is deconstructing the art of painting for us, and there's something very intimate about that. I still have to come up with the novel, the piece of music, and the sculpture for the alien. Any help with that would be amazing :)
Wow, that is a phenomenal choice for a painting to show an alien. I'm still thinking of films, novels, and music, but will definitely get back to you on that. Thanks for the share!
I worry that maybe it's a little sad for the alien? I wouldn't want him, blinded by tears, to crash his spaceship on the way home...
I've only been looking at it for about 15 seconds, and I say that IS a great choice for a painting to show aliens.
Any thoughts about what film/novel/music to give them? They are quite demanding aliens...
I'm thinking we should maybe give them Shawshank Redemption. It shows that we're a flawed species, but that love, friendship, and belonging are more important. Music? You couldn't go wrong with any classical music, really. But how about some Phillip Glass? Koyaanisquatsi:The Grid? As far as a novel, I don't think I've read enough to make a good judgement. I'll have to think on that. It feels like the answer is easier than I'm making it. Maybe it should be one of those simple novels that made you cry as a teenager. Where the Red Fern Grows or something like it. Culturally speaking, I'd be better to have something more representative of our world than my white-bread, boring culture, though.
Koyaanisquatsi is definitely the film to show them. It's perfect. I'm going to read Where the Red Fern Grows. It sounds like exactly the kind of book I love, but I've never come across it - I guess boring white-bread UK culture is a little different than boring white-bread american? I heard "Che Farò Senza Euridice" today, and I thought that might be music for the alien? There's a version of it here. Although it might be way too cheesy for him...
I haven't been thinking about this for very long, but I think anything by Vonnegut would be a good choice for a novel. He does such an amazing job portraying the how ordinary people deal with extraordinary situations, all with some fantasy and humor sprinkled on top.
Could you recommend a particular Vonnegut book? I'm always looking for the next great read.
I've always been a fan of Dalí's sort of pseudo-religious works, like Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus): And his Christ of Saint John of the Cross. In short, they make me feel enlightened. There is someething about them that I find helps capture a lot of my approach towards religion, and ideals like sacrifice and courage that I'd like to embody. Ecstacy is another good way to out it. Besides that, I like landscapes, both paintings, like the Hudson River School, and photographs. Absolutely love Ansel Adams. The connection to nature and sheer majesty remind me a lot of John Muir's comments about the Yosemite Valley being a cathedral of stone. I also like metalwork a lot, though more because I've learned some of the process and can sort of deconstruct it that way than for the visual appeal.
I have two absolute favorites. The first is film. Being able to move allows the artist to convey more meaning then they could with only one frame. Being able to add sound (and thus character, dialogue and plot) just adds to the layers of meaning that the director can create. The other is Dutch 17th century landscape paintings. The way that they capture color and light just amazes me. There are a bunch of these paintings at the Getty Center, and I always find myself spending most of my time there admiring them. 
Couldn't agree more about film. There are so many more dimensions you can reach by being able to add character, dialogue, and plot. What are some of your favorite films and how do they make you feel? I never thought about those landscape paintings before... I like how vast the outdoors are in that picture. Really makes me feel small and like there is so much more to be discovered. Beautiful stuff. Thanks for the share!
Man oh man, Impressionism is where it all started. "It" being the turn toward Modern and then Contemporary Art. The invention of the conventional camera pushed artists to create and share their impressions and expressions of reality. Impressionism is really one of my favorites too, for how it represents such a corner being turned--really allowing me to be the kind of artist I am today instead of just a laborer. I can be a philosopher. My favorite type of art wound up being Abstract Expressionist sculpture. I'm a kinetic sculptor myself and I find a lot of pleasure in the exploration of form, surface, and space. I used to call a lot of Ab Ex sculpture, "non objective" because most sculptures of that movement aren't abstracted, representational forms. I interviewed Richard Hunt for a class during my master's degree, and when I asked him about his "non objective" forms, he was offended, saying that they ARE representations and abstractions of emotions, sensations, and feelings. Boy did that open my mind. Kinetics absolutely light me up though. Any sculpture that moves will excite me. My personal mission is now to create a kinetic, wind-powered form that, as it changes, always stays compositionally sophisticated.
I'm not much into art, but I've found myself enjoying stuff like Jackson Pollock and other similar artists (Abstract Expressionist? Not really sure what exactly it is). I love looking at it and thinking about my first impression, and then thinking about what concept or message the artist might have been expressing. It's fun to try to make more out of what's there than what's actually there, I think. And maybe I only think of it that way because of the label people give it, and if it wasn't famous art, I wouldn't find it as appealing? I don't know. But I enjoy it more than landscapes/portraits/photography/etc. Aside from that, fractal art is really pretty in its own way. It's not nearly as though provoking, but it has its own charm.
Pollock is pretty incredible. I wonder how much of his works are made meticulously finely crafting each line of color, and how much are truly random drips of paint. Either way, his works somehow come together to give off powerful emotions. I agree that it's fun to overanalyze! Fractal art is so unique, and I love that it has roots in mathematics. It's almost as if it is designed to appease the eye... Thanks for the share!
Yeah.. here is an album of JWildfire fractal flame renders that I came up with one day. I haven't messed with it much lately, but they're unique in their own way. I suppose with some of those, you can sort of do the same sort of thing - they're not meant to be anything in particular but they still evoke feelings of their own and are open to interpretation. Some of these remind me of galaxies/star systems, towns (futuristic and not), etc.
