August 17, 2016

The Eye Of The Beholder

Hmmm art. What is great art, what makes it so? It must be in the eye of the beholder because I’ve been aghast to see some peoples choices of ‘art’, but I must remind myself to each his own, if they like it, then that’s all that matters. So the question is how do you elevate ones experience with great art? How can you get a person to really see and not carve out all the lines for them, leave room for their own imagination. If you want the eyelashes drawn in, just take a picture, right? I love to look at a painting where there is room for the imagination but not so loose where paint is splashed and thrown on the wall, where’s the skill in that? I want to see talent, drawing skill, mastery of color, light, value and shadow, understanding of the figure and proportions. With great art there's the desire to look at the image over and over yet never get tired of looking, why is that? You see something new every time with each observation, now that is wonderful to me. You see, when the image is completely carved out, crystal clear that is deception because our eyes do not see in this way. The eye focuses on the central subject and everything around it is slightly blurred, that is how film is, very much like the human eye. Digital however sees everything crystal clear across the panoramic view. My conclusion is; either take a picture or buy an image that sets your imagination on fire!