Serious Art

This is my attempt to figure out what the hell is Art. The blog focuses not on the artwork itself, but rather on the artist's quote concerning his subjective feelings about his work or phenomenon of art in general. May contain copyrighted works that are used under the “Fair Use” act for educational purposes.

[seriousartplace]

Blood Orange, 2023 by Adrian Kay Wong (b. 1991)

Oil on canvas 42 × 38 in; 106.7 × 96.5 cm

“The only goal I have in mind every morning is just “Make more paintings.” That said, I treat each new work independently almost like a puzzle or a “figuring out” of visual constraints. The decisions in my image-making are dictated and informed by the particular set of shapes I’m working with. For example, when I draw out the curvature of a flower vase it then determines the curvature of the top of a chair, then the figure’s face, then the way her hair falls, and so on. Ultimately, my work is process driven.” ― A K W

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Three studies of the male back, 1987 by Francis Bacon (1909 - 1992)

31.9 × 23.3 in; 81 × 59.2 cm

Lithographs on Arches paper

“My painting is not violent; it’s life that is violent. I have endured physical violence, I have even had my teeth broken. Sexuality, human emotion, everyday life, personal humiliation (you only have to watch television)―violence is part of human nature. Even within the most beautiful landscape, in trees, under the leaves the insects are eating each other; violence is part of life.” ― F B

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Pagoda (Grey Day) 2017 by Anthony Sonnenberg (b. 1986)

19 × 12 × 9 in; 48 × 30 × 23 cm Cone 10 reduction fired porcelain over stoneware, found ceramic tchotchkes, glaze

"I use time‐intensive construction methods to create totems and environments that reference the cyclical nature of growth and decay, and suggest layers of time that move beyond the art historical and into the geological and emotional." ― A S

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Radio, FLUX Series, 2019 by Alia Ali (b. 1985) 48 × 36 in; 122 × 92 cm

Pigment print on photorag 310gr. with UV laminate mounted on aluminum dibond in upholstered frame (wood & wax print)

To me, my practice is about risk and facing fears. I realized that I was the most afraid of how people would react to the work. I wasn’t thinking in the moment or what I was doing, I was thinking about what people would say. That’s probably the biggest restriction that one can place on themselves, and that fear can be paralyzing. It’s not about producing something for a final result, it’s the space which is carved out during the process that makes room for surprise and discovery. ― A A

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Enxurrada (Flood) 2014 by Vanderlei Lopes (b. 1973)

Polished bronze 55 x 31 x 12 in; 140 x 78 x 30 cm

"I came to live in the city of São Paulo, the state capital, to broaden my studies and find an experience that was more directly urban. This led me to work as a bus money collector and at that time it held a certain fascination because the experience thrust me totally into the city, the ambience and urban space that was more aligned with my interests. The experience of moving around, the daily perception of changes around the city was foundational. There was a continual panoramic view of Sao Paulo, with its construction and deconstruction, an imposing horizontality pitted against a powerful desire for vertical integration; the thought of space and time in the urban social context." ― V L

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A Habit that Refuses to Die, 2016 by Amanda Greive (b. 1978)

Oil on wood panel 30 × 30 × 1.5 in; 76.2 × 76.2 × 3.8 cm

"Though I come from a family that is very musically and artistically inclined, I originally went to school to become an epidemiologist.  After graduating from school, I took a job but still felt unfulfilled.  A little over 10 years ago, I decided to take a drawing class at my local community college and instantly felt that making art was what I was meant to do and I've been doing it ever since.

In my art-making process, the portrayal of relationships symbolically through the interplay of objects and the female figure has been a priority. I have found that traditional representation has, thus far, best suited me in my exploration of this topic, and my imagery references both classical and contemporary symbolism and iconography. While my paintings are singular to my own experiences, it is my hope that they also have a universality to them, wherein the viewer is able to relate his or her own relationships to the portrayals, making the act of viewing the painting an experience in its own right." ― A G

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Nymphéas, 1908 by Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)

Oil on Canvas 36.2 × 35 in; 92 × 89 cm

"I can't hold out any longer and am in a state of utter despair. After a few days of good weather, it's raining again and once again I have had to put the studies I started to one side. It's driving me to distraction and the unfortunate thing is that I take it out on my poor paintings. I destroyed a large picture of flowers which I'd just done along with three or four paintings which I not only scraped down but slashed. This is absurd . . . Please be kind enough to have some money forwarded to me." ― C M to his art-dealer Durand-Ruel

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Hello Kitten, 2019 by Matthew Grabelsky

Oil on Canvas 16 × 20 in; 41 × 51 cm

"Most of the time I listen to audiobooks while I’m painting. When I’m composing a piece I need it to be quiet but when I’m painting listening to a story helps me concentrate. I love that painting allows me to listen to books all day long. I can’t imagine ever having had the time to sit down and get through War and Peace but by listening it only took me a couple of weeks. All of these stories then feed me creative ideas all day which I can then incorporate into my work." ― M G

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Fake Abstract (Ingres) 2020 by Lino Lago (b. 1973)

Oil on Canvas 29.5 × 25.6 in; 75 × 65 cm

"My pieces are oil paintings, technically done in the most traditional way. I work by copying fragments of feminine portraits, preferably from the XIX century.

