My current favorite is Jean-Léon Gérôme. Though I have vague memories of seeing his work while I was in college, 16-20 years ago, I have recently rediscovered him and his awesomeness. I almost wish I actually were a time-travelling super-villain so I could hop back a hundred years, conquer France, and spare him from being executed like most of his fellows.
More importantly, here’s the Wikicommons page dedicated to him I’m particularly fond of Painting Breathes Life into Sculpture (currently adorning my desktop), but there are many other lovely images there. Be warned, though, that some of these paintings contain nudity.
Anyway, that’s just me. I’m sure others hereabouts have opinions on which artists are worth praising.
Was lucky enough to see many of his paintings up close and personal at The Old Masters Museum in Germany. Probably the best Rembrandt collection in Europe (the Landgraf was a patron).
I just like his style and brushwork:
Classical with a fuzzy realism, just a hint of impressionism.
Nuance in shade and blend. Dark contrasted with light, instead of the opposite.
landscape
I tend to prefer landscapes to portraits. But I don’t have an all time single favorite painter. Just to be contrary, my other current fav is Vermeer. So much for no portraits…
Velázquez. Sorry. The first time I saw The Surrender of Breda in the original, I could have just stayed there for days if my parents hadn’t dragged me away. So many years of seeing washed-away, tiny pictures in school books and then there it was, life-sized and so realistic it almost smelled. Mind you, The Weavers and Vulcano’s Forge were next, but I was still on so much awe over Breda that these and the Meninas simply didn’t register as much…
Can’t stand Picasso in any form. Dali was good, the bastich, or at least good at drawing; I don’t like all his work but he was good. Have I said he was good? I like many of the impressionists as well. Once I took a friend to visit El Prado and by sheer happenstance we happened to go in through Goya’s door: we saw the Dark Paintings, then went through all the museum, then up to the first floor, then we’re looking at some tapestry designs and he says “you know, it’s sort of completely different, but this does remind me a lot of those dark paintings we saw at the beginning” “same guy” “:eek:” - while Goya isn’t particularly pleasant for me, the combination of his paintings with his times is a subject that interests me very much.
Nava, I see no reason either you or carnivorousplant shouldl apologize for liking what you like. This isn’t a criticial analysis thread; if I were I’d have talked about line and color and eroticism and the virtues of photorealism versus more stylised renderings. The only thing you should come CLOSE to apologizing for is not posting a link that what you praise.
I’m at work and while my client hasn’t realized the Dope is a timewas… ehm, a good tool for improving my English skills… they do frown on sites with lots of pictures. Sorry!
I’m fond of the surrealists, specifically, Dali and Magritte.
My (Catholic) high school had a print of Dali’s Last Supper in the office, which is my favourite religious painting of all time - Blows Leonardo’s Last Supper out of the water.
Ivan Albright. Lucky for me he was a local boy and there’s a great deal of his stuff at the Art Institute of Chicago and, oddly enough, at the village hall in the western suburb of Warrenville including there his Dorian Grey portrait that is one of the most haunting images I’ve ever seen.
I agree with Nava: paintings must be seen in person to feel their full impact.
Case in point–I was always tepid on Van Gogh, until I went to see his exhibit at the Art Institute. His painting fair shouted off the walls at me. I finally understand what everyone was raving about re “Starry Nights” etc.
Same with Monet (although I still say his painting of turkeys is just turkeys and nothing special).
I have found that as I grow older, I appreciate more complex works. As a child, I loved Renoir, but now I find him too “pretty”. I also find I have more patience with more modern art (and less patience with art critics or snobs, but that’s another thread).
I have prints of Whistler (not his mother), Hockney, Wyeth, Benson and Monet in my house. I’d like to have many, many more, but have run out of room. I like a lot of Victorian or Edwardian era art as well.
