Lately I have started finding such statements in "major" art magazines. These few are from the November issue of Art in America, article entiteled "Ilya Kabakov Flies into His Picture"

"...modernism hasfrom the first been tainted by the revolutionary absolutes of Malevich.
...modernism is as problematic and potencially as murderouse as any other utopian idea. Modernism attempted the murder of other artistic possibilities."

"...There is a guilty pleasure in looking at these paintings (read - contemporary paintings done within the classic tradition), which do things the old-fashioned way, providing the visual gratifications of color, light, brushwork and subject matter that we have been taught to dismiss."

What do you think about that? Please post your thoughts and ideas

Ilia

http://www.truefresco.com/anossov

Hi Ilya
This is an interesting topic but I'm brand new to this forum and I can't seem to figure out how to read the various contributions apart from your original one, so I don't know what has been discussed.

Perhaps you could set me straight so I can contribute.
Kind regards
Jack Meredith

LAST EDITED ON 15-Jan-01 AT 12:47 PM (PST)

Hi Jack!
Looks like you are doing well with the postings - got the image all right. I like the sketch!

About reading - lets converce in this topic and you will figure the rest in the flash. It becomes simple as you post. To read messages in other forums and topics - just click on corresponding links - click on forum name in the lobby and will be transfered to the list of topics in the selected forum, then select the topic and click on it, this will send you to the postings for the topic. Go to announcements forum and help files for some options.

Ilia

Modernism has re-invented the language of art and added so many more facets of creativity that we can explore and enjoy. To me, modern art, as well as classical, is "...providing the visual gratifications of color, light, brushwork and subject matter that we have been taught to dismiss." My favorite modern paintings involve new ways of looking at form and light and brushwork and subject matter. And even complete abstraction can be as difficult to execute and involve complex rendering of color, light, and brushwork as classical art. The "subject" is not so much a recognizable object as it is a composition or concept. The problem is that the understanding of art is, as always, far behind the artist's execution of it. Also, the breaking of the rules did open up the doors for many non-artists to enter the art world. In some ways, this is good--exploration of creativity, regardless of technical skill, is healthy. But the breaking of the rules also opened the doors to "charlatanism"--attention seekers and money seekers who saw their opportunity to milk an ignorant public for all they were worth. Since it couldn't be stopped, it was tolerated (though with much resentment). And people who were afraid of repeating past mistakes, and not wanting to be compared to the viewers who rebuked the Impressionists and other now-accepted masters, began to be afraid to criticize any art at all. But now that the rules have been broken, and artists are free to do what they want, then the world is also free to take another look at classical art and techniques and reinterpret and enjoy again. Since academia says, "You are not part of our elite club," then much of the public (and many artists) say, "Fine. Then I'm free to explore whatever I want--outside of your club." What goes around, comes around. I also suspect that many people, both within and outside of the art world, have tired of the attitude of some artists who have tried to raise the idea of "Art" (with a capital "a") to such an ethereal plane that "You" (the "ignorant" viewer, supposedly) cannot POSSIBLY understand such an esoteric, beyond-mere-mortal, concept... In other words, you, as viewer, are forced to be an outsider of the clique--the idea being, "Well, if YOU (viewer) don't understand, then I (artist) am certainly NOT going to tell you."

But modernism, for artists, means that we are free to explore any art form--to go anywhere that creativity leads. Regardless of this freedom, some artists (myself included) think that learning method and "technique" (which were such dirty words in art school in the 60's and 70's) are important parts of the whole art experience. Learning the "language" of art--how to see art, both modern and classical--is a necessary part of visual communication. Known classical methods or techniques should be taught to young artists. Giving an artist the ability to master painting or drawing or sculpture, and giving him the freedom to choose the form (whether modern or classical), gives the artist the most freedom of all. To have the methods at hand to get a visual concept or message across is the best freedom of all--to be able to express what an artist wants to express, whether "representational" or "abstract" (or whatever term is in vogue)--is surely good.

It might well be remembered that so much of the art that people consider "modern" is now 100 years old--and so many people are still ignorant of the visual language of such artists as Van Gogh and Cezanne, who were accomplished masters of form and color (albeit in their new visual "language") -- small wonder many people cannot understand the art that is being produced today.

What a great article! Thanks for posting.

Ilia.

Forgot to ask. Can you share your work with us? I would love to see, you can post links and images here.

Sure! My home page is Southern Muse (southernmuse.com) and my art can be found at http://www.southernmuse.com/artgallery.htm

>Sure! My home page is Southern Muse
>(southernmuse.com) and my art can be found at
>http://www.southernmuse.com/artgallery.htm

Hi Muse!

I guess i overlooked your reply.
I went to your site today. Your "Still Life with Coffeepot" has a flavor of Russian Painting school.
Any connection? Although landscapes are different.

Only in that I've been influenced by late 19th and early 20th century artists. I love the paint handling of artists like Kandinsky and Roualt.

Thanks for visiting my home page! Come back anytime.

Southern Muse:
http://www.southernmuse.com

Kandinsky. I was thinking mor of a later painters. I have heard that few of them moved to Southern US in 20th-30th and left schools. So i thought that you may have come across their students at some point of your career. I guess your nick helped.

Your work "Still Life with Coffeepot" got me thinking about M. Larionov - there were two of them. I searched for the link to post for you, but could find only one and i was thinking of the other.
I will look more and post here.