Fractal or mathematical art. It just feels so... alien that I find it fascinating.
Ever since I saw Flying Lotus I'm kind of obsessed with projection mapping and wanna see more, all the time. Edit: Not sure if this link is working... But Google flying Lotus fuckyeahfest for a vid
I really like landscapes. but I hate them. I see things like this and this and it just takes me back. I just get reminded of the fact that there's so many beautiful places in the world, and I just think that it's just amazing. But, then I realize that I'll probably never see a lot of these places, so then I just get really disappointing.
I love landscapes, I would definitely show the alien _some_ piece of art that focuses on the natural world. Perhaps earth as seen from the ISS or something, showing we're capable of space-flight, aware of the fragility of our existence etc. Also: How old are you? You don't need to answer, I just want you to think about your life not in terms of "In 20 years I've not explored the world" but rather, "I have 20 years preparing me to go exploring when I'm ready". I'd argue that at 20 you're likely to have another 60-80 years ahead of you in order to do so... but that may not be true. Scientists are literally working to cure aging, and who knows what discoveries we'll make in the next half a decade.
Oh wow, that piece seems so abstract and surreal. I will have to look more into that, as I have never heard of art brut before. Thanks for the share!
I am surrounded by various people almost at all times. Some of them I love: my girlfriend, my family. I also have a pretty active circle of friends and we meet a lot and generally have a good time. I also really much appreciate all my colleagues and I get along with most of them just fine. Generally a good time! Some of the people I am indifferent about: Strangers I meet everyday, but really have to little time or energy to really interact with. However, I prefer the pieces of art to have none of the above. I prefer natural landscapes, with possible animal life included. However seeing civilization or even persons is a instant turnoff for me. Additionally to simple landscapes I am strongly affected by the theme of the art. Almost all day I have to think and work categorically and systematically. What is possible? What can be done? I immediately discard unlikely events/approaches/... . In contrast to this I appreciate the unlikely and a special kind of untested fantasy. So to summarize my favorite pieces of art most of the time are either (imaginary) landscapes or surrealistic paintings (for example Dalí). Viewing some art in those categories is just generally soothing to me, thinking that just maybe even the unlikely may be possible...
That is very interesting indeed. Is there any particular reason you do not like art with people in it, perhaps because you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of human life? I could be misinterpreting what you are saying here, but I have certainly had moments when I just wanted to look at art that had nothing to do with humans just so I can appreciate nature for what it really is. As for surrealistic paintings, I have always been intrigued to delve into the crazy symbolisms that are used. I usually fail at it though, and accept that the paintings are just very...surreal. Do you mind sharing some of your favorite "imaginary" landscapes and/or surrealistic paintings? And thanks for the share!
My favourite is Vincent Van Gogh, in particular Starry Night. I'm only new here, not sure how to post pics. I particularly like the story about Van Gogh painting it from memory while locked away and how he was able to paint the wind with swirls and swooshes. The song starry starry night is very moving.
I'm glad you said that, because Van Gogh is my favorite artist as well and I recently got a huge canvas of Starry Night! There are a lot of his slightly lesser known works too which I love, and would love to share if you are interested. He has such a unique style - you can always tell a Van Gogh work from a mile away. Truly a shame that he (allegedly) only sold one painting in his entire life... Thanks for the share!
Yes Van Gogh does stand out. I was lucky enough to visit NYC and MOMA to see his paintings first hand. An amazing experience. I also really like Monet, these two really stand out for me. I am still venturing in to art and am constantly surprised by the creativity and beauty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ The_Starry_Nighthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk
Astrophotography and foggy landscape scenes get to me. Then there are these doodles on post-its of a popular kpop boyband that I don't really follow anymore that I find highly amusing and the medium is fun. I have a thing for Monet, I have fond memories of a children's book that I had that was inspired by his paintings and whenever I see his work my heart skips a beat. I adore Puuung's paintings, of some recent Reddit fame. There are so many fun details and colours, and they're sort of surreal while very humane (?) and they speak to my forever aloneness. Bnnbno's little works are my favourite. I find them so warm and intimate, I tend to browse her works on Instagram since she attaches cute captions to them.
Hmm, I never even thought about doodles, very interesting! Monet is the man. He is a big inspiration to why I like impressionist paintings so much. I have also never seen either of those artists you shared before but just spent about 20 minutes browsing their works. Absolutely incredible! Makes you really feel like you can escape from reality for just a few moments... Thanks for the share!
Would you consider movies or video games as visual art? To me a select few video games are amazing representations of art, for example Bioshock Infinite and Spec Ops: The Line. These games have triggered emotional reactions in me unlike any other visual art, so much so that I regularly think about them and still feel the emotions they pulled from me. Bioshock Infinite is beyond beautiful visually, but it also has haunting themes and a thoughtful plot. Spec Ops: The Line toyed with both my heart and mind, it actually made me feel like a bad person.
Sure video games can be art. There are a lot of beautiful video games out there, and I would certainly agree with Bioshock Infinite and Spec Ops: The Line. Have you ever heard of Journey for PS3? That game is pure art rolled into a game. Very haunting and mysterious. I'm also a big fan of the Zelda series, which brings all kinds of emotions and feelings together. And finally, although a bit more playful, Super Mario Galaxy has some stunning visuals!
Photography is great! What kind of landscape photography do you like best (mountains, rolling hills, meadows, etc.)? Feel free to share pictures!