Friday, February 16, 2007

Howard Hodgkin and wild beast painting.






Howard Hodgkin is a 75 year old English artist, these pieces are from a current Tate exhibition.
I think his work is beautiful, especially the paintings like the top three - his prints don't resonate for me as much. I like the sureness and unexpected color combinations.
Quite a few of the paintings - look at the second one down - spill over onto the frame so it's part of the piece instead of containing it. I love coloring outside the lines.

There's something I've always thought would be fun, as a housepainter. Paint completely outside the lines using whatever colors I please. Give me a house with front yard, driveway and trees. Let me paint everything. The grass, roof, windows, tree trunks, the whole enchilada. Leopard spots, stripes, big messy abstract brushwork. Whatever I want!
Decorate the roof shingles, paint tartan designs on the windows, tiger stripe the front door, spray the lawn pink, roll the driveway glossy black...heck leave a car, the family dog and your toddler playing in the driveway and I'll paint them too.

After 27 years of having to be precise and neat and painting the color YOU want, that would be pretty damn fun.

(Fauvism was an artistic style popularized by Matisse, about 100 years ago. Artists working in this style were dubbed Les Fauves, French for "wild beasts.")

6 Comments:

At 1:37 PM, Blogger Tabor said...

I like number one and three and agree that there is no humblness in these strokes.

 
At 1:44 PM, Blogger Tabor said...

Whoops, forgot to add that maybe you should give Carson Kressley's house a make-over. Or, no wait, what about that dress designer critic, kojo or kujo or whatever his name is.

 
At 5:50 PM, Blogger Lauren said...

The composition in those paintings is amazing!! I would love to have a couple of those hanging in my home.

I love modern art for the same reason I love photos of country landscapes. . . It's honest and from the heart. That's just the country girl coming out. . . I love that part of me. . .

Thanks for a great post!!!

HUGGSS!!

 
At 2:42 PM, Blogger yellowdoggranny said...

I like that first one a lot..
what did you think of the painted cats??? some where really beautiful, but can't imagine what went through the cats mind when they looked at themselves in the mirror...

 
At 10:00 AM, Blogger Karen said...

Agree with tabor on number one and three.

 
At 11:18 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I like every painting because every painting has their own beauty.

 

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