I’ve been looking at examples of contemporary artist and I honestly can’t see anything extraordinary that is also original (i.e. hasn’t already been done before). I did find some artists that I like but they still can’t beat the quality of work done by artists before their time. Only two artists shined through to me with their originality and fine quality of their work; Daniel Merriam and Jenny Saville.
Daniel Merriam - Flight of Scarlet - original watercolor - 30 x 22 inches
Jenny Saville - Brace - 1998-99 -
oil on canvas - 120 x 72 inches
These two are very different artists but due to my eccentric and varied taste I love both their works!
Another contemporary artist that I also like but not as much is Stephanie Pui-Mun Law since her work is similar to Daniel Merriam but she lacks a certain je ne sais quoi; she uses preexisting myths from both eastern and western influences while he seems to pluck straight from his own dreamscapes, and his watercolors has a crispness of lines while her work tend to be fuzzy as most watercolor work tend to be.
I think I’ll do critique reviews of artists from the past and present. I’ll include my overall opinion of their work (like it or don’t like it), analyze their use of design elements, etc. I feel that everyone should have at least one artist they like whether they’re contemporary or not! Also I know how some of my friends find all the different movements, styles, and mediums more than a bit confusing. Educating everyone with an elementary understanding of some art fundamentals will be enjoyable for everyone! The research will help build up my knowledge-base of art history while I teach others to appreciate the visual arts! If anyone is curious about something in particular then just leave me a message somewhere and I’ll get right on it! In addition, I’ll include any quotes by I find, I personally think some of the best philosophers are also artists!
My first critical review will be a more in-depth look of Daniel Merriam and his works of fantasy done in beautiful watercolors.
