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  • #456597

    The ‘Go figure’ threads are not quite as long or well used as they used to be, but they have been a lively part of the Figure Forum since 2008 and a good way to keep in touch with whats going on, not necessarily just about the figure, but anything that is of interest or that is going on the world, or our lives in particular.

    Some of the old threads make good reading :cool:

    The last thread from 2017 can be found here and Previous threads can be found in the Library here.

    Dave posted this as the last thread of 2017 and, as it relates to 2018 we have added it in this year’s first post.

    Five months in and no Go Figure for 2018! Do you remember when there was a new one for every month?
    Anyone been to or thinking about going to “Rodin and the art of Greece”?
    It’s had very good reviews from the press.
    This review gives a good idea about what to expect,[URL=http://artwatch.org.uk/rodin-and-ancient-greek-art-a-personal-view-of-a-magnificent-show/] “A Magnificent Show”, [/URL]pity about the bias against contemporary sculpture.

    :wave: Dave.
    _________

    Mac

    #628974

    Dave yes I recall when the Go Figure threads were lively and regular discussions which we had to limit to a monthly threads, and still can be good to look through, times change… maybe we can keep it up.

    I hadn’t been thinking about going to the Rodin exhibition… unless it comes down under sometime… but that was an interesting read!

    Mac

    #628975

    One of the secrets to longevity must be keeping active with the mind and body. Most Monday afternoons I get together with Alan Chipperfield, a remarkable 87 year old man who is the father of one of the world’s top architects (He likes to remind me)… he works every day on restoring antique furniture, which is his business. He has a very sharp mind, plays the piano, has a weekly chess battle with other chess players and has a desire to paint portraits.

    So we get together most Monday afternoons to work on it, I found the best strategy was to copy some of the Masters and other artists, and sometimes… very rarely, he will persuade a friend or client to sit for us.

    Recently we have had the good fortune to have three different people to drop in and sit, a retired High Court Judge and two local residents.
    We work in the most un-ideal of conditions… in his back yard as the house is too full of antique furniture and with poor lighting conditions, so fluctuating light and inclement weather are problematic factors, here are three of my recent ones which we are still working on, The subject sat while we painted and then we continue to work from a photo afterwards.

    Mac

    #629000

    What a fun time- to sit in the sunshine and paint people! It must be tricky to deal with the element and changing light, though. Plein aire for portrait painters!
    These are so well done, Mac!

    bethany
    moderator in figures & portraits blogs: artbybethany life-presence
    website www.bethanyart.com
    My inspiration is art... because without art, we would just be stuck with reality. ~Daniel R. Lynch

    #628976

    Bethany ‘tricky’ yes it’s actually totally un-ideal :rolleyes: there’s some thing to be said for studio conditions and a direct light! having a live sitter is a rarity and even working from a photo isn’t easy, but we enjoy it… and have cups of tea and solve some of the worlds problems along the way!

    Mac

    #628977

    L Skylar Brown Has posted a thread containing what I consider to be a stirring and strong image of a social phenomenon of our times, and I think it raises an aspect of Art that I think is worthy of discussion… Should Art be political ?

    My point of view on this is that Artists have always been at the forefront of expressions of change in society and whether we agree or disagree, one of the purposes of art is to be political, as Robert Henri said, “We must paint what is important”… “All manifestations of Art are but landmarks in the progress of the human spirit toward a thing”… “an artist must respond to his subject must be filled with emotion toward it”.

    I’d be interested to hear other views on this

    Mac

    #629004
    SarahY
    Default

        Should art be political? No, not necessarily. My core values revolve around a concept of freedom and self-development, that if no-one is harmed by our actions, we can and should do whatever we want, and we should always strive to improve. We can and should be whatever we want. Artists should paint what they want.

        But I do respond to art with a message much more than art that doesn’t. A painting that is pretty for the sake of it may hold my attention for a few seconds. The paintings that have something more behind them, some kind of story or idea, will hold my attention for much longer. I want to know the artist through their work, and if their work contains their strong political views that’s fine. In a world where free speech seems to no longer exist*, it’s refreshing to see someone have something to say, even if I don’t agree with them. Which I rarely do :lol: I have strong, rather right wing views, so I tend to keep my political views to myself.

        *I live in a middle sized town called Kettering. Lindsey Lohan once made an off hand, mildly derogatory remark on Twitter about Kettering. This offended many. Public apologies were made, Ms. Lohan eventually had to promise to switch on our Christmas lights. She never did, by the way. Point is, who cares? I love my town, but people can say what they like! Someone could post “that SarahY, what a (insert rude word here)”, that’s up to them. No skin off my nose! People have become so easy to offend that free speech can no longer exist.

        http://www.shyeomans.co.uk
        \m/ neue deutsche härte \m/
        Nothing left but smoke and cellar, and a woman with a black umbrella...

        #629016
        Devorahdraws
        Default

            L Skylar Brown Has posted [URL=https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21400478#post21400478]a thread[/URL] containing what I consider to be a stirring and strong image of a social phenomenon of our times, and I think it raises an aspect of Art that I think is worthy of discussion… Should Art be political ?

