NOTES FROM AN OPENING [or two]

Posted: July 12, 2011 | Author: richard pratt studio | Filed under: PAINTING, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

“You’ve taken a very traditional genre [landscape painting] and made something new out of it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until I heard this remark in 2008, I had never once given thought to my paintings being landscapes. It’s pretty obvious, however, that paintings of trees and foliage are just that. The remark made me reflect on where I fit in, not necessarily in the world of art or even in art history, but where my images fit in the minds of viewers and collectors.

I have often described my work in terms of the HOW and the WHAT, the HOW of process and technique, and the WHAT of subject matter and the resultant image. It seems that some viewers respond more strongly to one than the other. At my recent opening at Alan Avery Art Company in Atlanta [on view through August 6, 2011], I was surprised that some viewers were fascinated by the way in which I had used Hogarth’s work in the process of painting “A Rake’s Progress.” They were intrigued by the story line hidden within these abstract paintings. Other viewers were more strongly affected by the color, pattern and facture of the paintings.

All of this ties in with what I refer to as the LIFE of a painting. The idea that my paintings disperse into the world and are enjoyed in ways that are independent of my original intentions and personal to a specific view sustains me as an artist and keeps me painting.

“I saw images of your paintings on the gallery website and thought that they were merely decorative, but in person there’s so much more to them.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m grateful that one of the viewers at the Alan Avery opening told me this. It’s easy to forget that digital images are only approximations of artworks, and that in spite of the categorization of painting as two-dimensional art, they are actually three-dimensional objects. [I saw more than one viewer looking at one of my paintings from the side that night.] Paintings require physical presence to be fully appreciated.

Also, it seems to me that for most people the English word DECORATIVE can only have a pejorative meaning in an art gallery. Matisse, when speaking French instead of English, was apparently unashamed to say that his paintings were decoratif. Maybe he knew that it is only natural to drive away the blankness and boredom of an empty wall by painting something to hang on it, something interesting, surprising or decorative.

“I hope that this doesn’t offend you, but I’m thinking of buying this painting for in my kitchen.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very nice woman made this comment after enthusiastically viewing one of my paintings. By all means hang a painting where you will get the most out of it. There is nothing more flattering to an artist than the thought that one of his paintings will be nearby during important daily rituals like breakfast.

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