AMERICAN PORTRAITURE: THOMAS EAKINS

This past summer I had the chance to work on a research project I created. My topic was Class in American Portraiture in a Historic context and Contemporary.  During this project I was able to travel around to different museums to get a better understanding of portraiture.

The first place we went was the Philadelphia Museum of Art, home of a collection of Thomas Eakins paintings and sculptures. When we walked into the section that had a group of Eakins portraits gridded on the wall we just saw people. I had no idea why these would be so important to my research. Well, Thomas Eakins portraits were very different from most portraits during this time. They were humble, some considered them ugly, and they were hardly ever liked. One portrait he did of a school teacher we dissected:

Thomas Eakins, Portrait of Lucy Lewis, oil on canvas, 1896, Philadelphia Museum of Art

 (http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/thomas-eakins/portrait-of-lucy-lewis-1896)

Even though this is one of the only portraits that he painted someone with delicate beauty, she still fit the group in which he painted: middle class, educated, and active in her career. He painted all his portraits as if the person was sitting right next to you. There is no separation between the viewer and the sitter. Think to when you see a portrait of a President, there is this separation where they are more important than you, in this other world. This is very different than Eakins, and why he rarely received commissions for portraits. Moving on: 

Thomas Eakins, Portrait of Mary Adeline Williams, oil on canvas, 1900, Philadelphia Museum of Art

 (http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/thomas-eakins/portrait-of-mary-adeline-williams)

This portrait of Mary Adeline Williams. Comparing the two portraits, you can see how he paints them very raw and only hints at their money or success. For instance, in this portrait her energetic blouse shows she isn’t poor and represents her mood. In the Portrait of Lucy Lewis, she is wearing a tiny gold necklace which Eakins just slightly makes glimmer. 

In the next post I will do a comparison to the National Portraits of the Presidents!

SNOW DAYS: KEEPING THE CREATIVE MOMENTUM

Since there has been this crazy snowy weather going on and it’s been hard for some people to get to work, I’ve been thinking… What do artists do to not stop their momentum? So I want to put this out there and see what you guys do when you find that you cannot make it to your studio?

I know a lot of people just stick to their sketchbooks when they can’t get in and work on a current piece. Others might just sit around and lose the creative flow they’ve got going. But it seems like there is something else we can do instead of just sit around and wait for the snow to melt.

Some of the things I thought of were:

- Really research your artistic lineage. It’s important to realize who inspires your artwork. But diving in a bit deeper and finding who inspires them and so on can really expand your current mindset.

- Watch an art documentary. Hopefully you’ve seen most of the ART21 videos. But have you seen “Lucien Freud: Painted Life” by BBC Two? Or “Degenerate Art” which is all about the Modern movement being attacked by Hitler? There are tons, and I mean TONS, of great art films out there that are inspiring.

- Copy a Master. Research what your favorite Renaissance Painter would do to improve. Copy his mindset and his pieces (or do mini versions in a sketchbook). Really study Ruben’s use of reds and how he uses them to his advantage. Get in their brain.

- Personal Advertising. Use the day to connect with people over the various sites you promote your work on. Maybe update your artist statements or the layout of your blog.

So what about actually creating things? What can us artists do to still create when we’re not in the studio? Well… how about trying these things out:

- Photoshop. If you draw or paint from pictures, get those pictures going and start making your upcoming compositions. Have you ever tried to image your work the size of a billboard? What about Photoshopping that mock-up and see how it’d work. You could use that as an upcoming project and even figure out what it could cost. With Photoshop, or really any advanced photo editing software, the ideas and opportunities are endless.

- Trying new mediums. Let’s say you’re an oil painter. Have you ever thought about your current collection includes a few tiny watercolors to complement? Smaller pieces in general are more intimate, so maybe connecting and getting your concept across in a more sensitive manner?

These are just a few things I do whenever I can’t get to my studio. Share what you guys do and maybe we can get a real awesome list going!!

+I made it so that anyone can comment, you don’t need to have a blogger or google+ account, now you can just post anonymously!+

+Don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter!+

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE AN ARTIST'S BLOCK

Majority of us have experienced an Artist’s Block. It’s the worst feeling when you have absolutely no ideas or inspiration. It’s the lowest time of an artist’s career and life. The other day, my friend asked me what I do when I have no inspiration or clue of what to create. Here are some things to try out (what’ve you got to lose?):

- Check your sketchbooks. That’s the whole idea of them right? To write down ideas and things that inspire you so that you are always in the creating mood. Even if you don’t remember why you have a to-go menu of a pizza place you went to three years ago glued into your sketchbook, it has the possibility to spark something.

- Google things. Remember that one time you went to the MoMA and saw an exhibit on Futurism? It might not have been inspiring then, but it could be now!