            My point of view on this is that Artists have always been at the forefront of expressions of change in society and whether we agree or disagree, one of the purposes of art [I]is[/I] to be political, as Robert Henri said, “We must paint what is important”… “All manifestations of Art are but landmarks in the progress of the human spirit toward a thing”… “an artist must respond to his subject must be filled with emotion toward it”.

            I’d be interested to hear other views on this

            Mac

            I’m an art historian before I’m an artist so I find this question…odd. (I guess…limiting?) Art does not have to be made for a political agenda in mind, but it’s also not ever inherently devoid of the socio-political background in which it is created AND in which it is then viewed.

            Personally: that piece is nicely done, but it’s a small white child so if it’s supposed to speak to the issue of largely indigenous latino children being detained in America, it falls short of the mark for me (as a Mexican-American who is very light/white-passing). It’s political, sure, but if it’s supposed to be symbolic or a direct representation of Trump imprisoning child refugees, then it’s not political enough/has white-washed the imagery. I’d probably make the same comment if this was meant to depict the Australian immigration problems that are very similar. I don’t know if using a sweet white blonde/blue eyed boy was intentional, but….it’s an interesting choice and speaks to a larger problem of art tropes that confer innocence/purity/vulnerability to “whiteness” intentionally or unintentionally.

            (I also think that whatever someone’s “political” view on imprisoning children is, they need to remember that seeking refugee/asylum status in America is NOT illegal.)

            But I’ll stop there, as I’ve already written a big critique of the issue of Child refugees in the US on Medium, haha.

            Either way my feeling is that making art and viewing art are both political, as is ignoring the politics of art. Pretending it’s not affected by politics is inherently also a stance on politics and art. I also think acting as if art shouldn’t be political lulls people into a sense of viewer-complacency, and probably makes the average person more susceptible to works of propaganda in the News/Media/Advertisements, etc.

            edited to add: also often art people think wouldn’t have a message was deeply influenced by political agendas! I need only point to the fact that the CIA helped fund Abstract Expressionism in America to point out that something that doesn’t “appear” to have a message might still supported by an American intelligence agency during the Red Scare/Cold War as part of a pro-Capitalist/Anti-communist campaign. Basically, ~capitalism and democracy allows our art to be abstract and not socialist realism~ haha.

            #628978

            I guess my understanding of ‘political’ is that it is the way we try to influence affect or change another persons thinking… not necessarily to do with political parties and their agendas. I think it’s fascinating how a person can create or say something with their own thought in mind, but everyone will respond to it according to their own particular understanding and biases… but at the very least it will start a conversation!

            I agree with Sara that a work of art with a message gives us something to respond to… much more than a pretty picture, and that’s something that I haven’t yet been able to produce!

            Mac

            #628999
            OK
            Default


                Barbara Kruger.
                A work of art is worth a thousand words even if it’s composed of words.

                :wave: Dave.

                “What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
                — Allen Ginsberg
                Are you ready for a Journey?
                PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting, please don’t press the like button.

                #629017
                Merriweather
                Default

                    I think if a painting tells a story, that is really good.. as Photos too, they should/could tell a story. Journalists aim for photos to tell a story. I supposed artists can too.
                    In this photo, this child could be watching a game of something from behind a fence, except we know that is not the case as the artist says so.
                    Its not a child who is in Nauru or Papua New Guinea… the child is white.
                    But it could be – god help us – a depiction of our Australia curse… domestic violence..

                    Painting is a complete distraction. I know of nothing which, without exhausting the body, more entirely absorbs the mind. Winston Churchill

                    #629010

                    Could be any one of a number of subjects but we need to listen to the artist. Its a great shame that some people insist on carrying on the political argument in the figure forum, even when asked to bring that discussion here.

                    Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art - Leonardo da Vinci
                    More than happy to receive C&C on anything I post
                    Instagram
                    https://www.instagram.com/the_henson_gallery/

                    #629005
                    SarahY
                    Default

                        I dunno, DavidHH, I think if one is going to post something of a sensitive subject matter (like an unhappy child), something that isn’t ‘bland’, one has to respect that there is going to be a reaction and probably a discussion. People have the freedom to interpret an image however they like, and the artist has no control over that. The image and title combined make it seem very political, the artist in question says it isn’t but hasn’t explained what it actually means. Perhaps a different title would have helped make it clearer.

                        It’s all good when art promotes discussion, response, and feeling.

                        http://www.shyeomans.co.uk
                        \m/ neue deutsche härte \m/
                        Nothing left but smoke and cellar, and a woman with a black umbrella...

                        #629011

                        I’m happy about discussion Sarah, but it was getting heated in there ;)

                        Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art - Leonardo da Vinci
                        More than happy to receive C&C on anything I post
                        Instagram
                        https://www.instagram.com/the_henson_gallery/

                        #628979

                        I think it is great if someone posts a picture that can make us think or stimulate discussion, and maybe have a bit of passion… though sometimes it’s possible to get a bit carried away and a thread can get a bit off track and out of hand, which is where this ‘go Figure’ thread can be useful :)

                        A lot of the figure things I post are just ‘studies’… could be described as ‘bland’? and I would really like to create some figurative works that actually say something, but just havent’ worked out how to do that so far :rolleyes:

                        Mac

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