Classicism, neo-classicism, impressionism, surrealism or realism...where do you

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   Brandon Tartposted 12 years ago

   Classicism, neo-classicism, impressionism, surrealism or realism...where do you cast your lot?
   
   Images say a great deal, and as a visual artist, finding where the statement is made most effectively is very important to me to determine what my audience needs to achieve an "aesthetic experience."  Share your thoughts on these monumental eras in art, and make a clear statement as to what genre you feel represents the human condition most provocatively.
   
   

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   Rod Marsdenposted 12 years ago

   All forms of visual art have their own story about the human condition and about the time period in which they first became popular.
   
   I am not particularly fond of the Rococo style. It is too curly and flowery for my taste. Its as if the artist or artists are trying too hard to make an impression. It is a very cluttered form of art.
   
   I like Art Deco. There are some fine exmples of it to be had in New York. There's the Crysler building and the Empire State Building. In Sydney, Australia you have our favourite coat hanger, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is an uncluttered form that speaks of enewrgy and movement. The craze foer things Egyptian was combined with Art Deco in the 1920s and even the 1930s to produce some wondrous results.
   
   Of the art movements you have mentioned I have always liked Surrealism. There's a freedom there for both artist and viewer. Realism is fine but I suppose one of the reasons Surrealism took off was the camera.
   
   When it was discovered that you don't need to go to a great deal of expense for an accurate picture of your home or your family things had to change for the artists. One thing that an artist painting your portrait can do possibly better than a photographer is lie beautifully for you. Best features can be enhanced. Less desirable features set aside or minimalized.
   
   Of course nowadays the camera, thanks to computers, can also lie beautifully but there was a time when this was much more difficult. Hence you have surrealism squeezing into this gap and then you have artists taking it even further. Literature such as the Lewis Carroll's Alice books of the late Victorian periosd sped it along nicely. In the 1950s Australian artist Charles Blackman made much of Alice in his surrealistic art.
   
   Imprtessionism also has its place in my affections. Some of the better Australian artists of the 19th and 20th Century were impressionists.

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      Brandon Tartposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Great response and insightfully administered. Big fan of sRLism myself - in it is real, impression, expression, pure abstraction and more.. it covers a lot of ground.  Good point on Carroll...I think that I why I write about him so often.  Surreal!

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   Radical Rogposted 12 years ago

   How about eclecticism. I like art, some of this, some of that. Why does it have to be an 'ism'? Other than for pretentious posers to promote themselves as an expert in their particular field.

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      Rod Marsdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Radical Rog does have a point here.

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      Brandon Tartposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      LOL, I felt that way in art school! Now, I just see the words and style. There ARE experts in the field - Dali knew full well that he was a surrealist - so its hard to call him a poser. It helps distinguish style from style, but it does "feel" fake.

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      Rod Marsdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There's a story about Dali drwaing a simple sketch of an out house. Well, it was bought off of him for a small fortune but the fellow who bought it was no fool. Years later he sold it on and in doing so made a small fortune.

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   Seafarer Mamaposted 12 years ago

   i think that each style has something to say, depending on the mood that one desires to portray for a certain situation reflected in an art piece.
   
   I'd use realism if what I wanted to paint was a beautiful scene that I want to capture in nature. I'd use that, also, to reflect a social ill which I would want to see alleviated. Would use surreal art for a fantasy image, either for adults or children. Would use impressionism if I want to paint a scene with a particular "fancy" (memory...childhood....romantic...things like that.).

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      Brandon Tartposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Merit in your remarks! Life as we see it is often surreal, and maybe we just have to show it how it is, just like you said. Good points. Dreams are "real things" as far as the mind can tell. Often surreal, but still fantasy when we awake to the real.

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   Silver Poetposted 12 years ago

   I'm most impressed with impressionism. I love how it captures a moment or a mood with minimal effort and maximal imagination! I also enjoy certain styles of surrealism.

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      Brandon Tartposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      A good form is Imp.  Like opening the eyes for a split second, and then painting what you saw, remember seeing and then filling in the blanks.  Surrealism is by far my favorite, especially surreal sculpture.  Any favorite imp//RTsts or surL/RTsts?

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   flashmakeitposted 12 years ago

   I really like fantasy art because it usually has a supernatural themes, ancient myths and legends.  My second favorite genre of art is surrealism.  If an artist uses a lot of imagination it is enjoyable to me.

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      Brandon Tartposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You should take a look at HR GEIGER.  Remember, Alien, with Sigourney weaver - he was the designer.  And look Into Alex Grey.  Both of these who are geniuses.

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      flashmakeitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      HR GEIGER is amazing.  Thank you for bring him to my attention.

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   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   I enjoy most forms of art but I am draw to realism and Norman Rockwell is my favorite.

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      Rod Marsdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Norman Rockwell dis set a standard in American art and in his time standardized the look of Santa Claus for the American people.

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      Brandon Tartposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You know - he suffered during a period of modern art where the changes were startling - the avante guardist movement and dadaism were the intellectual schools of art, and rockwell did his thing in spite of "popularity" - I respect that about him.

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