Naturally, We Make Pictures
"Nature is, and must be, the fountain which alone is inexhaustible; and from which all excellences must originally flow." -Sir Joshua Reynolds
While visiting family in New York last month, we went whale watching off the south shore of Long Island. For three hours, we saw seabirds and a few dolphins, but no whales. We saw tankers waiting to enter New York Harbor, an offshore oil rig, jets taking off from JFK, and distant silhouettes of Manhattan’s tall buildings.
Then, with all eyes intent on seeing wildness emerge from the depths, it happened. Two humpback whales surfaced and resurfaced again and again while we took in the majesty of nature and wondered about their lives in the Atlantic Ocean.
A few days later, we headed to Roslyn to see the new exhibit, “Seeing Red: Renoir to Warhol” at Nassau County Museum of Art. My favorite piece in the exhibit was “Cave #24 Red Oxide Wall” by Elaine de Kooning, a piece inspired by the cave paintings at Lascaux (and her fascination with bullfighting).
Elaine de Kooning was one of a handful of prominent women in the mix during the rise of The New York School. Even so, she refused to be classified as an abstract expressionist, and also disliked being called a “woman painter.” She was a painter and a brilliant one, and naturally, she wanted to be known as such.
The sculpture garden and the museum’s grounds are also spectacular. Plus, they’re free and open to the public daily.
Action Painter or Color Field Painter?
Darby and I are focusing our attention on a new school of painters each month this fall. We’re starting with the so-called New York School of Abstract Expressionists, who were ascendant and deeply influential in the 1950s and well beyond.
In this video, the narrator walks us through the two primary approaches to abstract expressionism—action painting and color field painting.
In action painting, gesture and movement are extremely important. Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Lee Krasner... these are all painters who painted with their bodies. Each and every brushstroke is powered by strong gestural movement. Here, the process of painting is really what matters, the marks left on the canvas are just traces of that process. When looking at an action painter’s work, what you really see is the painter’s footprint, what they left after their performances.
As for color field painting, what’s important is the end result. The painting isn’t impulsive and improvised, but meticulously calculated. The careful application of color, the planned interaction between the different colors are all harmoniously orchestrated to create a feeling of transcendence.
Based on the above descriptions, I know I’m not a color field painter. I’m also not an action painter in the classic sense, but I greatly appreciate their approach to making pictures.
A Recently Made Picture
Lagniappe
St. James Brewery’s delicious Deep Ascent beers are made with yeast recovered from a shipwreck off Fire Island in 1886. American history in the glass!
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Loving this Rose of Mourvèdre from The Austin Winery with fruit from Limestone Terrace Vineyard just west of Austin. #liquidtexas
GQ takes a close look at Phish and refers to them as the greatest jam band of all time.
Affordable housing allows a city's natural diversity to thrive. Remove affordable housing as an option and you're incubating monocultures.
Thanks for being here now,
When you are ready to grow a mission-based organization, spark a social change movement, or invest in an arts or culture project, let me know. I’d like to help.
Interesting use of white pigment to give the impression of shape and mass to the otherwise undifferentiated blue