I try to express a universal ideal of art where the novelty is not more important than tradition. “Fake Abstract” is a subtle and ironic critique of contemporary art." ― L L

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Bleed in Black and Gold, 2019 by Joey Bates (b. 1982)

Cut paper, glue, and acrylic paint 17.3 × 22 × 2.5 in; 44 × 55.8 × 6.4 cm

"It typically takes me 40+ hours to do a piece. The larger the piece, the more time, of course. Some of the large pieces have taken hundreds of hours. I enjoy the process the most; time often melts away when I’m really on a roll.

A number of factors come into play in keeping me going with the work. One of the biggest things is competition, kind of with myself, but I address every body of work as another chance to come out swinging. I want to knock people’s socks off and sell work. That mindset keeps me hungry, and it can keep me working for a long time." ― J B

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Seated Girl Seen from the Back, 1928 by Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Oil on canvas 41 × 30 in; 104 × 74 cm

From an interview by Mike Wallace with Dali:

WALLACE: . . . what do you think will happen to you when you die? DALI: myself not believe in my death. WALLACE: You will not die? DALI: No, no believe in general in death but in the death of Dali absolutely not. Believe in my death becoming very -- almost impossible. WALLACE: You fear death? DALI: Yes. WALLACE: Death is beautiful but you fear death? DALI: Exactly......because Dali is contradictory and paradoxical man.

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Seconds in An Hour, 2020 by Scott Albrecht (b. 1983)

Acrylic on wood 28 1/4 × 28 1/4 in; 71.8 × 71.8 cm

"A large part of my process is spent writing and reflecting on situations and things happening around me. It helps me process and understand things more while giving me something to react to within my work. For the woodworks specifically, I generally start with a hand drawn sketch of the forms and once I get it to a good place I translate it to a vector illustration and use a laser cutter to cut out the initial shapes. Once I have the pieces cut, I go through a pretty lengthy production process of gluing, sanding, painting and reassembling all the pieces." ― S A

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She Bloomed at the Dead of Night #2, 2020 by Mai Ta (b. 1997)

Gouache on watercolor paper 13 × 9 in; 33 × 22.9 cm

"Ever since I came to America, I’ve always felt like an alien. I’m too Vietnamese for American people, and too American for Vietnamese people. Even though I was born in Vietnam, I often felt alienated whenever I came back during my school years. And since my experiences are so very different from that of the Vietnamese-American community, I felt excluded from them as well. I’m existing in the middle, and I’m screaming for a country that I love yet don’t belong in.

But the good thing about going to art school in NYC is that I’ve met people who share the same experiences as me. Existing in between, and making art to celebrate our cultures. I’ve been lucky enough to have made friends who understand my thoughts and what I strive to do and pushed me to pursue them further." ― M T

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Young bucks (a love story), 2017 by Toni Hamel (b. 1961)

Oil and alkyd on cradled panel 24 × 24 in; 61 × 61 cm  

"I'm a late bloomer as you can see, but I'm convinced that entering this field later in my life has had its benefits. The many years spent practicing in obscurity and away from public view has had welcome implications, in fact: if on one hand it afforded me a clarity of thought/direction and self-assurance in my own voice, on the other it has allowed me to achieve a refinement of execution that I don't think I possessed in the past.

I'm methodical to a fault when it comes to art-making. My method nowadays has become quite formalized and structured - I find that I'm at my best when I follow routines. I usually start my day by drawing thumb-nail sketches while I let my mind roam free, welcoming cognitive associations and improbable  juxtapositions. To stir up the creative juices, I may listen to songs by Leonard Cohen or Fabrizio De Andre for example: beautiful poetry accompanied by soulful music. I find that their words stimulate my mind and allow me to conceive visual juxtapositions that are always interesting and novel." ― T H

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Explosion by Clara Berta (b. 1963)

Acrylic On Canvas 48 × 48 in; 122 × 122 cm  

"Nothing is a smooth road I guess. Being an artist takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I would love to paint what I desire, however, to be commercially successful, you sometimes must bow to a gallery owner and take some direction. Again, my training in discipline is helpful, as I now must build series of works that show consistency. Both galleries and collectors appreciate that!" ― C B

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ANTI- by Koalanov aka Ivee Pendo

"My approach in drawing is stylized but I still use realistic proportions when drawing forms. It’s sometimes surreal but not too out of touch with reality especially when I want to indirectly convey a thought. Some people say it feels strange in a way probably because of the contrast between the subject matter and colour palette I use." ― I P

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Mujer Acostada, 2020 by Hilda Palafox (b. 1982)

Acrylic on canvas 72.75 × 59 in; 185 × 150 cm

"Personally, I know that I haven't reached my goal, that I'm not very sure what that might even be, so I'm flowing with it. I never thought I would be doing this, and now that I am, I know that I want more, so much more. I have a lot more to build, so it can be less commercial, and I can eventually live from this in the way that I want to. I think it's about constructing, knowing you're never going to be done, and that the idea of placing the last brick isn't a thing; it's about never ceasing to create." ― H P