h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Whistler is stunning! I was just talking about him with my daughter last night.

There seems to be some uncertainty as to who was the greater wit, James McNeil Whistler or Oscar Wilde, and it seems that Oscar Wilde copied / plagiarised several of Whistlers best lines.

cf. M. Python.

Sorting through more of my collection of postcards this morning from gallery visits, (do others do that when they visit?) My goodness it's wonderful looking back on them.

Getting back to hanging paintings in kitchens...these would fit in well, a couple of still lives of fruit and veg by Cotan; there was a brilliant show of a certain period of 'still lives' at the National Gallery in London a few years ago that I went to.

The first is usually in the Prado

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/13/1352/19YS000Z/posters/juan-sanchez-cotan-still-life-with-dead-birds-fruit-and-vegetables-1602.jpg

And this one in San Diego

I'm a big fan of 'Still lives' in general.

http://bit.ly/yfr9VF

I'd have anyone of 6 Dutch 16/17th century still lives on my wall.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Floris_Gerritsz._van_Schooten_-_Still-Life_with_Glass,_Cheese,_Butter_and_Cake_-_WGA21047.jpg

http://www.backtoclassics.com/gallery/luismelendez/still-life1/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luis_Melendez,_Still_Life_with_Salmon,Lemon_and_three_Vessels,1772_Museo_del_Prado_Madrid.jpg

http://kalden.home.xs4all.nl/dart/d-a-steenw-he.htm

http://www.paintinghere.com/painting/Breakfast_Still_Life_With_Roemer,_Meat_Pie,_Lemon_And_Bread_14881.html

http://www.arthermitage.org/Willem-Claesz-Heda/Breakfast-with-a-Lobster.html

I think those are wonderful Incog.

#63 Thanks for the M Python reference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxXW6tfl2Y0

I suppose photography impacted more on still art than other forms of art. Perhaps this thought helps to frame Whistlers quote: "To say to the painter that Nature is to be taken as she is, is to say to the player that he may sit on the piano."

I don't understand that Whistler quote. Paintings are imbued with the love and vision of the artist through touch. I've yet to see a painting that looks like a photograph...

I love them as well though.

Nature is never taken as she is. She is always to a degree 'mythologised' through the medium of paint to create an illusion.

(Just my opinion. I don't want to get into arguments on this nice thread. Others may think differently).

"Paintings are imbued with the love and vision of the artist through touch."

I think that's what Whistler was saying, Effers. Those who insist that painters (or any other artists) must strive to slavishly imitate nature are wrongheaded. A point of art is to reflect on, comment on, question, etc. Nature.

And *feel* it. I got confused to do with the quote saying Nature is to be taken as she is...I understand now. Thanks.

Another quote from Whistler "An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision”, which I think is consistent with the first given in #68 (and as per anhaga's comment).

I also want this Stubbs, 'Zebra'.

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10/stubbs_415x329.jpg

And one of his horse paintings forthe stable block

http://www.tate.org.uk/kids/tales/img/stubbs.jpg

>>Whistler "An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision”

Me "An artist is not paid for his labor but for how dead he is”

Really? I want this for the living room.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15817606

That's pretty much what my grandad told me, quotes. He painted mostly landscapes, with some portraits. As a young girl I remember saying how fab it was that he was an artist and he said no, he could only be an artist after he was dead. For the time being he was a painter.

One of my favourites of his paintings is one of a large tree which has just been felled. The felled tree is pretty much end-on and the outline makes a reasonable silhouette of my grandfather (huge nose and all). Apparently this was a coincidence.

Mol

Well, speaking as someone who get paid to make stuff and put it into galleries ...

If I get paid for my labour i'm working for slave wages ...

I won't get paid more when i'm dead -- but collectors might. I won't get paid anything, obviously...

And

I get payed what the market will bear, and the market is those individuals or corporations who enjoy and value what I make -- my vision, if you will.


In my experience, both as a buyer of art and a maker of what I call for convenience art, Whistler is dead on.

Lots of people on this site are giving lots of themselves in terms of Creative energy for the Guide...none of them are getting paid. They do it all for the love of h2g2 and its history and tradition. The Company are building up a brand for free.

Thinking more about it....Quotes does have a point. At least nothing of mine will be part of that; I'm *so* pleased about that now.

The artsy thing I did which didn't fit the brand...I can put elsewhere on the site I recently joined. yes its part of another company's brand but at least I have freedom of choice as an artist as to how it looks and use it to make contact with other artsists...

Tricky old business.

Damien Hirst though has never made any bones that he is partly dealing with the whole issue of the relationship between art and money...and knows himself to be the supreme Shaman of it. Made sure he made friends with Charles Saatchi whilst still at Art school...

Charles Saatchi is the real artist of the last few years in Britain.

End with a conflagration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4uQtOQwLGE&feature=related

Well if we're branching out into video now...I need something playing on a big flat screen somewhere in the flat.

Want Mathew Barney's Cremaster Cycle of films.

There's 5 I think. Cremaster 4 is my favourite set on the Isle of Man TT circuit.

But they are all brill. A couple of examples.

Cremaster 1, part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y9tM8dcyuk

And from the Isle of Man, Cremaster 4, part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFfhTIQxsME&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL3FDC3FB3D188F46D