- Go to a museum (even if it’s a local museum and not the Louvre). Take your time and really break down the paintings you are drawn to. Maybe the brushwork will stand out? Or the color palette? (If you don’t feel like leaving the house, check out Google Art Project)

- Try painting in the style you’ve always hated. If you HATE abstract, try it out. While you’re working or after when you look back, you’ll realize you actually can appreciate parts of it, or why you love painting in another style.

- Talk about it. Accept that you’re stuck and talk to you’re friends (especially you’re non-artist friends, cause they always give random and out of the box ideas of what to create). Go see what you’re artist friends are creating (but don’t get down on the fact that they’re creating and inspired and you’re not). Being in the studio whether it is your studio or someone else’s will start to get your creative juices flowing.

- Go back in time. Remember that crazy art history teacher you had? Remember how they were so boring and tedious about the work that you barely paid attention? But, you kept the books so later on if you felt like reading all about the Baroque period you could? Well hopefully that is true, because art history is the basis of all art. So go back to your roots and be in awe of that gorgeous Caravaggio painting you loved.

- Read any book. There are tons of random art books out there. Go buy WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution (edited by Cornelia Butler and Lisa Gabrielle Mark, Co-published by The MIT Press) or go buy a comic book for all it matters. You could be inspired by the style or the one pose the Black Widow is doing or the issues they bring up.

Whatever you do: don’t get down on yourself and start thinking that you can’t get any good ideas because you suck as an artist. Everyone has these moments of pause. Just take advantage of the quiet to really see art in a new way. I hope my ideas are helpful, and feel free to leave a comment of what helps you get through an artist’s block!!

OFF DAY BLOGGING: COMMENTS!

Hey Otters!
I know today is an off day for my blogging (since I try and stick to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). But I just wanted to say that I'm so happy people are reading my posts and I can't wait to get a conversation started. So, if you have any thoughts or suggestions please let me know in the comment section. I want to be able to give you posts you want!
Also, what do you think of the new layout? 
Thanks!!

DETERMINING DAILY RITUALS

I recently got the book “Daily Rituals” by Mason Currey. I thought this book would not only being just a fun and easy read but also hopefully make me want to create. I was right. Now, this isn’t going to be a review (but I could do that in another post if you wanted) but more of a something-sparked-in-my-mind-now-I’m-going-to-blog-about-it thing. This book is jam packed with artists and philosophers and writers who were successful in one way or another. Each little section about a creator has a mini bio (if you could call it that) and their daily schedule or habits. Now don’t think I’m shamelessly promoting this book. I’m not getting anything out of promoting it besides the fact that I enjoy it and find it interesting.

Okay so moving on,

My schedule as of right now, like most students, is based around my classes, internship and work study. I don’t exactly have a set plan everyday besides get what needs to be done, well, done. Now in comparison to most situations where people go off to their desk job and work and go to lunch and work and go home and maybe draw or paint, this book shows how the creative get the most from their days. Let’s compare:

One of the artists mentioned in this book is Francis Bacon. Now, Bacon’s days included “eating multiple rich meals a day, drinking tremendous quantities of alcohol, taking whatever stimulants were handy, and generally staying out later and partying harder than his contemporaries.” At this point some of you are probably thinking he could’ve done so much more and spent his time more wisely. Well, the book continues “Painting came first. Despite his late nights, Bacon always woke at the first light of day and worked for several hours…” His lifestyle is shown through his interesting portrayal of figures with multiple angles shown. While his style is almost a mix between Salvador Dali and Cubism, Bacon’s slur yet rich lifestyle is definitely shown in his compositions. Here's an example of one of his pieces "Figure in Movement"

Francis Bacon, Figure in Movement, 1976, oil on canvas, 198x147.5 cm, private collection

(http://www.francis-bacon.com/paintings/?c=76-77)

Another artist mentioned in this book is Willem de Kooning. Now let’s try to work backwards trying to guess his lifestyle from his style of painting. Here is one of Willem de Kooning’s paintings “Pink Angels”

Willem de Kooning, Pink Angels, 1945, oil and charcoal on canvas, 132.1x101.6 cm, Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, L.A. © 2011 The Willem de Kooning Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

(http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1149)

There is definitely lines of structure but yet the gestures are mainly fluid. There are areas where Kooning has clearly worked over many times and there are moments of frustration. How could his lifestyle compliment his painting?

Well, Willem de Kooning, according to Mason Currey, his days were pretty simple. “He generally rose around 10:00 or 11:00, drank several strong cups of coffee, and painted all day and into the night, breaking only for dinner and the occasional visitor.”  No crazy partying like Bacon, but then again, there are few people who did party like Francis Bacon and still manage to lead a successful career.

In any case, reading these rituals of successful creators really is inspiring and makes me realize that you don’t need to have a set type of lifestyle just because of your career path. You just need to figure out when you are the most productive and creative and work around it. Because we all know what is most important in the art world: continuing to produce works.